Exposition:

The scripture reading tells of an unfortunate situation brought about because Shechem chose to follow his obsession and rape Dinah; a woman he claimed to love. Was it really love, if yes, what kind of love was that? As stated in our earlier devotions, the emotional component of love can be confusing. You can be driven by lust, infatuation, passions etc. and still believe that you are in love. Love is not just a quest to satisfy sexual desire nor is it the desire to have a person you are attracted to.

In this case, unlike Amnon, Shechem wanted to go ahead and marry Dinah after raping her. This however could still not justify the wrong done nor appease the brothers of Dinah. It is still wrong to assume that you can indulge in sexual sin with someone because you will eventually marry her. The standard of purity as stated by Jesus is not to look at someone and desire to have her sexually. Do not encourage any sexual fantasies towards anybody because it is sinful.

When all the ‘butterflies in the stomach’ feelings are over, there are very important elements of love that sustain a relationship. Those are the attributes of true love that must be nurtured and incorporated into every love relationship. Keeping passion alive is necessary in some cases, such as is present in marriages but even then, passion cannot match up to the important elements of true love that will be discussed in the next few days.