Fearghal Kelly - July 5, 2026
Trauma and tragedy
Genesis 34 There are dark stories in the Bible because the Bible is honest. It’s difficult to speak about Shechem’s self-centred desire for Dinah and the trauma it would’ve caused her. His actions remind us of the very first sin (Genesis 3:6). Dinah is silent, not because the Bible does not value her, but to illustrate how little Shechem and Hamor cared about her voice. Genesis is crystal clear on how evil this is (verse 7). They are right to protest (verse 31). Her brothers were right to be angry, yet their anger led them to do something that is not right. They misuse the sign of God’s covenant blessing (circumcision) to deceive and murder. The brothers become like Shechem (verse 29). Jacob showed no active care for Dinah, only for their reputation, but he had no reason for his cowardice (Genesis 35:6). Oh, how Jesus is our only hope! He shows us true selfless sacrifice. He heals our selfish desires. He promises justice in the end. He breaks our cycles of revenge. For more about Christ Central Church Portsmouth visit: https://christcentral.church Or via socials: www.facebook.com/christcentral.ch www.instagram.com/christcentralchurchportsmouth To connect with us email: hello@christcentral.church or give us your details at https://www.christcentral.church
From Series: "Genesis - God's people in God's plan"
The Bible has clear instructions in parts, but most of it is story. Stories of people messing up. Stories of people discovering God’s grace. Stories we can learn wisdom from. The middle bit of Genesis tells the story of three generations who discover what it means to be God’s people in God’s plan for his world. And they don’t always get it right. Their stories include: marriage problems, death and grief, parenting struggles, choosing a spouse, sexual immorality, deception, reproductive ethics, unjust employers, relationships that distort God’s design, the strength of friendship, birth, infertility, abuse, betrayal, forgiveness, aging, value of life from womb to tomb, loneliness, racism, politics, war, buying land, wealth management, and learning wisdom from all the ambiguity of ordinary life trying to trust God in a fallen world. We face many issues in life where we have to ask: What does it mean to be God’s people in this? What’s God’s plan for it?
