Simeon And Levi 

So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, “These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters.  Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.  Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours?  Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.”  And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.  On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males.  They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went away. (Genesis 34: 20 to 26) 

Shechem defiled Jacob's daughter Dinah first, then wanted to marry her.  So, Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, tricked Shechem and all of the men in the city of Shechem to be circumcised and slaughtered them while they were sore.  In Jocob's last blessing to his sons, he described Simeon and Levi as below.  

Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company.  For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.  Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel!  I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. (Genesis 49: 5 to 7) 

In Exodus, when Moses went up to the mountain to be with God, Israelis worshipped the golden calf in their camp.  Then by following the word of Moses, the sons of Levi did similar things as described below. 

And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’”  And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell.  And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.” (Exodus 32: 27 to 29) 

We may think what Levi and his sons did was cruel out of fierceness and wrath.  Yet, that's exactly the nature of God's justice, for the wages of sin is death.  Not only that, but God also chose Levites to be His own as described below. 

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, (Numbers 3: 11 12) 

When Israelites grumbled and rebelled in the desert, God wanted to strike them and disinherit them, it was Moses who interceded for the people.  So, if there were no Levites, especially Moses, then there would be no Israelites.  Levites not only understood God's will but also stood by it.  Even if it seemed to be against human nature and affection.  That's why Jesus said as below. 

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10: 34 to 39) 

God is not only loving and merciful, but also holy and justice.  So, we need to learn and accept the two aspects of God.  This is the kind of God that we shall face daily.  Emmanuel. 

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