DCLM Daily Manna 13 June 2026: A Dangerous Misstep
KEY VERSE: “Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people” (Genesis 34:16).
TEXT: Genesis 34: 6-17 KJV
And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
7 And 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.
8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
10 And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.
12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.
13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
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Interactive World Report 2024 indicates that the number of people living in foreign countries has increased three-fold since 1970. This trend has been encouraged by globalisation and uneven regional development. Like Jacob and his family in today’s text, the search for greener pastures has uprooted many people, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
In the text, Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, finds herself in a foreign land. The inquisitive nature of the youth propelled her to explore the land. Sadly, she was ambushed and defiled by Shechem, the son of Hamor, a prince of the Hivites. Hamor quickly proposed a marriage alliance with Israel to redeem the situation. The offer appears attractive enough to appease Jacob: a fat dowry, an opportunity for investments and blending with a prominent Canaanite family. Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, deceptively prescribed circumcision as a religious ritual to cement the marriage alliance but used it as a tool to revenge their sister’s defilement.
Many families have faced a similar dilemma as Jacob and his children today. Some spinsters and bachelors, born and raised in the church, in their desperation to settle down and raise a family, feel that it is better to marry just anyone rather than remain single for life. There are also those who, in their careless moments, have ended up with an unplanned pregnancy. They are often faced with the dilemma of following Hamor’s face-saving option or obeying God’s commandment on marriage.
However, the scriptural standard remains clear: a Christian should not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever in marriage, time and circumstances notwithstanding. Believers are peculiar people, and marrying unbelievers would erase their distinct identity. And as God warned the children of Israel under Moses, an unequal yoke can lead believers to turn from following God; thereby, provoking His anger. Believers should trust and obey God when choosing a spouse and during the entire marriage process. DCLM Daily Manna Saturday June 13th 2026 A Dangerous Misstep
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Marriages not built on the Rock (Christ) suffer a fall when the wind and flood come
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 22-25
DCLM Daily Manna 13 June 2026
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