Summary https://marksbiblejourney.blogspot.com/2019/10/genesis.html
"Laban's sons think that Jacob has unfairly taken their father's wealth. On the other hand, Jacob thinks that Laban has cheated and changed his wages many times. Jacob believes that God has taken Laban's herds and given them to him (God has made all the off-breed cattle mate instead of the purebred cattle). Jacob has a dream where the Angel of God tells him to leave Paddan-aram and return to the land of his father Isaac in Canaan. Rachel and Leah take sides with Jacob and are willing to leave their father. When there is a chance, Jacob deceives Laban, and he flees Paddan-aram with his wives, children, camels, livestock, and possessions. He crosses the Euphrates and heads for the hill country of Gilead. Before leaving, Rachel steals her father's household idols.
Jacob has a three day head start until Laban hears word that he has fled Paddan-aram. Laban, along with his relatives, pursue Jacob for seven days. They overtake Jacob at Mount Gilead. God comes to Laban in a dream at night, and He tells him not to make any rash decisions against Jacob. Laban confronts Jacob and asks him why he left with his daughters and grandchildren without telling him. If Jacob would have told Laban, he would have sent him away in celebration. Laban promises not to harm Jacob as God told him in the dream. Laban also questions why Jacob has stole his gods/idols. Jacob gives reasoning to Laban for his leaving in deception. He was afraid that Laban would not let his daughters and grandchildren go with him. Jacob does not know that Rachel has stolen the idols, so he tells Laban that if anyone in his company has the idols they will not live. Laban searches through Jacob's, Rachels, and Leah's possessions. Rachel continues hiding the idols, and Laban does not find them.
Jacob proclaims his innocence and claims that he has nothing that belongs to Laban. Everything that is in Jacob's outfit belongs to him fairly. After all, he has worked for Laban for 20 long years. Laban sees things differently, but nonetheless, he wants to make a covenant with Jacob. They make a mound of stones, and they eat by it. Laban named the mound Jegar-sahadutha and Jacob named it Galeed. Both names mean 'mound of witness'. In the covenant Laban tells Jacob not to mistreat his daughters or take other wives, and neither Jacob or Laban is to go beyond the mound of stones to do one another harm. The covenant is a peace treaty between Laban and Jacob that is witnessed by God. The next day, Laban returns back home."
Reading from the Amplified Bible (AMP) version..
- "Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken away everything that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has acquired all this wealth and honor.” Jacob noticed [a change in] the attitude of Laban, and saw that it was not friendly toward him as before." v.1-2
- "Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your people, and I will be with you.” v.3
- "I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you made a vow to Me; now stand up, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’” v.13
- "Then Jacob stood [and took action] and put his children and his wives on camels; and he drove away all his livestock and [took along] all his property which he had acquired, the livestock he had obtained and accumulated in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan." v.17-18
- "On the third day [after his departure] Laban was told that Jacob had fled. So he took his relatives with him and pursued him for seven days, and they overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob, either good or bad.” v.22-24
- "Jacob answered Laban, “[I left secretly] because I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our relatives [search my possessions and] point out whatever you find that belongs to you and take it.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols." v.31-32
- "These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for [my share of] your flocks, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and [the Feared One] of Isaac, had not been with me, most certainly you would have sent me away now empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and humiliation and the [exhausting] labor of my hands, so He rendered judgment and rebuked you last night.” v.41-42
- “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent from one another. If you should mistreat (humiliate, oppress) my daughters, or if you should take other wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us [as a witness], see and remember, God is witness between you and me.” Laban said to Jacob, “Look at this mound [of stones] and look at this pillar which I have set up between you and me. This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this mound to harm you, and that you will not pass by this mound and this pillar to harm me." v.49-52
My personal observations and reflections...
- ENVY? It seems that there has been a growing tension between Jacob and Laban (and his sons). It seems, that they couldn't believe how much Jacob has gotten rich from pasturing and tending Laban's flocks. But it was God who was guiding and prospering Jacob, despite Uncle Laban's treachery and taking advantage of Jacob, for the last 20 years. It seems that Jacob had enough of it, and he also noticed a change in Laban's attitude. It was not as friendly as before-- maybe because Laban realized that Jacob has become wealthier than him in the years that had passed, and now that Jacob wants to separate from him, there is nothing that Laban can do anymore.
- RETURN TO CANAAN. God has also given a go-signal to Jacob, promising him "I will be with you.” With this, Jacob called his 2 wives, Leah and Rachel and told them about the situation-- how their father has been cheating on him, and how God has helped him throughout as well. Rachel and Leah submitted to their husband Jacob, and even expressed that they too felt treated as foreigners or outsiders by their father. This makes me wonder, how does it feel to finally leave your own place, to live in another country.. Leah and Rachel may not know or realize the significance of their going to the promised land with Jacob-- but God was in the work as their 12 sons will become the 12 Tribes of Israel someday. How amazing!
- THE HOUSEHOLD OF JACOB SECRETLY LEFT. Did they left at night? I wonder how they ALL slipped away secretly, with all the camels and livestock. And, what was going on with Rachel stealing her father’s household gods? According to the Bible Footnotes, "Possession of these pagan figurines implied or conferred a right of inheritance. Genesis 31:19" I am wondering what was her motive, did it have great value, was she influenced by her father that's why she liked the pagan figurines, or was it just covetousness?
* "The household idols Rachel stole were figurines of deities, indicating a pagan influence in Laban’s household. Traditionally, these household idols were thought to provide protection to the household." http://biblestudydaily.org/genesis-31-33/
* "Genesis does not explain why Rachel stole the household idols. Perhaps she had a nostalgic desire to have some items from her old home, and the teraphim were the most prominent. Another possibility is that the idols were made of valuable materials. If so, Rachel may have taken them for financial gain. Or it could be that Rachel believed in the power of the images. She may have stolen the idols out of a superstitious fear of moving from home. She had lived with or near her father her entire life, and she likely felt some anxiety about moving to a new place. The household idols could have been like a good-luck charm for her.
Basically, it appears that Rachel continued to hold to superstitions and pagan spiritual practices embraced by her father’s family. Still today, many Christians have difficulty letting go of non-Christian practices that exist as part of family tradition." https://www.gotquestions.org/family-idols.html
- 7 DAYS OF HOT PURSUIT. After 3 days, Laban knew what had happened, and pursued Jacob with his relatives for 7 days. At first I thought, why bother? But God came to the rescue and spoke to Laban as if giving him a warning, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob, either good or bad.” (v.24) Maybe God had seen something in Laban's heart that intends to harm Jacob. But God's protection and God's covenant promise is upon Jacob! It makes me remember these verses:
"I praise the word of God. I trust God. I am not afraid. What can mere flesh [and blood] do to me?" Psalm 56:4
"I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the LORD for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?" Psalm 56:10-11
"What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
"In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes." Psalm 118:5-9
- LABAN REACHED JACOB. We then read a long confrontation between Laban and Jacob. Laban said "what do you mean by deceiving me and leaving without my knowledge, and carrying off my daughters as if [they were] captives of the sword; I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with [music on the] tambourine and lyre, why did you not allow me to kiss my grandchildren and my daughters [goodbye]" (v.26-28) At this point, I question Laban's sincerity in everything that he has expressed.. It's hard to trust and believe Laban who clearly did not have integrity, with his attitude and deceptions before with Jacob.. He then kinda expressed his desire to harm Jacob, but then God had warned him beforehand, so.. His next point was about his household gods, he intends to find and search for it.
Oh, so Laban was afraid he was going to lose everything because of those figurines that implied the right to inherit Laban's wealth. Is that why Rachel took it, as an inheritance from his father? I'm thinking she might not intend to give it to Jacob, knowing that Jacob is a true believer and worshiper of God. Anyways, Jacob's conscience is clean because he did not even know who took it, and he let Laban and his relatives search for it.
"The hills of Gilead, a mountainous region east of the Jordan River." https://dwellingintheword.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/1422-genesis-31/
- RACHEL & THE HOUSEHOLD IDOLS. Maybe knowing that it will cost her life, Rachel was determined to hide it, to the point of lying about it. She hid it in the camel's saddlebag and sat on it, telling the men that she has a period and feeling unwell. This part of the story seems terrible, and that must have been scary for Rachel.. This is what sinning does :( It creates an ugly pattern, even if we don't like it, it will produce consequences.. First, she stole, and now she's lying about it, or else she might die. What if Jacob knew about this? Will he save and try to spare his beloved wife Rachel? But Rachel was all alone on this matter.
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Proverbs 28:13
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Acts 3:19
"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:8
- JACOB'S TURN TO GET ANGRY. It must have been a relief for Jacob to release, express everything he wanted to say to his Uncle Laban!😌 We read how Jacob has done everything right towards Laban despite his cheating, how he slaved and suffered for 20 years, the sufferings he endured during hot and cold weather.. Jacob concluded by pointing to his God, who took care of him and who had been with him all throughout. And that God Himself had "rendered judgment and rebuked over Laban last night." (v.42)
- COVENANT OF MIZPAH. It seems Laban had no choice, but to initiate and offer a covenant, like a "peace treaty" between him and Jacob. He was unsuccessful in recovering the household idols, and now it has become a threat to him (because the household gods means his inheritance will belong to the person who currently possesses it.) He now seems to accept being separated from Jacob, and wishes to be as far away from him. With everyone as witnesses, and 2 sides of the family setting up pillar of stones, Laban said "This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this mound to harm you, and that you will not pass by this mound and this pillar to harm me." Laban swore to a lot of gods, but "Jacob swore [only] by [the one true God] the Fear of his father Isaac." (v.53)
God is a God of reconciliation!❤️
*Bible Footnotes: "Genesis 31:49 The stone mound evidently was tall enough to be considered a place from which one could see at a distance. The thought behind it was that the Lord would watch them when they could not watch each other, and He would see and deal with any mistreatment committed by either of them (see v 50)."
Read the Bible here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+31&version=AMP#en-AMP-893
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