DCLM Higher Everyday 13 February 2024 — Forbidden Friendships – Part 1
Topic: Forbidden Friendships – Part 1
Text: Genesis 34:1-7
1And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
4And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
5And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
6And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
7And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
Key Verse: “And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land” (Genesis 34:1).
Message
In the Oxford English Reader used by primary six in the 1960s, a story was told about some Massai hunters. The writer said, “We were hunting for game with no particular kind of animal in mind.” During the hunting expedition, one of the hunters called Ngomba was suddenly and fiercely attacked by a huge python which coiled around him, stretching his bones to breaking point. The coil that did the most damage was referred to as the ‘fatal coil.’ Ngomba could not be saved despite the frantic efforts of his colleagues. This story is similar to that in our text. Dinah had no particular lady in mind to visit, just “the daughters of the land.” Unfortunately, it was Shechem, a prince of the country, who attracted her attention and defiled her.
Valentine Day is around the corner and there are many young people, who like the devil, are going about as “a roaring lion,” seeking whom they may devour. Child of God, do not become a woeful victim of sinful fun-seekers. God’s warning to both Christian boys and girls is, “Keep yourself pure.”
Quote: Do not become a woeful victim
Challenge: No friendship is worth it that leads to sin.
Prayer for today: Oh God, keep me from sinful friendships, in Jesus’ name.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
