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GENESIS 27 – 31
JACOB
MAN OF TRANSFORMATION
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Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old
and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that
he called Esau his older son and said to him, 'My son.' And he
answered him, 'Here I am.' Then he said, 'Behold now, I am old. I do not know
the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and
your bow, and go out to the field and
hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to
me that I may eat, that my soul may bless
you before I die.' Genesis 27:1-4
27:1-4
As previously noted,
Isaac loved Esau,
but Rebekah loved Jacob (25:28). That being the case, Isaac was
determined to give the blessing to Esau and it probably didn’t cross his mind
that the Lord had said …
the elder shall serve the younger
(25:23). So, Isaac set things in motion to bestow his blessing on Esau. An
important principle comes to mind here, and that is …
Nothing good ever comes from operating in
the flesh. Instead of being led by his preference for Esau (and possibly, in
addition, thinking about his stomach), Isaac would have done well to talk to God
about Esau receiving his blessing. It was an important decision and deserved to
be bathed in prayer.
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Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac
spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring
it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her
son, saying, 'Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,
"Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in
the presence of the LORD before my death." Now therefore, my son, obey my voice
according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the
goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.
Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless
you before his death. And Jacob said
to Rebekah his mother, 'Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a
smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a
deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.' But
his mother said to him, 'Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice,
and go, get them for me.' Genesis 27:5-13
27:5-13
When Rebekah overheard Isaac's conversation with Esau, she immediately came up
with a scheme based on fraud and
deceit in order to get the blessing for Jacob instead ... and her plan was then
frantically set into motion. It would result in far-reaching and unforeseen
consequences, however, and would bring division and great grief to the Isaac
family. Such are the bitter fruits of operating in the flesh rather than walking
in the Spirit. Ever been there? Things didn't work out, did they? We've all
walked down those lonely, useless, dead-end paths of doing things our way …
apart from our God … have we not? Jesus’ words from John 15, come to my mind,
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears
much fruit; for without Me you can do
nothing. John 15:5
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And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and
his mother made savory food, such as his father loved.
Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of
her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her
younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on
the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread,
which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. So he went to his father
and said, 'My father.' And he said, 'Here I am.
Who are you, my son?' Jacob said to his father, 'I
am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit
and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.' But Isaac said to his son, 'How
is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?' And he said, 'Because the
LORD your God brought it to me.' Then Isaac said to Jacob, 'Please
come near, that I may feel you, my
son, whether you are really
my son Esau or not.' So Jacob went
near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, 'The voice is Jacob's voice,
but the hands are the hands of Esau.' And he did not recognize him, because his
hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands;so he blessed him. Then he said,
' Are you really my son Esau?' He
said, 'I am.' He said, 'Bring it near
to me, and I will eat of my son's game, so that my soul may bless you.' So he
brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then
his father Isaac said to him, 'Come near
now and kiss me, my son.' And he came near and kissed him; and
he smelled the smell of his clothing,
and blessed him and said: 'Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a
field which the LORD has blessed.
Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth,
and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to
you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!'
Genesis 27:14-29
27:14-29
At first blush, Rebekah’s plan really sounds far-fetched. However, we need to
keep in mind that Isaac was very old and, unfortunately, elderly people are
notoriously easy to deceive and bilk. Once, during my ministry, a very elderly
woman in our church (in her late nineties), announced that she was getting
married. Her fiance’, as it turned out, was a young con-artist in our community.
Nothing could dissuade her, however. She went ahead with the marriage, and
subsequently, lost everything that she owned … including her new and very
expensive home. Only through the courts were her children able to recover some
of the losses. I believe this is why Jacob and Rebekah so easily took advantage
of Isaac. Jacob even brought
the Lord into it when he spoke to his father. What a pious fraud
he was. Perhaps Isaac erred in not giving the blessing to Jacob in the first
place, but Jacob definitely erred in stealing it from his aged father through
deception. Had everyone concerned acted with integrity, God would have doubtless
worked it all out in the right way and saw to it that Jacob got the blessing,
fulfilling his Word.
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Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had
scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother
came in from his hunting. He also had made savory food, and brought it to his
father, and said to his father, 'Let my
father arise and eat of his son's game, that your soul may bless me.' And
his father Isaac said to him, 'Who are you?' So he said, 'I am your son, your
firstborn, Esau.' Then Isaac trembled
exceedingly, and said, 'Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it
to me? I ate all of it before you came,
and I have blessed him; and indeed he shall be blessed.' When Esau heard the
words of his father, he cried with an
exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, 'Bless me; me
also, O my father!' But he said, 'Your brother came with deceit and has taken
away your blessing.' And Esau said, 'Is
he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He
took away my birthright, and now
look, he has taken away my blessing!'
And he said, 'Have you not reserved a blessing for me?' Then Isaac answered and
said to Esau, 'Indeed I have made him
your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain
and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?' And
Esau said to his father, 'Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me; me
also, O my father!' And Esau lifted up
his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: 'Behold,
your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven
from above. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; and
it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke
from your neck.' Genesis 27:30-40
27:30-40
When Esau learned that Jacob had stolen the blessing, he cried out,
Is he not rightly named Jacob? For
he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look,
he has taken away my blessing! Actually, Jacob had not
supplanted Esau in the matter of his birthright. Esau, disposing his
birthright, sold it to Jacob, fair and square. But, he certainly did steal
Esau's blessing! I bet you could have heard Esau for a mile! Remember, Jacob's
name means supplanter or
underminer. By his deception and theft of Esau's blessing, he was
really living up to his name. Humans are a crafty and sneaky lot, are we not? We
have all had occasions when we went to any lengths to get our own way and to
secure what we wanted ... regardless of the consequences. The Bible says,
The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know
it?
I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according
to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:9-10
I certainly am glad that our God is merciful and gracious to us sinners. How
about you? He forgives us for our self-centered, conniving, greedy and unloving
trespasses, and is ready, willing and able to transform us into people of true
character and righteousness. He even helps us to patch up the effects of our
past transgressions. This would be the case with Jacob, as well. But for now,
Jacob had really gone and done it. He would be paying for his theft and deceit
for decades to come. Sometimes, people just go too far. And, that's exactly what
Jacob and his mother had done.
Esau was furious. First, he had sold his birthright ... which would have given
him a double portion of the inheritance … and now he had lost his blessing ...
which would have put him in charge as head of the household. Sometimes, people
just go too far. And, that's exactly what Jacob and his mother had done. When
they heard Esau’s
exceedingly great and bitter cry (remember, they dwelt in
tents), it must have sent shivers down their spines and sobered them to the
soles of their sandals. And to top it all off, they had to have overheard
Isaac's prophecy and blessing of Esau which could not have produced anything
short of foreboding. Isaac's words …
By your sword shall you live … was
ominous, and doubtless echoed over and over again in Rebekah and Jacob's minds.
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So Esau hated Jacob
because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his
heart, 'The days of mourning for my
father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.' And the words of
Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her
younger son, and said to him, 'Surely your brother Esau comforts himself
concerning you by intending to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice:
arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.
And stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away, until your
brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him;
then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you
both in one day?' Genesis 27:41-46
27:41-46
Now, this is real trouble, brother.
Proverbs 18:19,
says,
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions
are like the bars of a castle.
The Isaac family now had a full blown crisis on their hands. There are a lot of
different kinds of trouble in the world. There are financial problems, relative
problems, health problems, business problems, work problems and church problems.
The list goes on and on, but of all the troubles in this whole wide world,
nothing compares to family trouble. A
very wealthy and successful businessman and uncle of mine used to say,
You don't know what trouble is until you have family trouble. How
true. Now, in the Isaac family, one son was so filled with
hatred for the other that he was literally plotting to
kill his brother. And, believe you me, he meant business. Like Cain
before him, Esau was so angry that he was planning to murder Jacob as soon as
his father passed away. However, when Rebekah got wind of it, she immediately
sent Jacob away to her brother in Haran …
for a few days ... she thought,
until Esau cooled off. Those few days, however, turned into 20 years and Rebekah
never lived to see her “favorite son”, Jacob, again.
Getting, through fleshly means, never
really works out. It always blows up in one’s face.
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And Rebekah said to Isaac, 'I am
weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the
daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will
my life be to me?' Then Isaac called
Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: 'You shall not take a
wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of
Bethuel your mother's father; and take yourself a wife from there of the
daughters of Laban your mother's brother.
May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that
you may be an assembly of peoples; And give you the blessing of Abraham, to you
and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a
stranger, which God gave to Abraham.' So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went
to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah,
the mother of Jacob and Esau. Genesis 27:46 - 28:5
27:46 - 28:5
You can't help but admire Isaac here. In spite of his great age, and having
discovered Rebekah and Jacob’s deception, and finding himself in the midst of
his family breaking up, he still managed to keep his head and his spiritual
perspective. Unwittingly, he had given Jacob the blessing, but now he blesses
him openly, having great compassion on his wayward and deceptive son. That is
grace, maturity and a good heart, brother. We parents need to consistently
operate on that level with our kids. No grudges ... no revenge ... just grace
and blessing toward each and every one of them. My, how many Christian homes and
children would be transformed if this were the case with parents. So, Isaac
passed on the promise of Abraham on to Jacob for his safekeeping ... obviously
realizing that God had chosen Jacob. As we have it in
Romans 9:10-13,
And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our
father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or
evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works
but of Him who calls), it was said to her, 'The
older shall serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.'
One more thought, before we leave these verses. It is an axiomatic truth that
what we sow, we will also reap.
People are paid back in their own coin. Jacob was thrust out and was now on his
way to live with his Uncle
Laban in Haran. And, he was in for an education. He would soon
learn that, like him, his Uncle Laban was a master of deceit and craftiness.
What goes around comes around, they
say. How true this was going to prove for Jacob.
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Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take
himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge,
saying, 'You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,' and that Jacob
had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram. Also
Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did
not please his father Isaac. So Esau
went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son,
the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in
addition to the wives he had. Genesis 28:6-9
28:6-9
It appears that Esau decided that he might gain his parent’s approval if he
acquired a third wife who would be more acceptable to Isaac and Rebekah. So,
having seen how upset they were about the two Canaanite wives he had brought
home, he went out and took a third wife
from a relative, namely one of Ishmael's daughters. I guess he just didn't get
it. Isaac and Rebekah desired godly
wives for their sons, not just relativewives
for their sons. Oh well, that's the blind decision making of the flesh, led by
the oblivious mindset of a carnal person. This incident is just another insight
into the character of Esau.
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Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and
went toward Haran. So he came to a
certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And
he took one of the stones of that place
and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then
he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set
up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were
ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: 'I
am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which
you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be
as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to
the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the
earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am
with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this
land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.'
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and
I did not know it.' And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This
is none other than the house of God,
then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his
head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name
of that place Bethel; but the name of
that city had been Luz previously. Genesis 28:10-19
28:10-19
Bethel is about 40 miles from Beersheba, where Jacob had begun his journey. Due
to his fear of Esau, he didn't stop until his second day out. I suspect that,
when he finally paused to rest, he was so exhausted that he could have slept
sitting up. He had gotten the blessing alright, but now, he was as poor as a
church mouse and had to sleep with a rock for a pillow! In the midst of this,
however, he received a vision from God. He was chosen, you see. It was through
him that the promised
Seed would come and the other
promises of the Abrahamic Covenant would be passed down. So, that night, Jacob
received his famous Jacob's Ladder vision. You might recall that Jesus told Nathaniel
that he, too, would one day see what Jacob saw, by the way. As you have it in
John 1:51,
And He said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you,
hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of Man.'
In a deep sleep, Jacob was the first to see this amazing reality of the spirit
world ... namely, observing angels ascending and descending from the throne of
God. Then, God spoke to him. He spoke about the Abrahamic Covenant and what
Jacob's role would be in it. My, what promises God gave Jacob that night! Direct
from God on his throne, four unconditional blessings were given to him. God
said:
1.
The land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
2.
...your descendants will be as the dust
(numerous)
of the earth.
3.
In your seed
(Jesus),
all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
4.
I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this
land.
When Jacob awoke, he should have been blessed out of his socks, but instead, he
was terrified. He had never experienced anything like this before. Nor, had he
ever been directly spoken to by God before. He said,
How
dreadful is this place! Then,
he hurried about to make an offering and worship. He didn't have much to offer,
so he poured some oil on the rock that he had been using for his pillow. It was
his small offering, but it was a sincere offering to the Lord. I'm sure it was
incredibly sweet to the Lord, however, who looks upon the heart and not at the
gift. This was the beginning of a real relationship between Jacob and the true
and living God.
There was a little town nearby called
Luz (who's name means
almond tree). Jacob changed its name to
Bethel … which means house of God.
In the years to follow, and in the annals of scripture, it would become a famous
place. Doubtless, this encounter was a mega encouragement to Jacob who had
brought so much grief and trouble upon himself. Jacob, flawed though he was, had
received great and wonderful promises from his God. And, although comprehensive
in scope, the promises Jacob received that night included him in a very personal
way. The promises of God are like that. Have you not found them to be so?
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Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God
will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread
to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in
peace, then the LORD shall be my God.
And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all
that You give me I will surely give a
tenth to You.' Genesis 28:20-22
28:20-22
What was Jacob’s response to God in all of this? Well, he attempted to bargain
with God. He sounded like he was on that game show,
Let's Make a Deal.
Jacob was a real babe at this point in his experience with God. He had a
lot to learn. Obviously, he doubted God's word, as given in his dream. What a
fatal weakness this is for any saint of the living God, aye? Unbelief is the
greatest hindrance of all to our walk with God.
Jacob thought he could buy God's favor! How infantile. Before we get on Jacob's
case too hard though, maybe we should ask ourselves …
What do I offer God to pay for his favor
and blessings? Nothing, I hope. Like Jacob, that would be a glaring sign of
our spiritual immaturity. I never cease to be amazed at God's longsuffering with
his people, aren’t you? We can't offer anything to God to secure his favor and
blessings. We can't pay God back for his goodness or his great salvation … or
buy his favor ... not even with our tithes (sic) … contrary to the popular
opinion of many. God is just plain good to us because that is the way he is, beloved.
Accept it and bask in it. One time my son Dave called me from El Paso,
Texas, just to tell me about a blessing he received from God in selling an item
on Ebay. He said … Dad, God blesses us
just because he wants to bless us! I said …
Amen, son. He certainly does. God is good! Believe it, brother. You
and I can take it to the bank.
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So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. And
he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of
sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone
was on the well's mouth. Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they
would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone
back in its place on the well's mouth. And Jacob said to them, 'My brethren,
where are you from?' And they said, 'We are from
Haran.' Then he said to them, 'Do you know
Laban the son of Nahor?' And they said, 'We know him.' So he said to
them, 'Is he well?' And they said, 'He is well.
And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.' Then he
said, 'Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered
together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.' But they said, 'We cannot
until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from
the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. Now while he was still speaking with
them, Rachel came with her father's sheep,
for she was a shepherdess. And it
came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother,
and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the
stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's
brother.' Genesis 29:1-10
29:1-10
Ever notice how many coincidences
there are in the lives of the people of God? Have you seen it in your own life?
God is at work, isn't he?! Some years ago, while working as a lab courier for
Providence Health System, I had just finished all my pickups and was
heading for the main hospital to turn in all the blood specimens (I had regular
stops as well as radio dispatched stops). Then, as I was driving along, all of a
sudden an overwhelming impression came over me to go to
Sellwood Medical. That was one of our
customers who, when they had something to be picked up, would call it in and
then dispatch would call me to go and get their specimens. Well, dispatch had
not called so I ignored the impression and kept on driving. But, it came again
and again ... each time … more and more persistent …
Go to Sellwood Medical.
Finally, I heeded the persistent impression and broke off from returning to the
hospital and cut across country to their clinic. They were closed when I got
there ... so I opened their lockbox with my key and there were several blood
specimens there for our lab. They had forgotten to call them in. By morning,
they would all have been ruined. Was one of those specimens from one of God's
children that was vital to their health? Or, was God simply leading me, His own
child? I don't know. I know this though … looking back over my life I can
clearly see that God has led me ... sometimes, very specifically. He leads his
own. As you have it in
Romans 8:14,
For as many as are lead by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
God is in it all the way with each and every one of his children. Sometimes it
is in obvious ways, such as my “Sellwood” experience. Often it is in ways that,
perhaps, we do not even recognize. But, this much is certain…
He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort
fraught!
Whate'er I do, where-e'er I be,
Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth
me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By his own hand He leadeth me!
His faithful follower I would be,
for by His hand He leadeth me.
God was leading Jacob. His word at Bethel would now begin to be worked out in
Jacob's life in shoe leather. As he said to Jacob,
Behold, I am with you and will keep
you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave
you until I have done what I have spoken to you. Gen. 28:15
Coming back to our text, notice how similar this event was to what Abraham's
servant had experienced when Rebekah (Jacob’s mother), had also "just showed up"
at this same well … and both from the same household (24:15)! Do you think that
God does not lead his people? He surely does, doesn't he? As you have it in
Psalm 32:8,
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you
with My eye.
The next verse in that Psalm is also well worth noting in this regard. It says,
Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which
must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.
God not only leads his people, but he wants them to
know that he leads them. This brings
a whole new level of fellowship with God into a believer's life. Some years ago,
my wife and I drove to Chicago to visit our son, Jonathan, who was attending
Wheaton College. We came into Chicago from the direction of Wisconsin and, when
we got inside the city, I called Jonathan on my cell phone to let him know we
had arrived. He answered, Where are you, dad? I looked over at the street signs at the
intersection where we were stopped at a red light and told him we were at the
corner of such and such. There was a moment of silence, then he said,
Pull over, I'm just two blocks away! A
couple of minutes later we were hugging. Ever been to Chicago? It's huge. Go
figure!
Now, coming back to the text, we have here one of the Bible's great love stories
in the making. Do you believe in love at first sight? Apparently, Jacob did. He
fell head over heels for this girl,
Rachel, when he first laid eyes on
her there at the well. When he saw and kissed her, he was a goner. End of story.
Although Jacob was fleeing from the wrath of his brother ... in reality, he had
been sent to Haran to find his soul-mate. This would result in the second and
third brides that would come out of Laban's household. But, I'm getting ahead of
myself.
_________________________________________________________________
29:11-14
Granted, it was no romantic kiss. It was just that oriental custom that we still
see today between people who greet one another in that culture. In Paul's
admonition to the Romans, he speaks of it too, saying,
Greet one another with a holy kiss. Rom. 16:16a
After the traditional kiss of greeting, what happened next must have shocked
Rachel. How strange it must have seemed when, after greeting her, this young
relative
lifted up his voice and wept! She
must have asked herself, Is there
something wrong with this fellow? Jacob's emotions had overcome him. No
doubt, the entire situation had left them raw to begin with. Then, the all too
familiar truth that his own mother was found at this
exact same spot and at this
same well in Haran, must have just
swept over him. It was a story he had heard again and again from childhood. And,
the similarity of it to his own present encounter there was overwhelming.
Although everything else had gone bad for him, still God was looking out for
Jacob and was leading him … just as he said that he would ... and just as he had
led his father and mother before him. By God's hand, he had arrived safely at
Laban's town. And, I think Jacob sensed that this girl would become his wife.
There was nothing for it then, but to weep. Have you ever felt like that … after plodding away so long ...
through the dark valleys of trial and tribulation … then suddenly, you discover
that God has been walking beside you and directing you all the way? Sometimes,
it’s just overwhelming. Shortly after, Jacob went to work for his Uncle Laban.
_________________________________________________________________
Now Laban had two daughters: the name
of the elder was Leah, and the name
of the younger was Rachel.
Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was
beautiful of form and appearance. Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, 'I
will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.' And Laban said,
'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man.
Stay with me.' So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a
few days to him because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban,
'Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.' And Laban
gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. Now it came to pass
in the evening, that he took Leah his
daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. And Laban gave his
maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a
maid. So it came to pass in the morning,
that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, 'What is this you have done
to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?'
And Laban said, 'It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger
before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for
the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.' Then Jacob
did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. And Laban gave his
maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as
a maid. Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and
he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still
another seven years. Genesis 29:16-20
29:16-20
When it says here that
Leah's eyes were delicate, well …
that’s putting it delicately. The King James says
tender eyed. Actually the Hebrew word means
weak eyed. To put it bluntly, Leah was cross-eyed, hardly a mark of
beauty in any culture. This statement contrasts Leah with Rachel who, it says,
was
beautiful of form and appearance. These two sisters compared to each
other like the ugly duckling and the swan. And, as our texts states,
Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
The plot thickened. Jacob, the trickster, had met his match in his Uncle Laban.
Laban had two daughters and he badly needed to marry off the older, ugly one.
So, he set about to trick Jacob into marrying her. And, in the end, the
conniver, Jacob, got out-connived. There really is something to that old adage …
What goes around comes around. As
unlikely as this may seem in our culture, in that culture it was not only quite
possible to palm off the wrong bride but, Laban actually pulled it off.
Apparently, brides were heavily veiled throughout the marriage ceremony and they
only revealed themselves, physically, to their groom when they were alone in
their honeymoon chamber. In addition, I suspect that Laban saw to it that there
was a good deal of celebrating, by way of drinking, at the wedding. Leah, no
doubt, even took it a step further, probably feigning modesty and blowing out
the lamps before getting undressed and getting into bed with Jacob.
Now, I don't know about you, but I think that one of the funniest lines in
Scripture is found right here where it says …
it
came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. BEHOLD indeed. At
first light, Jacob found he was not staring into the lovely eyes of Rachel at
all … but into the crossed eyes of Leah! I chuckle even as I write this.
Brother, that must have been the …
behold … of all beholds. Now,
don’t mistake me. I'm not making fun of Leah. As it turns out, of the two
sisters, she was the one who possessed the most true beauty. Her beauty was
inward you see and far outshined that of Rachel. These two sisters were
opposites in beauty. And, I suspect they were opposites on the inside as well.
Make no mistake about it, when Jacob got Leah for
his wife, he got a prize indeed. And Leah, being his first wife, was the
woman that God had planned for Jacob all along. Leah, not Rachel, would be the
one who would one day be buried with Jacob in the cave of Machpelah, where
Abraham and Sarah were laid to rest.
Immediately, Jacob confronted Laban about his blatant deception and they struck
a deal for Rachel to become Jacob's second wife, as soon as Leah's
week of honeymoon was
over. But, Jacob had to agree to work an additional 7 years to pay for her.
Actually, this was how Laban had pictured it all along. He would get top dollar
for Leah then, immediately afterward, he would give Rachel to Jacob, getting top
dollar for her as well. Keep in mind that, in oriental cultures, brides are
purchased and, the more desirable the bride, the higher the price she brings.
This custom prevails even down to our day. I recall, back in July of ‘05, former
President Bill Clinton received an offer from an African official saying that he
would pay 40 goats and 20 sheep for his daughter, Chelsea. I don't suspect
Chelsea was amused, but everyone else was.
_________________________________________________________________
Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as
wife also. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. Then
Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also
loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven
years. Genesis 29:28-30
29:28-30
Now, may I say ... God never intended for a man to have more than one wife. We
clearly saw this in the “one man, one woman” creation account back in the second
chapter of Genesis. Jesus also taught that marriage was a monogamous
relationship, as does the whole of the New Testament. However, polygamy was and
is practiced in many cultures and the Bible simply records the past history of
it. However, invariably it always caused trouble. We see it here at the very
beginning of Jacob's marriages to these two sisters. When we read …
he also loved Rachel more than
Leah … we can take it to the bank that things are not going to be going
well in the Jacob household. From the start, this home was in for some very
rough seas.
_________________________________________________________________
When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb;
but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called
his name Reuben; for she said, 'The
LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love
me.' Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Because the LORD has
heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.' And she
called his name Simeon. She conceived
again and bore a son, and said, 'Now this time my husband will become attached
to me, because I have borne him three sons.' Therefore his name was called
Levi. And she conceived again and
bore a son, and said, 'Now I will praise the LORD.' Therefore she called his
name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.
Genesis 29:31-35
29:31-35
My, what a great heart of compassion and justice our God has. When he saw that
Leah was unloved, he was immediately moved to give her children to make up for
it. I love it! It isn't unusual for God to step in and “even the playing field,”
by the way. That was the basic principle behind Jesus' words, concerning the
future day of rewards, when he said,
But many who are first will be last, and the last first. Matthew 19:30
You can't help but feel bad for Leah though. My, how she longed to capture
Jacob's heart. Before Jacob had finished working off his debt for Rachel, Leah
had presented him with four strapping baby boys. And, with each subsequent
birth, Leah was hoping that their new son would cause Jacob to love her. But,
sadly, that was not to be. Notice, however, she no longer had that expectation
with the fourth one. When little Judah came along, she simply said ...
Now I will praise the Lord.
How appropriate, and how prophetic. Messiah would come through Leah's
boy, Judah, you see. Blessed and happy, is and was, mother Leah, indeed!
_________________________________________________________________
Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister,
and said to Jacob, 'Give me children, or
else I die!' And Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, 'Am
I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?' So
she said, 'Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my
knees, that I also may have children by her.' Then she gave him Bilhah her
maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a
son. Then Rachel said, 'God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice
and given me a son.' Therefore she called his name
Dan. And Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a
second son. Then Rachel said, 'With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my
sister, and indeed I have prevailed.' So she called his name
Naphtali. Genesis 30:1-8
30:1-8
Once again, we find that custom among the ancients here, whereby a servant,
belonging to a certain wife, could be given to her husband as a servant-wife (concubine) and the offspring of that union could be counted as the
offspring of the wife that owned her. You will remember that this was the custom
that Sarah followed when she gave Hagar to Abraham in order to have Ishmael
(Gen. 16). However, this practice
merely added to the conflict that polygamy had already brought to Jacob's home.
Several wives, all vying for one husband's affections, was bad news.
These two sisters’ jealousy of each other was exacerbated by the fact that Leah
now had four sons but Rachel had none. In pain and anguish of spirit, Rachel
struck out at Jacob accusing him for her barrenness. A verbal fight ensued. Then
Rachel, realizing the flimsy nature of her accusation, decided to take matters
into her own hands and gave her maid,
Bilhah, to Jacob so that she could acquire children through her
maid. She thought this would solve her problem, but in reality, it made their
home even more complicated and stressed out because there were now three wives
vying for Jacob's time and affections. Nevertheless, two more fathers of the
tribes of Israel …
Dan and
Naphtali… were born and Rachel now
had two surrogate sons.
_________________________________________________________________
When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took
Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife. And Leah's maid
Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, 'A troop comes!' So she called his name
Gad. And Leah's maid Zilpah bore
Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, 'I am happy, for the daughters will call me
blessed.' So she called his name Asher.
30:9-13
Not to be outdone, Leah said, Two can play
that game! So, she gave her maid,
Zilpah, to Jacob for his fourth
wife. And, as a result,
Gad and
Asherwere born. There were
now six boys in Leah's column ... and two in Rachel's.
_________________________________________________________________
Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found
mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then
Rachel said to Leah, 'Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.' But she said
to her, 'Is it a small matter that you
have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?'
And Rachel said, 'Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's
mandrakes.' When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to
meet him and said, 'You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my
son's mandrakes.' And he lay with her that night. And
God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.
Leah said, 'God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my
husband.' So she called his name Issachar.
Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, 'God has
endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I
have borne him six sons.' So she called his name
Zebulun. Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name
Dinah. Genesis 30:14-21
30:14-21
Interesting how parents draw their children into their quarrels, isn't it?
Reuben, being fully aware of his mother's competition with Rachel, found some
mandrakes in the field and promptly brought them home to his mother. Mandrakes (love-apples)
were thought to be an aphrodisiac in those days. They are mentioned in the
context of lovemaking in the Song of Solomon.
Let us get up early to the vineyards; Let us see if the vine has budded, whether
the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will
give you my love. The mandrakes give
off a fragrance, and at our gates are pleasant fruits, all manner, new and old,
which I have laid up for you, my beloved. Song of Solomon 7:12-13
Rachel heard about the mandrakes that Reuben had found and she was determined to
get them for herself. This is beginning to sound like an episode of the Jerry
Springer show, is it not?! Notice how bitter Leah was toward Rachel. She said …
You have stolen my husband and you
want my mandrakes also? Nevertheless, Rachel continued to bargain for
the mandrakes and finally cut a deal with Leah. If she could have the mandrakes,
she would tell Jacob to go to Leah's bed that night. Apparently, Jacob normally
slept with Rachel. A bargain was struck and, as a result, Leah became pregnant
again and gave birth to a fifth son, Issachar. And again, she
gave the Lord the glory. This baby was an answer to prayer. As we read above …
And
God listened to Leah.
Up to this point, Rachel just doesn't seem to be very much with it, when it came
to the Lord. Have you noticed that? But, she was growing, as we will shortly
see. Then, Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to her sixth son,
Zebulun. This caused her
to both give glory to God and to renew her hope that, as the mother of eight of
Jacob's sons, he would at long last love her. Unfortunately, that still was not
to be … for now. I say, "for now", because when we come to chapter 35, and the
death of Rachel … and Jacob had lost the great love of his life … I believe that
the love that Leah had longed for for so long, was finally realized. I will
comment on this further when we get to chapter 35.
Once again, Leah became pregnant, and Jacob's only daughter,
Dinah, was born. The score
was now Leah 9 ... Rachel 2.
_________________________________________________________________
Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
And she conceived and bore a son, and said, 'God has taken away my reproach.' So
she called his name Joseph, and said,
'The LORD shall add to me another son.' Genesis 30:22-24
30:22-24
Nice going, Rachel! You called upon the Lord and he heard you. Hallelujah! This
is exciting territory. God hears the cries of his people. The problem is … we so
often fail to seek his face. As James so bluntly puts it,
you have not because you ask not
(James 4:2b). Rachel cried unto God and asked him for a child. And, as a result,
she gave birth to one of the greatest saints in all of recorded history,
Joseph! Beloved, do you ask God for things? Jesus said,
So I say to you, ask, and it will be
given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it
will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
And again,
Until now you have asked nothing in My name.
Ask, and you will receive, that your joy
may be full. John 16:24
The Psalmist said,
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold from
those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11
James says,
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or
shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth,
that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. James 1:17-18
Ask.
_________________________________________________________________
And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that
Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me away, that I may go to my own place
and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you,
and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.' And Laban
said to him, 'Please stay, if I have
found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has
blessed me for your sake.' Then he said, 'Name me your wages, and I will
give it.' So Jacob said to him, 'You know how I have served you and how your
livestock has been with me. For what you had before I came was little, and it
has increased to a great amount; the LORD has blessed you since my coming. And
now, when shall I also provide for my own house?' So he said, 'What
shall I give you?' And Jacob said, 'You
shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again
feed and keep your flocks: Let me pass
through all your flock today, removing from there all the
speckled and spotted sheep,
and all the brown ones among the lambs,
and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages.
So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my
wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the
goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.'
And Laban said, 'Oh, that it were according to your word!' So he removed that
day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that
were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the
brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. Then he put
three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's
flocks. Genesis 30:25-36
30:25-36
The blessings of God were on Jacob
and they had all along been spilling over onto Laban. Laban’s prosperity was
clearly linked to Jacob and Jacob’s God and he knew it. Now that Rachel had now
been paid for, Jacob was ready to leave, but Laban wanted him to stay. So, the
two agreed that, from that point on, Jacob would begin to receive wages. Jacob
requested that his wages be paid in the form of livestock. Namely, he wanted all
of the variegated (mixed colored),
spotted and
speckled livestock that were among Laban’s flocks. Immediately,
Laban agreed, knowing that such animals were in the great minority amongst his
herds, so a deal was struck.
_________________________________________________________________
Now Jacob took for himself rods of green
poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them,
and exposed the white which was in the rods.
And the rods which he had peeled, he set
before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks
came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.
So the flocks conceived before the rods,
and the flocks brought forth
streaked, speckled, and spotted. Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made
the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but
he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban's flock.
And it came to pass, whenever the
stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the
livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
But when the flocks were feeble, he did
not put them in; so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's. Thus the
man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male
servants, and camels and donkeys. Now Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons,
saying, 'Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what was our
father's he has acquired all this wealth.' And
Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and
indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. Genesis 30:37 - 31:2
30:37 - 31:2
Uh oh, was Jacob the conniver back? We’ll have to wait and see. His plan was
twofold.
First, he would cause the flocks to mate in front of peeled rods
so that they would produce all variegated offspring … which would then belong to
him.
Second, as time went on, he would improve on his herd by only allowing Laban's
strongest animals to mate before the rods
… insuring that his variegated stock would be the strongest and healthiest of
the lot, and the puny and weak would be left for his Uncle Laban.
Was this scientific
... you might ask? Not to my knowledge. But, if you will wait for a few more
verses, I think it will become clear why it actually worked. Jacob, who had
worked for over 14 years for nothing, except Laban's two daughters, while Laban
himself had become rich ... Jacob ... began to prosper under this plan as never
before. It worked so well that you just have to smile when you read … Jacob saw
the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable
toward him as before. Laban, the master conniver, had been outfoxed.
Again … what went around came around.
_________________________________________________________________
Then the LORD said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your
family, and I will be with you.'
So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, and said to
them, 'I see your father's countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as
before; but the God of my father has been with me. And you know that with all my
might I have served your father. Yet your
father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow
him to hurt me. If he said thus: 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all
the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: 'The streaked shall be your
wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked.
So God has taken away the livestock of
your father and given them to me. And it happened, at the time when the
flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams
which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.
Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a
dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.' And He said,
'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams
which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have
seen all that Laban is doing to you.
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a
vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your
family.' Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, 'Is there still any
portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? Are we not considered
strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.
For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our
children's; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.' Genesis 31:3-16
31:3-16
It was time for Jacob to go home, so God gave him his marching orders. No doubt, that was music to Jacob's ears. He would no longer be Laban's servant or employee. He would be on his own. Immediately, he called for his wives and gave them the good news. He also told them about the plan that God had given him in a dream … to ask Laban for all the streaked, speckled and gray-spotted flocks for his wages. That clears things up considerably, does it not? It was the Lord that gave crooked Laban's flocks to Jacob, as just recompense for Jacob's 14 years of hard work. Jacob's wives agreed that this was just. They knew, all too well, of Laban's greed and how he had used Jacob. In addition, Jacob's wives pointed out that there was no longer an inheritance for them in Laban's house, anyway. They said that Laban had sold them, and then used up the money that he had gotten for them. So, the whole Jacob household was together on leaving Haran and they all agreed that the herds they had gotten were from the Lord’s hand and were rightfully theirs.
_________________________________________________________________
Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. And he carried away
all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired
livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the
land of Canaan. Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and
Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father's. And
Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that
he intended to flee. So he fled with all that he had. He arose and
crossed the river, and headed toward
the mountains of Gilead. And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had
fled. Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days'
journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. But
God had come to Laban the Syrian in a
dream by night, and said to him, 'Be
careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.' So Laban overtook
Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his
brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. Genesis 31:17-25
31:17-25
After 20 years, Jacob was finally on the road again (31:41). The great escape
commenced. But, the plot thickened. Laban was an idol worshiper. And, on the way
out of town, Rachel stole Laban's
household idols which, no doubt, she mistakenly associated with the
prosperity and favor that Laban had enjoyed. Consistent with most of the ancient
history of Israel, Laban's household were polytheists. He worshipped the Lord,
right along with several other gods as well (31:30). Pathetic, but true.
Apparently, God had not yet revealed his displeasure with such practices. That
would come when he gave the Law to Moses.
Our text says Jacob
crossed the river. That would be
the Euphrates River. However, Laban heard about it and he and his band of men
quickly caught up. Jacob was encumbered with women and children, flocks and
herds, you see. However, God warned Laban in a dream not to mess with Jacob by
saying anything to him,
good nor bad. I suspect that, had
God not spoken to him, Laban might have killed Jacob and seized all of his
possessions. But, after God's direct intervention, Laban was forced to tread
softly.
_________________________________________________________________
And Laban said to Jacob: 'What have you
done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters
like captives taken with the sword? Why did you flee away secretly, and steal
away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and
songs, with timbrel and harp? And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my
daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing.
It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me
last night, saying, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad."
And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house,
but why did you steal my gods?' Then
Jacob answered and said to Laban, 'Because I was afraid, for I said, "Perhaps
you would take your daughters from me by force."
With whomever you find your gods, do not
let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours
and take it with you.' For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. And
Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the two maids' tents,
but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's
tent. Now Rachel had taken the household
idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched
all about the tent but did not find them. And she said to her father, 'Let
it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women
is with me.' And he searched but did not find the household idols. Genesis
31:26-35
31:26-35
Notice that Laban didn't obey God's command. According to verse 24, God said he
was not to speak to Jacob either
good or bad. That being the case, what do you think Laban could
have done? Obviously, the Lord left him no choice but to break off the pursuit
and go back home … lest he risk the Lord's wrath by saying anything at all to
Jacob. But, Laban was a "bullhead," as they say, and he came on anyway. Making a
mad dash to catch Jacob and recover his gods, he was lucky to return home alive,
brother. If God wasn't the God of all grace, mercy and longsuffering, Laban
would have been toast.
So, in spite of God’s warning to the contrary, when Laban caught up to Jacob, he
proceeded to chastise Jacob stiffly and accused him of stealing his gods. Then,
a search of the camp was instituted and only Rachel’s lie and cunning saved them
from her father’s discovery of the stolen idols, which, as it turns out, she was
sitting on and told her father that she couldn't get up because she was having
her period. Notice here, Laban was searching his own daughter's tent, knowing
full well that if he found the idols there, Rachel would pay with her life! Does
that tell you anything about the nature of this man?
_________________________________________________________________
Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban,
and Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'What is my trespass? What is my sin, that
you have so hotly pursued me? Although you have searched all my things, what
part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and
your brethren, that they may judge between us both! These twenty years I have
been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young,
and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That which was torn by beasts I did
not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether
stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was! In the day the drought consumed
me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. Thus
I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for
your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages
ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of
Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed.
God has seen my affliction and the labor
of my hands, and rebuked you last night.' Genesis 31:36-42
31:36-42
The love of money is a paramount reason that injustice reigns in our world
today. Paul writes …
for the love of money is a root of all
kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10 NIV).
Laban was greedy. His love of money and material things had consumed him.
It was more important to him than his own daughters. He was a man driven by the
philosophy of this world that says … Get
all you can get and keep all you can keep! His priorities, like those of
countless others down through history, were misguided and ran amuck. God is
just. He hates injustice. Therefore, he had simply taken from Laban and gave to
Jacob what was rightly owed him. It was the just and right thing to do. Jesus
said,
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon
(money).
Matthew 6:24
We should frequently ask ourselves … Are
my priorities in the right place when it comes to money and the things of this
world? God's Word says,
Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and
she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will
place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to
you. Proverbs 4:7-9
Jesus said,
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and
steal. Matthew 6:20-21
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And Laban answered and said to Jacob,
'These daughters are my daughters, and
these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is
mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children
whom they have borne? Now therefore, come,
let us make a covenant, you and I,
and let it be a witness between you and me.'
So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a
pillar. Then Jacob said to his brethren, 'Gather stones. And they took
stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. Laban called it
Jegar Sahadutha,
but Jacob called it Galeed.
And Laban said, 'This heap is a witness between you and me this day.'
Therefore its name was called Galeed,
also Mizpah, because he said, 'May the LORD watch between you and me when we
are absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other
wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us; see, God is witness
between you and me!' Then Laban said to Jacob, 'Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between
you and me. This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will
not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and
this pillar to me, for harm. The
God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.'
And Jacob swore by
the Fear of his father Isaac. Then
Jacob offered a sacrifice on the
mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed
all night on the mountain. And early in
the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them.
Then Laban departed and returned to his place. Genesis 31:43-55
31:43-55
In Aramaic …
Jegar Sahadutha … means
heap of witness.
Gileed means heap of witness,
in Hebrew.
Mizpah means
watch. J Vernon McGee says that
this was a covenant between two rascals.
By intering into it, both men meant, The
Lord keep an eye on you! Thus they parted, and I suspect neither one ever
missed the company of the other again. One final word here ... when Jacob sealed
his oath with Laban, our text says that he
swore by the Fear of his father
Isaac. This is one of God’s names. It is quite unique and very much to
the point. His name is, simply…
Fear. The Bible says …
the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). One of the
key characteristics of an unbeliever is that he or she has no fear of God. As
you have it in
Psalm 36:1,
An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
Psalm 19:9,
says,
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever...
Fear
... is the great and powerful name that Jacob chose to use to seal his oath with
Laban. I fear the Lord. Do you, dear reader? It is one of God's names you know.
And, the Bible says it is the beginning of wisdom.
Scripture
taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.