Defiled Deliverance

Introduction and a Sobering Disclaimer

If you have a Bible, go and grab it and turn to the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible. We'll be looking at chapter 34. What we normally do here at the church is that we go through a book of the Bible in order. That allows us to get a sense of what the author is doing in the entire book, as Moses did here in the book of Genesis. It also forces us to reckon with some passages that we might not normally read on a Sunday morning. Chapter 34 is no exception to that.

Now, normally, when I preach a sermon, I'll read the passage in full and then we'll dive into the text afterwards. But given the subject matter that's found here in chapter 34, I want to start with a bit of a disclaimer. Genesis 34 is one of the darkest passages in Scripture. We get to see a woman who gets defiled by a man who's in power over her and is able to take advantage of her. We have a diversity of people sitting here this morning, and I don't know how a passage like this would land on you. And so if you'll allow me, I just want to take some of the points that will come up in the sermon and apply them now before we read the passage, just so that we could prepare ourselves for the reading of God's Word.

Number one: To anyone who may cringe at the thought of talking about sensitive topics like what you're about to see here in chapter 34, I hope passages like these help us to confront the ugliness of sin for what it is. The Bible uses frank language to talk about sinful things. Even in our passage this morning, it makes clear that Shechem is about to do "a thing that should not be done." If that makes you uncomfortable, it probably should—not just this, but many other sins that you see all throughout the Bible. It's not PG, but if you watch the news, if you look around at this broken world around us, we recognize that tragedies like what we're about to read about are nothing new. It happens all the time, and it's good that the Bible addresses topics like these directly and with honesty.

Number two: To anyone who may have experienced similar pain to what we read about here, I just hope that you are shielded from Satan's lie that this pain inflicted on you in any way changed your value or worth before the Lord. Sometimes we talk about abuse in terms of defilement; that's a word that we'll see here in the book of Genesis. But that doesn't mean that you are worthless. It's actually quite the opposite. The reason why defilement is so grotesque in Scripture is not because those who have been defiled are worthless because of what happened to them, but it's bad precisely because they are worth so much. It is because of the value of women and those who are made in God's image that makes abuse so horrendous. Comments about the wickedness of sin and the evil of what's happening to Dinah here in this passage is not a comment on your inherent worth. It's not meant to demean you; it's actually to preserve the value and worthiness of you being protected. It is worth lamenting the loss of things that you love, not being loved and protected the way they should. I just hope that you know that you are precious in the Lord's sight.

Number three: There is a real possibility that there is someone here in this room who listens to this sermon, or listens to this sermon in the future, that is an abuser. And if that's you, I want you to know that Jesus Christ loves you and is willing to forgive. Even on the cross, as he looks in the face of those who crucify him, he prays to his Father, saying,

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided his clothes and cast lots. — Luke 23:34 (CSB) But the call to follow Jesus is more than just receiving forgiveness. A true repentant heart includes a real admission, a full confession, honesty about the sin that was committed. It also requires real affection for Jesus that's greater than your sin and a desire to do whatever it takes to follow Jesus. Which means that it will always look like real accountability: taking full accountability for any of the consequences of your sins, whether that involves the authorities, your church, your family, or anyone involved. And it includes walking in a manner that maximizes the safety of everyone around you, recognizing that forgiveness and trust are not equivalent things.

Number four: Many of us here are bystanders, and this passage is actually directed primarily towards you, as we'll see throughout the rest of this sermon. I wonder where your zeal, or apathy, or fear may lead.

Number five: I hope all of us are able to look at the example of Jesus. We worship a Savior who was stripped naked, who's brought to shame in front of his persecutors. And the purity that we gain in the New Covenant isn't just from having a pure state that we earned, or gaining it through our good works, or guarding it throughout our life. But it's through a purity that was given to us through a bloodied, naked Savior on a cross. It's because of his shameful crucifixion that you and I are able to stand unashamed before a holy, loving Father. That's the only real answer to unspeakable pain like what we read here. And with that, let me read to us Genesis chapter 34, starting from verse one.

The Defilement of Dinah and Jacob's Silence

Leah’s daughter Dinah, whom Leah bore to Jacob, went out to see some of the young women of the area. When Shechem—son of Hamor the Hivite, who was the region’s chieftain—saw her, he took her and raped her. He became infatuated with Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He loved the young girl and spoke tenderly to her. “Get me this girl as a wife,” he told his father. Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned. Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob. Jacob’s sons returned from the field when they heard about the incident. They were deeply grieved and very angry, for Shechem had committed an outrage against Israel by raping Jacob’s daughter, and such a thing should not be done. Hamor said to Jacob’s sons, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. Live with us. The land is before you. Settle here, move about, and acquire property in it.” Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor, and I’ll give you whatever you say. Demand of me a high compensation and gift; I’ll give you whatever you ask me. Just give the girl to be my wife!” But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully because he had defiled their sister Dinah. “We cannot do this thing,” they said to them. “Giving our sister to an uncircumcised man is a disgrace to us. We will agree with you only on this condition: if all your males are circumcised as we are. Then we will give you our daughters, take your daughters for ourselves, live with you, and become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.” Their words seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. The young man did not delay doing this, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most important in all his father’s family. So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city. “These men are peaceful toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and move about in it, for indeed, the region is large enough for them. Let’s take their daughters as our wives and give our daughters to them. But the men will agree to live with us and be one people only on this condition: if all our men are circumcised as they are. Won’t their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let’s agree with them, and they will live with us.” All the men who had come to the city gates listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all those men were circumcised. On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and killed every male. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went away. Jacob’s sons came to the slaughter and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled. They took their flocks, herds, donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. They captured all their possessions, dependents, and wives and plundered everything in the houses. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.” But they answered, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?” — Genesis 34:1-31 (CSB)

Let's pray. Lord, we pray that as we think about this incredible injustice, that you would highlight your holiness and your mercy by your grace. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Living in a sinful world means living in an unjust one. It's not just that the world is bad, but that the world is unfair. Thieves, deceivers, and abusers get away with horrendous evil. In this world, we see an example of Dinah being defiled, and almost nothing happening as a result of it. And even the response in order to enact justice seems even worse than what you may desire or want. What we find in this story, as we look at every single character and every single one of their actions, is that every person, except for Dinah, is wicked. All to show us that we are absolutely corrupt to our core. As we look at this story, we're really going to see Moses highlight two things: first, corrupted love, and second, corrupted justice.

Corrupted Love: Selfish Desire and Jacob's Passivity

Why are we so corrupt? We're corrupt even to the point where our love gets corrupted. Look again at verse one. "Leah's daughter Dinah, whom Leah bore to Jacob, went out to see some of the young women of the area. And when Shechem, son of Hamor, the Hivite, who was the region's chieftain, saw her, he took her and raped her."

Last week, we saw Jacob wrestle with God and reconcile with his brother Esau. Instead of following his brother to Seir, Jacob continues on back to the promised land, back towards Bethel. But Jacob doesn't go all the way; he stops midway on his journey. He stops in this area of Shechem, between where he was and where he should have been. If you're familiar with the story that you see in Genesis, over and over again, whether it's Abraham, Isaac, or here with Jacob, stalling between where you are and where you should be never ends well. Never ends well. And a nightmare ensues.

Leah's daughter Dinah goes to spend time with some of the young women in the area. I just want to say, while we should never ascribe blame to a victim for the way that they dress or where they go, there is still a legitimate warning that you can find here. Dinah assumed that she'd be safe in a place where she wasn't. Notice what verse one says as describing the place that she goes: she spends time with "the women of the area." It's not just that she's unprotected by being away from the men in her life, but that the place, the area that she found herself in, was an inherently unsafe place. There are real, legitimate dangers out there. I just pray that we can use discretion with where we find ourselves.

More than that, I hope that we aren't just careful, but that we're actually full of care towards those that are under our care. I remember hanging out with a female friend and a group of singles, and she told me about multiple times in her life when she would hang out with fellow church people, fellow singles, and she would tell them that she's going to get up and leave, and she would wait. Eventually, she would have to just look at some of these guys that are a little bit hard-headed and tell them, "Can somebody please walk me to my car?" I hope no one has to say that here. I hope all the men in this room understand that it's our responsibility to take care of our wives, our daughters, your sisters in Christ, because wicked men like Shechem are out there.

He sees Dinah, he took her and he raped her, because whether it's the fruit of Eden or a daughter of Eve, it is sin to see, to take, and then to devour what does not belong to you. But he desires more than just momentary pleasure. You can see that in verse three: "He became infatuated with Jacob's daughter Dinah. He loved the young girl and spoke tenderly to her. 'Get me this girl as a wife,' he told his father."

It's a weird story. Shechem falls for Dinah. It says that his soul is drawn to her; he longs for her. The text even goes as far as to say that he loved her. After committing this horrendous physical evil, he speaks tenderly to her. I hope this is just a lesson that all of us need to be careful, especially towards those who act violently while speaking softly. That's why so many victims struggle to leave, because they struggle with the dissonance of sweet words mixed with sharp hands. Think about what Psalm 55 describes with this evil man whose buttery words are smooth, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.

When it comes to figures like Shechem, we'd love to be able to flatten them as these purely evil megalomaniacs. We'd be able to villainize them, or make them monsters, or something less than human. But when we see his actions towards Dinah, I hope that you see that his evil isn't any less. I think this is pure wickedness. At the same time, it's also multidimensional. And evil often presents itself in paradoxical ways like this. This is part of the reason why issues like abuse become so complex, because it comes from people that you would never expect it from—from people that you normally would trust, that 99% of the time might even behave in manners that seem trustworthy. And yet, their conscience has no problem mixing evil actions with soft affections.

You see exactly this happening here with Shechem, because whether or not he is acting evilly or loving Dinah, it comes from the same place, which is his love for himself. That's really the through line, isn't it? In both cases, whether it's abusing Dinah or adoring Dinah, it's about what Shechem wants. It's about what Shechem can get. It's all about himself. I wonder how much of your own love is rooted in your own selfishness. Not to lower the seriousness of abuse, but to raise the sober-mindedness that we can have about the root issue that infects all of us. How much of our love is actually rooted in what we want, where we're more focused on what we gain rather than what we give? We know that true love is not rooted in delighting in our own desires being fulfilled, but in the other person's good. Christian love is in sacrifice, not selfishness. That's why Jesus in John 15 says that no greater love exists than that one lays down his own life for his friends. But Shechem doesn't think like that. He tells his father, "Get me this girl as a wife," because he treats her like property, something that exists to make him happy.

Meanwhile, Jacob, Dinah's father, does nothing. You see that in verse five: "Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah. But since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned. Meanwhile, Shechem's father Hamor came to speak with Jacob." This is the consistent pattern of the patriarchs—whether it's Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob—it's a failure to protect their women, whether it's giving up your wife to foreign kings, or in this case, not being able to protect his own daughter. Jacob is completely silent. I mean, can you imagine if your daughter's abuser's father comes to you to negotiate getting your daughter as his wife and not saying anything? You should be outraged.

This is an unthinkable act, and it's like the text itself is outraged too. Look at the way that it describes it. Jacob's sons come back and they're "deeply grieved, very angry, because Shechem committed an outrage for doing such a thing that should not be done." These are white-knuckled words. You see how upset Moses is that this happened? And yet, Jacob does nothing. He doesn't do anything. That passivity, that inaction, has more to do with Jacob than it does the situation, doesn't it? It reveals something about Jacob's heart. Jacob doesn't act because his heart is focused on something else. In verse 30, Jacob responds to Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, by saying that, "You brought trouble on me by making me odious to the people of the land. We're few in number. They're all going to come and destroy me."

After all, at the end of chapter 33, which we saw last week, Jacob works really hard to strike this deal with Shechem in order to obtain this land. He pitched his tent there; he's getting comfortable. And he wants to be able to get along with his neighbors. Doesn't this happen all the time, where people resort to saying peace when there is no peace, where it's easier to just bury things than have to confront the ugly reality of sin? And it's the fact that peaceful living is exactly what Hamor and Shechem offered to Jacob. That's the offer. In verses 8 to 10, he offers them intermarriage, to live with them, to have the land, to be able to settle and move about and acquire property. I mean, that sounds exactly like what Jacob would want.

It is tempting to compromise on your convictions for the sake of convenience. Shechem makes the offer as universal as possible. He looks at Jacob and Dinah's brothers and says, "literally ask whatever you want. Ask for something big. Go big. Ask me for a lot. I will literally give you whatever you want as long as you give me what I want." You know, there's someone else in the Bible who promises this exact same thing: Satan. In the temptation in the wilderness, he shows Jesus all the kingdoms of this world and he says, "I will give you all of these things so long as you bow down and worship me." After all, that's the offer of any idol, right? Just give me one thing, and I'll be able to give you whatever it is that your heart desires. It's a seductive offer. It's tempting. And yet that temptation will place a tumor in your heart.

After all, who is the one who is promising this offer? It comes from the very man who committed an outrage against Israel by abusing Israel's daughter and doing such a thing that should not be done. This is not coming from a reliable source. And that temptation exists for more than just Jacob, doesn't it? That temptation exists for Israel as well. Did you notice the themes and the way that these words change? Jacob is described as Jacob for the entirety of this story until you get to verse seven. Suddenly his name changes to what? To Israel.

When you read about Shechem, this place and this individual making a deal with Israel, who represents a nation, it sounds like this verse isn't necessarily just about these individuals. It's also about these people. They point to more. They are literal figures in history, but they're also indicative of the nations. Moses is saying through gritted teeth, "Remember what happened before you go into this land. Remember what happened before you re-enter into Shechem. Remember who these Shechemites are. No matter what they may say. No matter what they may offer, remember what they did. They are not friends. They are enemies. They have done things that should not be done. They have committed an outrage against God's people, and you need to remember the same."

Whenever Satan comes and offers you a temptation in exchange for your heart, remember who's talking to you. Has Satan ever been honest? Has his deals ever worked out? We are called to be in the world, but not of it. And if you spend enough time in the world with the world's people, you will meet someone who strikes the right chord in your heart in the right moment, and you will be tempted to compromise. Maybe not even compromise, maybe just to be silent, to let things happen, to be in the world and not of it, except just a little bit. To compromise, just a little. And God wants you to hold the line. Be clear-eyed about the difference between good and evil. There is no negotiation that exists. Christians do not negotiate with terrorists. You do not negotiate with sin. This is not an option that's available for you. Anytime Satan comes and offers you a deal in exchange for your heart, you have a Christian obligation to know the truth and to say no.

And the primary way that we as a church hold that line is through church membership—holding a clear distinction between those who are consistent in their profession of faith and those who are not. To draw a distinction between those who are part of God's people and those who are not. My heart is so broken every time that there's news about hypocrisy in the church, about leaders who take their power and use it against God's people. Those churches, more than just reporting to their authorities—you absolutely need to do that—need to speak and declare before a world that Jesus does not stand for that, that he is not with evildoers, that you cannot profess to follow Christ and engage in unrepentant sin at the same time.

The goal is to not just have people fold into our community for the sake of folding in, but to have people join God's kingdom, which means swearing allegiance to Jesus alone as their Lord and their Savior, no matter what it takes. That's how we're able to be in the world and not of it. Because we as a church love unbelievers. If you're not a Christian, you're here. We're so glad that you're here. At the same time, we want to make clear that if you're not repenting of your sin, if you're not following Christ, if you're not a member of a church, you're not with us. Because when a church cohabitates with unbelievers for the sake of compassion, that's not compassion; that's just compromise. That's taking the attitude of Israel being silent before his own nation's abusers.

And we as a church have a responsibility to be sober-minded, to be able to distinguish between the promises of the world and the promises of our God, to be willing to stand up and hold to our biblical convictions, no matter what it takes or what it means. Whether it's issues of biblical sexuality, whether it's advocating for the unborn, whether it's racial injustice, the exclusivity of Christ, every clear line that we draw in our statement of faith and our church covenant, we are distinguishing ourselves as part of a kingdom that is not of this world. And in doing so, we are making clear what real righteousness is supposed to look like. And we protect those that are under our care. The truth is, Shechem could have offered Jacob and Dinah's brothers everything in the world, and they still should have said no. Because what is a woman worth? In the Kingdom of God, Dinah is priceless.

Corrupted Justice: Simeon and Levi's Vengeance

Dinah's brothers understand that. They get that. But their zeal for their sister then leads them into another corruption. Point two: corrupted justice. Look at verse 13: "But Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 'We cannot do this thing,' they said to them, 'Giving our sister to an uncircumcised man is a disgrace to us. We will agree with you only on this condition: if all your males are circumcised as we are. Then we will give you our daughters, take your daughters for ourselves, live with you, and become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.'"

Like father, like son. Jacob's sons take a card from their dad's playbook. They act deceitfully towards others, using words to communicate something different than what they actually mean. And they agree to let Shechem marry Dinah, so long as all their people are circumcised. And in their circumcision, they would all be one. That's the condition: "Join us. Become part of our nation."

And that sounds just fine to Shechem and Hamor. You can see what they respond with in verse 18: "Their words seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. The young man did not delay doing this, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most important in all his father's family. So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city. 'These men are peaceful toward us,' they said. 'Let them live in our land and move about in it, for indeed, the region is large enough for them. Let’s take their daughters as our wives and give our daughters to them. But the men will agree to live with us and be one people only on this condition: if all our men are circumcised as they are. Won’t their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let’s agree with them, and they will live with us.'"

Notice the difference between Shechem's agreement with Jacob's brothers, what Jacob's brothers say, and what Shechem tells the men of his city. They're happy to comply with outward behavior, but their interior motivations are completely different. They view circumcision as just checking a box. As long as they get this done, Israel will join them. I mean, look at all the stuff they get: all the animals, all their possessions, all of their dependents. All they have to do is this small thing. It's the exact opposite of what God had called Jacob to do. This is Jacob joining them.

Because all of us understand that joining God's people is not about an outward covenant sign. It's not about all the stuff that you do with your actions. It's about inward conversion. It's about changing who you are. It's not just about being good enough; it's about being completely transformed. Beware of being unequally yoked—of dating someone, or pursuing marriage with someone, or being with someone who's willing to get along, who follows along with outward compliance in order to get what they actually want, who fake interest only to be found lacking. Because if you can't distinguish between whether or not they're interested in you or interested in Jesus, you are in extremely dangerous territory. Shechem was delighted to do what they ask. He was happy to go to church members class, get baptized, do whatever it takes—not because he delighted in the Lord, but because he delighted in Jacob's daughter.

Well, Shechem thought that he was gaining the upper hand on Jacob's family. Jacob's brothers turned out to be even more deceptive. You can see what they did in verse 24: "All the men who had come to the city gates listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all those men were circumcised. On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and killed every male. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went away. Jacob’s sons came to the slaughter and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled. They took their flocks, herds, donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. They captured all their possessions, dependents, and wives and plundered everything in the houses. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.” But they answered, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”"

Shechem and his city were reeling in pain from their circumcision. They are disadvantaged, and Simeon and Levi go through the city and kill every single male. They wipe out Hamor and Shechem and all the men of the house on their own. They plunder the city of everything that they had. Vindication. Justice. At least, it seems. Jacob asks his sons, "Why'd you do this?" The sons respond, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" I mean, if Jacob's inaction was due to fear, his sons' actions were due to anger, right? Zeal for their father's house and their desire for justice, they became vigilantes. They put justice in their own hands.

And I just want to be really clear. You may read a story like that and think that is pretty epic stuff. But the Bible does not talk like that. For one, they are not perfect men; you'll find out about that in a couple chapters. For another, they are explicitly condemned for their behavior. In chapter 49, Jacob says this to Simeon and Levi as he blesses them at the end of his life:

Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons. May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For in their anger they kill men, and on a whim they hamstring oxen. Their anger is cursed, for it is strong, and their fury, for it is cruel! I will disperse them throughout Jacob and scatter them throughout Israel. — Genesis 49:5-7 (CSB) I mean, that is some venomous condemnation. And for good reason, because Simeon and Levi are not pure in their intentions. Their anger is cursed. Their fury is cruel. In other words, what Simeon and Levi did was sin. It was sinful. Because there's a real danger in being so fixated on the wrongs of others that you ignore your own. James tells us that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

God's Perfect Justice and the Hope of the Gospel

Which leads us to a quandary. What do we do in the face of this kind of injustice if this kind of anger is so corrupted? After all, that's how the story ends. It doesn't end with a resolution. There is no happy ending at the end of chapter 34. It ends with a question: "Do we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?" I mean, how can we stomach living in a world that is this corrupt, that lacks all justice? By looking towards a God who enacts perfect justice himself.

Look at the way that Moses describes Simeon and Levi passing through this city, unsuspecting, killing every male, and then plundering the city and leaving with all of their possessions, dependents, and wives. Can you think of another time where God's people have all of their enemies' sons killed and all of their possessions plundered? It sounds like the Exodus. When God's spirit comes down and kills every firstborn male of Egypt, and they're able to plunder the nation and leave with all of their possessions, and plenty of people join them to join the nation of Israel. But the difference between the Exodus and Genesis 34 is the person that's enacting the justice. It's not Simeon and Levi going out and vindicating themselves. It's not Israel puffing out his chest and demonstrating their might. It is God who is enacting his justice, and he enacts it perfectly.

In the Exodus, the Israelites are not exempt from God's justice either. They have to protect themselves. They have to cover their own doorpost with the blood of a lamb, because they themselves are not innocent. They needed forgiveness. The truth is that none of us are innocent people. If God today were to wipe out the wicked, the entire earth would be vacant. All of us are guilty before a holy and righteous God. All of us deserve to die because of our own wickedness.

And the good news of the gospel is not just that God came down to slay the wicked, but to die on their behalf. Jesus is the perfect King who treats every subject with perfect righteousness, perfect compassion, perfect justice. He never abused the weak. He never negotiated in the midst of injustice. Instead, he redeemed his wife out of injustice. Jesus didn't come to slay the wicked; he came to die for them.

Why can the Bible leave a question like Genesis 34 hanging? Because Jesus would be the answer. How can the Bible say that God is both compassionate and will not let the guilty go unpunished? Because God poured out that judgment that you and I deserved on his Son. So that in turn, Jesus could pour out infinite amounts of compassion and mercy on unworthy sinners like you and I. That's the good news that's available for us.

And it's that gospel that empowers us to be able to trust the Lord in the midst of the greatest injustice. It's the gospel that redeems the worst of sinners, even abusers, and washes them with Christ's blood in such a way that frees you up to be able to take full accountability and embrace full, foreign righteousness that did not belong to you, because it was given. That's the scandal of grace. It's the gospel that emboldens bystanders to push beyond worldly apathy, fear, and zeal into a God-honoring, persistent pursuit of righteousness that treats everyone as worthy of dignity and worth, and works to end injustice. Not because you need to vindicate yourself or that you need to vindicate them, but because your work is an extension of God's justice here on the earth. Because you trust that the Lord delights in seeing justice justly poured out, while simultaneously trusting that vengeance belongs to the Lord, and that God will right every wrong in his kingdom.

It's only in the gospel that you can take inexplicable, excruciating amounts of suffering, and be able to frame it in a completely new light. Do you realize that the worst amounts of shame that you experience in your life only makes you more like Jesus? When he was stripped, when he was crucified, that your shame points not to your decrease in worth, but precisely towards the Savior who loved you, who experienced the depths of hell himself, so that he could exalt us and lift us up at the right hand of the Father. It's only in the gospel that we have this good news of a Savior who sees you and covers you. A Savior who knows perfect justice and will administer it in such a way that on the day of the Lord, you and I will be simultaneously completely satisfied in light of every wrongdoing that you've experienced in this life. You will not go into heaven with a single "what about." And at the same time, you will be completely humbled and grateful for what you've been spared from. That's the good news of the gospel. Not whether or not he should treat this precious daughter like a prostitute, but that he would treat the worst of us like sons and daughters. And when this world mars your spirit, when you experience those kinds of wounds, that kind of desperation, that fear, don't look in. Look up. At your Savior. See his wounded hands. Rest in his unchanging grace. And anchor your hope within the torn veil of his flesh.

Prayer

Let's pray. Lord, we pray that you would help us to see the ugliness of sin and the beauty of Christ. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.