For Kids · 3 min with a grown-up
This is a hard story about anger going too far. Jacob's family faces a wrong done to their sister — and how they answer teaches us something important about our own anger.
Today's Story
Jacob's family had settled near a city. Jacob had a daughter named Dinah, and her brothers loved her very much.
One day, someone in the city treated Dinah badly and hurt her. Her brothers were furious — and they had a right to be sad and angry. Something wrong had been done to their sister.
But two of the brothers, Simeon and Levi, let their anger take over completely. They came up with a sneaky plan, and they took revenge in a way that went far, far too far. They hurt many people in the city.
When their father Jacob found out, he was very upset with them. “You have brought big trouble on our family,” he said. Their anger had led them to do something very wrong.
It's okay to feel angry when something bad happens — that's a real and honest feeling. But anger that we don't hand to God can grow until it makes us do wrong things too. The better way is to bring our anger to God and let Him take care of what's unfair.
A Big Word
Talk About It
- Jacob's sons were right to be sad and angry that their sister was hurt — but their revenge went too far. What's the difference between feeling angry and doing something wrong because of anger?
- When you feel really angry, what's a good thing to do with that feeling instead of trying to “pay someone back”?
- God says revenge is His to handle, not ours. Why do you think it's better to let God take care of what's unfair?