Despite Jacob's profound encounters with the Living God, he continued to fall into deep and destructive patterns of sin. His inability to face his problems head on, combined with his compulsion to manipulate and lie, left it's mark on a whole new generation of children. Because of Jacob's inability to act on behalf of his violated and abused daughter, his enemy was forced to make a hasty peace treaty which did not stand up to the fury of his deceptive and violent sons. The warning in this story is clear. When we do not honestly and earnestly deal with our own sin patterns - be it those of deception, those of apathy, those of gossip or those of jealousy - it will always affect the ones we love. We must always be taking our weaknesses to God and laying them at His feet, asking for the help of the Holy Spirit to equip us to do better. As He did with Jacob, God uses our lives as an example to others. The question is whether our lives point people toward faithful obedience or serve as a warning of the damage that unchecked sin can do.