We're turning to the book of Genesis this morning. I'd like to borrow two verses for a text to focus our minds. Firstly, chapter 33, verse 18, and then chapter 34 and verse one. And our subject this morning is a question. Are we needlessly exposing ourselves and our families to this ungodly world? That's the question. So chapter 33, verse 18. And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram and pitched his tent before the city. Then chapter 34, verse one. And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob went out to see the daughters of the land. You know, the church is in its greatest danger when the world appears most friendly. When Satan appears to animate the world in great hatred and persecution against the people of God. Then we know our enemy. We are on our guard. We must not be deceived when the world is friendly toward us. This ungodly world, it has its own agenda. It is hostile to Christ. Its tastes, its fashions, often its music are hostile to the holiness set before us in the word of God. And Christ has redeemed us if we are his out of this world. The apostle Paul writing to the Galatians says he has redeemed us from this present or delivered us from this present evil world. Galatians 1 verse 4. And James reminds his readers, chapter four, verse four, be not deceived, the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Perhaps nothing alarms or displays a pastor more than when believers appear to drop their guard against this ungodly world in which we live. Well, Jacob here drops his guards, as we shall see. And there's a solemn warning for us in Jacob's decision-making. Well, he leaves Esau, or rather Esau leaves Jacob, and they leave on friendly terms. Jacob had dreaded that meeting with Esau. He feared the worst, but his fears have been relieved. God in his kindness has overruled in the situation. A calm reassurance has come over Jacob and he journeys on into the land of Canaan. But it is then with calm upon his steps, peace and reassurance in his mind that he makes a false step here in verse 18. As believers, we are so often safer when we are in danger, real danger, than when life is plain sailing. And Genesis 34, we didn't read the whole chapter, is perhaps one of the saddest episodes in Jacob's life. Whether Jacob was an only daughter, we cannot be sure, but she is the only one referred to and doubtless she was dearly loved by her mother, her father and her brothers. But Dinah is defiled. What grief, what heartache that would have brought to Jacob's mind. I'm sure many Christian parents can relate to what happened to Dinah in chapter 34. They know the anguish, the sadness, the soul searching that would have gone through Jacob's own mind. It's true to say that sometimes it is Christians who have been wise and godly parents who still have to suffer that same pathway. They've sought to set the right boundaries, to warn their daughters and their sons, and yet they fall into sin. But occasionally, there are those who as parents are like Jacob here. They must bear some of the blame for the sin that enters into their children's lives. As we look at this this morning, then I wouldn't wish anyone to think that I'm pointing fingers, but there is a solemn warning here to every father, every mother, every daughter, and every son, that we do well to lay to heart. In Genesis chapter 31 and verse 13, you may remember that God appeared to Jacob whilst he was still in Haran in the employ of his uncle Laban. And the Lord said this, I am the God of Bethel where thou anointest the pillar and where thou vowedst a vow unto me. Now arise, get thee out from this land. and return unto the land of thy kindred. Where do you think God intended Jacob to go? If he were to put what three words, point down within Canaan, would it have been just outside the city of Shechem? Or would it have been at Bethel? We read this in chapter 28, verse 20. Jacob vowed a vow saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God, and this stone, which was at Bethel, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house. Where should Jacob have headed for then? when he returned to the land of Canaan. Hebron, that was where Isaac, his father, was still living. Or Bethel, which he named the house of God, that place of worship. Surely Bethel would have been a better option than to pitch his tent across from the city of Shechem. These were Hivites, Canaanites. And as the chapter 34 unfolds, it's clear that their moral principles left something to be desired. Sure, Levi and Simeon were bang out of order in the way they deceived them and then brutalized them. But there was no apology made. for Shechem's defiling of the daughter of Jacob. These things happened. Yes, I know our society is little better than Canaanite society, at least in that respect. What Jacob, we're told here in chapter 33, verse 18, he came to Shalem, a city of Shechem. You know what the word Shalem means? It means safe, or it can mean friendly. That seems to speak at least of how Jacob was thinking at this time. He felt safe. He felt the people of the neighborhood were friendly towards him. Some translate this phrase, and it's legitimate according to the Hebrew language, that Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem. He felt at ease. When we feel safe in this world, on friendly ground, we drop our guard. And that's what Jacob did. He built a house. He built sheds, booths for his cattle. The valley was a fertile one. It seemed convenient, disposed to his large flocks and herds. And then we read, he pitched his tent before the city. Had he not learned from his great uncle Lot, isn't the language somewhat similar? The Lord would spare him. but he's misstepped at the end of this chapter, and we must lay it to heart. This place was in Canaan, and the Lord had said, return to Canaan, but it was only just over the border. It was a fertile valley, friendly enough. He was keen to do business, but it was perilous for his family. Bethel was far higher up in the hills. It was away from Canaanite civilization, but he chose to reside just over the border. But let's commend him. He built an altar. He is determined to maintain a public statement, I worship the mighty God. the name that he gave at the end of this chapter, to the altar El Eloi, Israel. It means God, the mighty God of Israel. He uses his new name that the Lord gave him. He publicly identifies with the one true God, the mighty God. And so we commend Jacob for that. but it wasn't Bethel. We need to notice chapter 35, verse one, because this will bookend the sad chapter that is before us in chapter 34. God said unto Jacob, after this sordid affair with Dinah, and then the brothers' wicked reaction God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar unto God that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. This verse seems to be a gentle rebuke to Jacob. Jacob, this is where you should have gone instinctively. You would have been safe there. And so we see what happens when the people of God are drawn in too close to worldly things. And that must be our warning this morning. Jacob, in this chapter, is a kind of bare minimum believer. Yes, he is a genuine, sincere enough worshiper of God. Doubtless loyal to the Lord. Doubtless thankful for the Lord's preserving mercies over the years. He built an altar. He had no intention of hiding his light or compromising his convictions. But here at the end of chapter 33, he's taken his eye off the ball. He's dropped his guard. He's got a blind spot. Such is the commodious appeal of this valley that he's not followed the Lord in spirit. He can say, well, yeah, I'm in Canaan, but he's not followed through on all the principles that the Lord has taught his father in calling him out of Ur of the Chaldees. He's not learned from the temptation that befell his uncle Lot. By the time of chapter 34, Jacob has been in residence here adjacent to the city of Shechem for some years, possibly a minimum of seven, perhaps longer. We know that because his sons would not have been old enough to act in that way as full-grown men. Dinah would have not been mature enough to have been the subject of a marriage proposal. So this was not some temporary stopover. He builds a house, he's settled down, and he's going to reap the bitter fruits of this unguarded decision. He has overlooked the needless exposure to ungodly people his family will face by living in this particular neighborhood. Jacob, we may say, surely you realize you are to be in Canaan, but not of Canaan. And we may say that to every Christian amongst us here. Are we aware that God's word teaches that yes, we must be in this world. And Canaan was a worldly place, but we are not to be of the world. We must have certain interaction with the world in which we live. We cannot escape it, but we are not to needlessly expose ourselves or our families to worldly culture. and influence. We see in the life of Jacob here, their warning then. What are the consequences of needlessly exposing ourselves and our families to this ungodly world in which we live? Many Christians, they obey the Lord in letter. They've heeded the call, as it were, to enter Canaan in obedience to Christ, but they're just over the border. They're not living the life of separation from the world that the Scriptures command for our own safety and for the blessing of our souls and our families. I remember my father-in-law many years ago, probably getting on for 40 years ago now, preaching through the book of Genesis in his own pastoral ministry. And I remember at the time, I was a teenager, I think, and I remember he preached on the subject before us this morning in Genesis 34, concerning Dinah and Dinah's exposure to worldly friendships. And he was bitterly criticized. He was accused of pointing the finger at certain members of the congregation. He simply said, I'm preaching through the book of Genesis. I'm not going to leapfrog a chapter because it may be offensive. He had to say what the scriptures led him to say. And friends, please don't think I'm pointing the fingers this morning, but this chapter, it may make some of us here feel very uncomfortable because it's a solemn warning. So what do we have here? It's a stark warning to Christian parents, but also to Christian children. We can imagine Dinah, if she was the only daughter, being the star of the family. Perhaps she was spoiled probably loved by all. And we can understand that Dinah, if she was that only daughter, craving the company of her peers, girls of the same age. It's natural. It's instinctive. And I'm sure many of the young people here this morning, you like to be with other young people. Perhaps you're missing school, some of you, because you want to be with your school friends. But be wary. Dinah, we read, verse one, went out to see the daughters of the land. The phrase here, to see, is a very broad word that is used. To see, to be seen. to get acquainted with, to form friendships with, to enjoy the company of, to learn the ways of the daughters of the land. All of that is intimated by the phrase that Moses uses here in Genesis 34, verse one. She would soon be shaped by their manners, conditioned by their tastes, their pleasures, perhaps their parties, their entertainments. And this is the danger. Did Jacob know that she had gone? These are understandable, but needless friendships, potentially dangerous friendships. Who was to blame? Well, Dinah must take her share. She was a young teenager, probably by this point, too young for marriage in our culture, but not in Oriental culture in one sense. She goes to meet the daughters, but she's soon an attraction to the boys. One thing leads to another. She was pressured. She yielded. Or perhaps she was imposed upon. We're not told exactly. Surely the warning to every young person here is if you follow the ungodly way of the world, if you make those that do not love the Lord, your friends, then you will soon be drawn down into a spiral of sinful behaviour. You will enjoy the sinful tastes and pleasures that the young people of this world delight in. You follow sin and you will be sucked in to a sinful way of life. And it would seem that the young people and even the adults of Shechem were relatively hardened against premarital sexual behavior. There's no apology. Simply, we would like your daughter for our son. No sense of shame. There's a hardened influence that the world has. And many young people today see nothing wrong with sex before marriage. But look at what the verses say here, 34 and verse seven. It's described as working folly in Israel, which thing ought not to be done. Don't be fooled. This is a breach of God's standard. And when we break God's laws, It will lead to serious problems, sorrow, damage. We're playing with fire when we turn a blind eye to what God has set as his perfect standard for our lives. Dinah was playing with fire and she became defiled. They were spoiled goods, in a sense. A great shame. Jacob's policy was also partly to blame. He exposed Dinah to this temptation. Oh, Jacob, if only you had settled at Bethel, Dinah would not have had this draw of the daughters of Shechem. Jacob, do you not rue the ease and convenience that attracted you to buy land, real estate, and settle so close to the Canaanites? Now, of course, we are not called to live as hermits, but we are called as far as is possible to keep our distance from the manners of the world in which we live. Fathers, let me ask you a straight question. You needn't answer it publicly. But you are the head of the home. Some of you have daughters, but this is equally applicable to sons. Do you give your children needless access to worldly influences? How long do you allow them on the square screen every week, every day? I don't want to be harsh. There's much good that we can derive from a square screen. But if your children spend too long on that square screen, be it television, internet, computer games, They will be drawn into a worldly way of life. The world puts their children in front of a square screen for most of the summer holidays. I invited a friend of mine to send his two sons to Holiday Bible Club this week. He said they don't want to. I've agreed they can just watch a square screen all day. Be careful. because we do not lead our children to go out into the world to be affected by the world. The world can be invited into our homes. What games do they play? What social media chats are they exposed to? What television do they watch? These things can be a great The grave temptation, they shape our children. Are we training our children unwittingly in pride and vanity? You know, the world in which we live encourages young girls when they're still in nappies to think in terms of fashion and pride. Buy them a Barbie doll. Let them paint it with lipstick. Let them put on sexualized clothing on their Barbie dolls. You may be able to get more traditional dress. I'm not saying that your children shouldn't have a doll. But you know what I'm trying to say. Increasingly in our world, young women are encouraged to dress in a way that is worldly, that encourages young men to look at them and to admire them, but it's not helpful. Are we needlessly shaping our young women in this way, exposing them to worldly influences and thinking at an increasingly young age? Several commentators on this verse say Jacob ought to have read the book of Titus, but not literally. He couldn't because Titus was written many centuries later. But they quote verse five in Titus chapter two, the older women should train the younger brides to be keepers at home. Now, of course, Dinah wasn't married, but the point they're making is this. There is a place whereby chastity and home-loving go hand in hand. Titus says, let the young women be chaste first, keepers at home. Those that gad about, say the old writers, they are the ones that lose their chastity. Young women, not married, they can still remember this principle. The old preachers would say, and perhaps we would say this is old-fashioned, train, and I think not only young women but young men, give them responsibilities so that they know that they have a loyalty to the home. The world would say, don't get your children to do the washing up or stack the dishwasher or tidy the house. Let them just go and have a good time in the summer holidays. That's against the spirit of Titus. The mindset of a Christian young person should be, I have responsibilities within the home. It's not saying there that we should never go out. It's not saying that women should be tied to the kitchen sink. That's not Paul's point. The point is that the more we are out, the more we are exposed to temptation and danger in this present world in which we live. Well, we must draw to a conclusion in a moment, but I want to just touch on another subject here, and this is particularly pertinent to young men. There's something that used to be called chivalry, in our relationships to young women. And what was meant by chivalry was gentlemanliness, thoughtfulness, an anxiety not to harm a young woman's reputation by the way that we treat her. That's all gone in the world in which we live. Young men simply want to get a good time. To a certain extent, even Shechem here shows a degree of concern. He put the cart before the horse. He defiled her before he spoke kindly to her. But young men, when you countenance courtship, make it your business to act with chivalry, such that you will not leave a young woman. That relationship doesn't work out. There's damaged goods. A reputation in tatters. That's not the Lord's way. Well, I've digressed and I don't want to give you the impression this morning that these things are a major problem amongst us, but they could be. Fathers, mothers, we have to set boundaries. Sometimes there will be battles. Ultimately, we have to train our young people and our children to think for themselves. But until that time comes, sometimes we have to be firm in our authority. No sometimes has to mean no. Did Jacob know that Leah had gone? Possibly not. But Leah did. If she was living in the ladies' quarters, she wouldn't have gone without Leah's reluctant consent, probably. But it was to lead to a bitter fruit. We are to be watchful, then, over the way we lead our families. If we give our families unfettered access to worldly influences, it's unlikely to lead to a happy outcome. Don't allow your daughters to dress to impress. Teach them that they are to be shamefaced in their approach, bashful, not wanting to be noticed for those reasons. Train them to think biblically, to think in a pure way. Well, may the Lord bless these solemn things to us. You know, we are redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Redemption is pictured by deliverance from Egypt. When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, they craved some of the Egyptian pleasures. and the Lord was displeased. They had turned their back. You know, they passed through the Red Sea. The waters closed behind them. They were now in a new era of life, a pilgrim life, living in the wilderness. There was no going back to Egypt. That was the picture of redemption. 1 Corinthians 10 tells us so. If you and I have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, then we are called to live distinct from the manners of the world in which we live. We must be on our guard. We must be alert, lest we needlessly expose ourselves and our families to the very ungodly culture in which we are now living. In many ways it's a Canaanite culture and we have to keep it at arm's length. May the Lord bless his word to us this morning by closing him