Genesis 31:1-3
After 14 years, Laban had still been working to keep Jacob with him. He understood he was being blessed by his presence there. Now, six years later, Laban attitude was changing. The sons of Laban saw Jacob getting wealthy and all they could see was that he was cutting into their inheritance. Laban was beginning to look at Jacob as an intruder. The Hebrew word used tells us this attitude change was obvious to Jacob by the facial expressions of Laban.
God wasn't surprised at this situation and His timing is always perfect. The 'Lord said to Jacob' to go back home. We can't know exactly how Jacob heard this from the Lord. It's interesting to note a threefold indication that hadn't been there for the past 20 years.
- Laban's sudden attitude change.
- Making Jacob's uncomfortable.
- The Lord indicating it was time to go.
- Having his own desire to depart (seen in 30:25-26)
The combination of these three things bring about the desire in Jacob to go home. As disciples, we often struggle with knowing God's will. When the Lord wants to move us, He doesn't have any problem letting us know. He also, puts the indicators in place and leads us to make a decision of our own free will. It's an opportunity to exercise our faith; to pray it through, remove the emotions, our wants and all the baggage and seek to make a godly decision in our life that is consistent with a disciple of Christ.
"It is not always that God gives us a manifestation of these three principles, but whenever they do combine and are evident we may be sure of his will in any given circumstance. First, a definite conviction in our hearts that God desires us to take a certain course or do a certain thing. Second, the path he would have us take being indicated by outward circumstances, which make it (humanly) possible or expedient we should do it. Then, third, after definitely waiting on God for it, some special word from the Scriptures which is suited to our case and which by the Spirit bringing it manifestly to our notice (while waiting for guidance) is plainly a message from God to our individual heart. Thus may we be assured of God's will for us. The most important thing is to wait on God." (Arthur W. Pink)
Genesis 31:4-9
Jacob called his wives to the fields to have this discussion about leaving. To have it among family invited trouble. Jacob did not need permission to leave and to ask for it would bring complications from Laban. He is counting on them not telling their father of the plans.
Jacob understood that God has been with him. Jacob's conscience was clear regarding his work and fulfilling his side of all agreements. It is interesting that he used his tactics in breeding to control the offspring of the flocks to his advantage, yet, doesn't see that as any violation of his integrity. Laban on the other hand had changed the agreement multiple times, each in an effort to gain an advantage, each seemingly driven by greed. The 'cheated me'(NIV) or 'deceived me' (NKJV) of verse 7 is a rare word meaning 'to make a fool of'. Laban's plans kept running against God's plans. Jacob reveals his understanding of God's blessing on him as opposed to his conniving and plans yielding any benefit.
Jacob the deceiver complained about being deceived. Yet he said God has not allowed any harm to come to him. He defended himself against the accusations the sons were making and he leaned on the protection and sovereignty of God.
Genesis 31:10-13
This passage seems to tie to verse three as an indication of how the Lord spoke to him. The Lord communicated to Jacob in a dream. The Lord spoke to him specifically in calling him by name and Jacob answered appropriately in acknowledging God's call to him. The Lord identified himself as the God of Bethel where He told Jacob He would bring him back to the Land. This was the spot where Jacob had his previous dream and where he made a vow to the Lord.
Genesis 28:20-22
"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, 21 so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. 22 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."
God honored His side of the oath. It was Jacob's turn to hold up his side and allow Him to be God and follow Him.
Genesis 31:14-16
It's clear Rachel and Leah are with Jacob in his plans. The ties that bind have been broken. The bitterness they harbor comes pouring out in answer to his Jacob entrusting them with his plans. The questions they ask are rhetorical; no, they have share in the inheritance. Laban treated them like strangers. It appears at least one source of bitterness is Laban selling them. To top it off, all that he acquired for them had been frittered away; there was nothing to show for all Jacob's work. The bride price was to be set back as a type of escrow; should the marriage fail, the bride came home and the money would help take care of her. The money was not for the father to spend on his desires. It seems in Harran, brides were sold; where in the Semitic cultures, the bride price was paid.
Note: The response of Laban's daughters was primarily around wealth, security and the future. Familial love seemed to be missing. With the friction between Rachel & Leah, it wasn't likely to get any better. These family traits combined with Jacob's character, would all show up in the sons. Yet, God chose them anyway. God would use them and bless them. He still does today.
Genesis 31:17-21
Jacob, his wives and flocks made a quiet exit while Laban was shearing sheep. Since he had the promise of God there was really no need to leave in secret. God was watching over him. This might be Jacob opting for quiet and peaceful versus confrontation; or, it may have been a final kind of 'poke in the eye' on the way out. Either way, God had directed him there and 20 years later it was God who would deliver him home since His purpose was complete.
In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Psalm 16:11)
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him. (Psalm 37:23)
The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:11)
We see so many examples of God's people not trusting in the promises He's given them. How many times do we doubt, wonder and second-guess? Are we not too timid in claiming God's promise? Don't we find ourselves sneak away into His will or do we stand tall and march headlong into the place God has called us to?
On the way out, Rachel stole the household gods that were her fathers. The Hebrew word is 'teraphim' of which little to nothing is known. Household gods were usually small statues or figurines to represent residents of the spiritual world. These gods, thought to have magical rites and kept in shrines in the home, were likely part of the inheritance, passed from generation to generation. They may also have been used as tokens to remember loved ones. Like a memorial figurine. One other suggesting was that they were a tool to plot the stars for use in astrology.
We have no real way of knowing why Rachel stole these. There are several suggestions:
- She didn't want Laban worshiping idols and so she stole them.
- This seems highly unlikely since she was angry with him, but also she probably didn't have a sense of that being wrong.
- It's possible the possessor of the idols would be recognized as the head of the household upon Laban's death, thus giving her an inheritance.
- Based on her comments, this is very likely.
- She took them out of pure meanness because she got no inheritance.
- I don't think anyone would argue this. Being sold off like a commodity would make you mean.
- She worshiped the idols.
- Not likely since, based on how she treats them (see verse 34 comments).
- Laban used the idols for divination and she didn't want him to use the idols to find them after they stole away.
- This is entirely possible. However, it probably wouldn't have been a mystery to anyone where Jacob went after he left. And there was only one real way for him to go to get there.
Note: There is a wordplay in verse 19 and 20 regarding Laban. Rachel 'stole' the gods. Then in verse 20, Jacob 'deceived' which is a combination of Hebrew words starting with the same word translated to 'stole' in verse 19. This combination indicates a deception that ran deep by way of 'stealing his heart'. Rachel 'stole' the gods of Laban and Jacob 'stole his heart'.
Genesis 31:22-24
It's interesting that it took Jacob 3 days to find out they had left. This can probably be attested to the business of shearing sheep and the size of the clan among which they lived. Laban immediately gathered a posse and went in pursuit. It took 7 days to catch them. When Laban caught up with them in the mountains of Gilead, God came to him in a dream. Laban had seven days to stew and build a rage. We can imagine how this would have went had God not warned him. Laban had direct warning from God to be careful how he spoke to him.
Genesis 31:25-30
Laban and his clan caught up with Jacob and his group and pitched his tent next to them. They are far from one big happy family again. Laban felt wronged; the words he spoke were the same ones Jacob spoke when he found out he had married Leah. The Hebrew word conveys the act of secretly stealing the heart. Laban assumed that his daughters had been carried off against their will, or he presented this as a pretense to display his anger. Laban makes it sound as if he were concerned about the treatment of his daughters. Yet, he sold them off for his own benefit. He makes it sound as though he would have had a going away party if Jacob had not run off secretly. He didn't even get to kiss his grandkids goodbye. As a grandfather, I would say this alone is a great offense; however, knowing the character of Laban, this is likely just another façade to leverage his own deception against Jacob.
Laban makes clear that he would be doing more than just talking about having his feelings hurt had it not been for the dream. His intention was to harm him but God had issued a warning. It is interesting he doesn't say 'your God' or 'our God' or even just 'God' but says 'the God of your father'. Laban was not to interfere with Jacob leaving but Laban feels justified in coming to find Jacob anyway because his gods had come up missing. He accused Jacob of stealing them, particularly as an explanation for him sneaking away. This is likely the root of his anger and all the other hurt feelings are just window dressing.
These 'gods' are referred to as 'elohim' here, yet in verse 19 Rachel stole the 'teraphim'. These are presumably one and the same. Using the term 'elohim' gives some indication these were small idols connected to the dead. In some way they were offered a spiritual connection with some particular deceased person.
The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel gives a strange turn to the whole passage. "And Rachel stole the images of her father: for they had murdered a man, who was a first-born son; and having cut off his head, they embalmed it with salt and spices, and they wrote divinations upon a plate of gold, and put it under his tongue; and placed it against the wall, and it conversed with them, and Laban worshipped it. And Jacob stole the science of Laban the Syrian, that it might not discover his departure." (Adam Clarke Commentary, Critical notes)
This god needed taken care of. It was incapable to controlling itself or its setting. Any mere human could relocate this god, carry it off, lose it or abuse it. If your god isn't all powerful, guiding, directing, creating, judging, loving and saving, you probably only have an idol.
Genesis 31:31-32
Jacob's concern was legitimate from a human perspective. He had spent 20 years dealing with Laban as he tried to get married and have a family. When it was clear Laban wasn't disputing the ownership of livestock and Jacob's rite to relocate his wives, Jacob speaks defends all those he represents against the accusation of theft. Jacob has no idea Rachel stole the gods and he suggests death for the one who stole them.
Genesis 31:33-35
So sure was Laban he would find his gods, he accepted Jacob's invitation to search. He searched all the tents and found nothing. Rachel had hidden them in her saddle and was sitting on them. She apologized for not rising and showing proper respect to her father; she explained it was the time of her menstrual period. Laban wouldn't even imagine that Rachel could be so disrespectful to the gods, so he never suspected she might be sitting on them. This leads one to believe she did not see these gods as possessing any spiritual power or authority outside what mere men gave to them.
This deception came to be known at some point so it could be written down for us. At the time, Jacob didn't recognize it as a deception. With Laban and Jacob as the leaders of these clans, we see there is no honor among thieves. No deception stands alone; these combined families were all raised that the end justified the means. They all thought that as long as you could make a case of how important it was to you, or how you were justified in some way, it was okay to break the laws, to exceed moral boundaries to jettison integrity and sacrifice character. Every lie seems to require additional lies and deception to support it. The deceptions get weak over time and tumble. A life built on lies and deceptions is a life on shaky ground. Your sin will find you out.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
and whoever pours out lies will perish. (Proverbs 19:9)
How many times have we found ourselves in that situation? We've lied or cheated and now we will either be found out or we must continue down that road. When it is just one little lie, we justify the deceit to ourselves. All the other options seem so much more reasonable than the act of repentance.
Genesis 31:36-42
It seems like Jacob had had enough of Laban. The frustration and anger built up for 20 years all came out at once. Jacob portrayed himself as the victim of Laban's bullying and deceit. There is little or no indication Jacob had been trusting God during those 20 years, yet, he made it sound as if he were and that God finally saved him from the dreadful hand of Laban. God was in charge all the time and was, in fact, working in Jacob's life after he had deceived his father before he left home.
Jacob left home after he deceived his father and brother to receive an inheritance. Esau made accusations and threats to Jacob. There was plenty of deception to go around and the accompanying guilt in this case and it seems the charge of theft helped Jacob see himself just a little
Genesis 31:43-44
In Laban's greedy fashion, he laid claim to everything in sight. He had no reason to continue to be there other than attempt to conjure up some position from which to bargain. His last grasp at this was claiming everything Jacob now possessed had been his since Jacob brought nothing with him when he came 20 years back. It is a life of greed and sin that brought these losses, not necessarily Jacob.
Laban asked for a covenant between them. This would serve as a witness, a promise. This was not nearly as peaceful as it sounded. It wasn't a covenant of peace and nonaggression. It was as much a threat, if he ever passed that way again, Laban would be coming for him. For Jacob, that boundary was Laban's boundary and not to be exceeded. This was two men who had had enough of each other agreeing to stay away from each other. This only came about because God had warned Laban. The warning to Laban was a mercy toward Jacob.
These men took stones and built a pillar. They cut a covenant; cutting up the animals with their promises and then eating together in agreement. Laban gave this heap of stones an Aramaic name meaning 'witness pile'. Jacob gave the same 'witness pile' a Hebrew name, Galeed. It was also called Mizpah, which means 'watch'. It further extends the meaning of the witness pile to include God as the one who watched over this agreement. Laban called on the Lord to watch over Jacob and keep him dedicated to Laban's daughters.
The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor and the God of their father were not the same. This could be read as three references to the same God, and Laban may have believed that. Yahweh was clearly Abraham's God. Terah, Abraham's father, and Nahor, his brother, worshiped other gods (Joshua 24:2).
Genesis 31:51-55
The two men agreed to part ways. Sometimes this has to happen in families. They could no longer live in peace together. They made a covenant to stay away from each other. A covenant of peace based on a threat, brought on by deceit and lies and they requested that God watch over it. God would have to watch over this covenant for no one would truest these men!
God's involvement with this covenant was not for such small and selfish reasons cherished by these two men. God was doing something much bigger than protecting pride and ego of sinful men. He was using these ugly situations to grow and develop Jacob into a patriarch. Jacob was on a character-building adventure as God was building a nation.
1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
will never be shaken. (Psalm 15)
God had done all the work during Jacob's stay. He had just come to understand that. Not only did He bless Jacob and watch over him but he brought change to this stubborn, prideful, conniving man. God did all of those improvement also; this is the core of his business.
He alone leads the exodus from our former home. He alone guides a life from utter destruction to blessing and prosperity. He alone delivers from the pit of hell to the gates of the Kingdom of God. He alone deserves the glory.
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36)
©2019 Doug Ford
Facebook