Part 14  Book of Genesis

 

 

 

Jacob breaks free of Laban

31.1-3 Jacob hears all the things Laban’s sons are saying about him; that he has taken all their father’s wealth and built up his own. Laban is not treating him well and things are going down hill. The Lord tells Jacob he may now return to the land of his fathers where he was born and that He will be with Jacob.

Through all the deceitfulness of both Jacob and Laban toward each other, God is going to keep His promises to Jacob. The Lord has been allowing Jacob’s character to be molded and now the Lord is going to allow him to go home.

31.4-13 Jacob calls his wives, Leah and Rachel, and tells them he sees how Laban’s attitude has changed and tells them how their father has cheated him even though he has served well and that God has blessed him in spite of this. If Laban said take all the speckled young sheep, than God caused speckled to be born. God, Jacob says, “Has taken from your father and given to me.”

Then Jacob tells them of a dream God gave him where an angel told him all the sheep being born were the speckled, streaked, and mottled because God sees what Laban has done to him. God, Jacob tells them, wants us to return to my native land.

Jacob is telling the story from his side and perspective, but one thing is for sure--God is blessing him and has a plan for his life. It is now time to move!

31.14-18 Both Leah and Rachel have no problem with Jacob’s plan. They feel that their father has also been unfair to them and the tell Jacob they will do what God has told him to do. Jacob then packs up and starts to drive his flocks and all his possessions off to Canaan and his father Isaac.

31.19-21 Meanwhile Laban is gone shearing his sheep, and Rachel steals her father’s household idols. Jacob doesn’t tell Laban he is leaving and soon he is heading toward his homeland.

Rachel’s theft of the household idols will have dire consequences for her later.

31.22-24 It is three days before Laban realizes that Jacob has fled. So he pursues him for seven days and catches up with Jacob in the hill country of Gilead. God appears to Laban in a dream at night and warns him to not do anything good or bad to Jacob.

31.25-32 Laban catches up with Jacob and scolds Jacob for taking off without telling him. He tells Jacob he would have sent him off with a feast and festive music if he had known. He didn’t even get to kiss his daughters good-bye. He tells Jacob it is in his power to do harm to Jacob, but that God has told him not to do anything good or bad to him. Then Laban asks why Jacob has stolen his household gods?

Jacob replies that he was afraid Laban would take his daughters by force if he told him. The he tells Laban that he didn’t take the household gods and if he finds them on anyone in his party they shall not remain alive. He does not know that his beloved Rachel has taken them!
Remember, vows are taken very seriously in the near east.

31.33-35 Laban goes into Jacob’s tent and Leah’s tent and the two maidservants tents and does not find the idols. Then he goes into Rachel’s tent . She has placed the idols under the cushion of the camel upon which she is sitting and tells Laban she is sorry she cannot get off the animal because it is the time of her menstrual period. Laban cannot find the idols.

In the purity system of the Torah, anything on which a menstruant has sat transmits impurity, so Laban would not ask her to move. Laban is fiercely devoted to his gods, but it is god who has stripped him of his wealth.

31.36-42 Jacob became annoyed with Laban and aired his grievance asking what his crime was. He tells Laban he has taken nothing that wasn’t his. He continues by telling Laban he has worked twenty years for him under hard and difficult terms and how Laban continually changed his wages. Jacob tells Laban that God has seen and blessed him.

31.43-54 Laban replies that all Jacob has, daughters and flocks came from him, but what can I do now? So he tells Jacob they should make a pact. The set up stones and call the place the “mound of witness” and Laban tells Jacob not to ill treat his daughters or marry anyone else, as God is a witness between them. He also tells Jacob that the mound is the boundary between them--they are not to cross the boundary with hostile intent at any time. They cut covenant and swore to each other as they partook of a covenant meal together.

32.1-3 The next morning Laban kissed his daughters good-bye and returned home. Jacob went on his way and angels of God encountered him. When he saw them he named the place “God’s Camp.”

Jacob prepares to meet Esau

32.4-9 Jacob sends messengers to Esau saying he is coming and he is Esau’s servant. The messengers are instructed to tell Esau that Jacob has acquired sheep, cattle, asses, and male and female slaves. He hopes to gain Esau’s favor. The messengers come back and report that Esau himself is coming out to meet him with four hundred men. Jacob is frightened and decides to split his people and possessions into two groups so that if Esau attacks one group may escape.

Jacob has much wealth, but he is basically traveling “unarmed” as compared to the force Esau is sending.

32.10-13 Jacob now prays to the Lord and reminds the Lord of all the blessing the Lord has promised him. He reminds God of the promise of multiplying his offspring as the sands of the sea.

Jacob is humbly reminding God of His promises and reminds God that he is obeying by returning to the land. How often do we remind God of what he has told us when we start to worry. Even the great ones go through this!

32.14-22 Jacob now selects presents for his brother Esau. He separates hundreds of animals from his flocks and creates many droves of cattle to go ahead of him. He tells his servants to keep the droves separated and as they come to Esau and he asks what is this? They will tell him, “presents from your servant Jacob.” Jacob is hoping if Esau keeps receiving droves of cattle as presents he will show him mercy. Jacob sends the droves ahead that night while he stayed in camp.

Jacob wrestles with a divine being

32.23-33 That night Jacob takes his wives, children, and their maidservants across the River Jabbok. He stayed behind and a man wrestled with him into the night. This man, or angel, saw that Jacob would not give in or let go and touched Jacob’s hip socket and strained it. Then the angel said, “Let me go.” Jacob answered he would not let him go until the man blessed him. The man asks Jacob his name and Jacob tells him. “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and as a prince you have prevailed.” Jacob wants to know the man’s name, but the man tells him not to ask as he leaves. Jacob names the place Peniel meaning, “face of God” as he realizes he has wrestled with God and prevailed. Jacob would limp for the rest of his life now.

Jacob was praying for his life and wrestled with God--this was intercessory prayer as Jacob was praying for the survival of the future nation of Israel. In our travails with God, sometimes we are wounded and left limping, but learn to trust God in a deeper and more meaningful way.


Next: Part 15