Innocence Lost

Dinah was Jacob's only daughter. When she ventured from her family's home to visit with the local people, she was taken and raped by Shechem, the son of a local ruler. Because of his position of power, he may have been able to take her without anyone intervening. Or perhaps he was adept at verbal manipulation, and he smoothly talked Dinah into a compromising position. Imagine Dinah's terror, vulnerability and defenselessness as she realized what Shechem intended. Add to Dinah's anguish the face that only pure women could marry in Hebraic culture. Not being married meant having no social standing, no identity and no hope for the future.
No one is the same after sin-not the victim, not the perpetrator and not those who love the victim or victimizer. In this story, Shechem was a powerful man who thought he could have whatever he wanted. So he took it. Ultimately, he paid the price with his life, and his men paid the price with their lives.
Then there was Dinah's family. They, too, suffered because of Shechem's sin. Dinah's brothers became vigilantes, seeking vengeance not just on Shechem but on his helpless men. Two of the brothers acted with such brutality that Jacob cursed them from his deathbed.
And what about Dinah? She was violated, attacked, abused. Her pain is barely mentioned in this account. What must she have felt when her father did nothing? Or when her brothers over-reacted? And what of her future? What would she do now?
No one suffers or sins in a vacuum. We can see that in the results of sin all around us. But we can see it in our own lives too. Maybe you have been abused or take advantage of. You may feel that you have no future or no hope. Maybe others you know are suffering because of the action of one person.
God can work through any situation. He can not change the past, but he can work through your present to help you cope, change, grow and ultimately thrive. God was victorious over sin at the cross. No matter what happened to you, God knows. Turn to him for comfort. Turn to him with your pain. Ask him to heal your hurting heart and restore you. He is the only one who can restore your soul.
-Women's Devotional Bible

{Genesis 34:7}
7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the field as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob’s family, something that should never be done.

{Psalm 147:3-6}
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the stars
and calls them all by name.
5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!
6 The Lord supports the humble,
but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

{Isaiah 43:18-19}
18 “But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
19 For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

{Romans 12:19-21}
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.