“Laban Chases After Jacob”

Genesis 31:17-42

 

Jacob certainly knows how to make friends and influence people. He also knows how to tick people off. He has managed to make someone angry again and his response is to flee. This time he is not alone and has far more than the shirt on his back. After twenty years of slavery service to his uncle, Laban, he has had enough. Last week we read his speech to his wives and he has convinced them and himself that his decision to return home is right. God did invite him to go home, however, Jacob has managed to add some layers that God may not approve of, but this has been typical of Jacob’s character. 

 

The second act of Jacob’s life is coming to an end. It began with his dream in Bethel and setting up stones, dedicating a pillar and saying, “I will build a house if Yahweh takes good care of me and gives me food and clothing.” 

At this point, Jacob has recalled that dream along with a recent dream he had when God told him to return home and he takes off, in the night. 

 

Today’s Scripture begins with stealing. Jacob puts his wives and children on camels, drives all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram. He is headed for his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. Without saying a word about it to Laban. The Hebrew phrase used here literally means, “He stole the heart of Laban the Aramean by not reporting to him that he was fleeing.” 

 

Turns out Laban wasn’t even around. He had gone to shear his sheep. While he was away, Rachel stole her father’s household gods and took them with her. 

 

Jacob manages to cross the Euphrates River and heads for the hill country of Gilead, which is the northeastern region, on the east side of Lake Galilee. Today it is known as the Golan Heights, which rises up to what is known as Syria. 

 

Three days later, Laban was informed that Jacob had fled. The chase is on! Laban takes the men of his family for support and pursues Jacob. Seven days later, he caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 

 

Picture this scene, there’s a chase of fleeing slaves by a powerful slave master, near the river. Anybody?

 

This entire scene is planting key words that are going to be recalled in the story of the confrontation of Pharaoh and the Israelites at a river. Exodus - right here. 

 

Up to this point we have Jacob, collecting all of his stuff and taking off. The narrator has created a focus on a double stealing. Jacob was metaphorically stealing Laban’s family from him, and in conjunction, Rachel has literally stolen her father’s idols. When you look at what has happened a little closer you can surmise that Jacob has done some literal stealing of his own. His fertility scheme of creating a larger flock for himself while keeping Laban’s flock unchanged wasn’t exactly forthright. In fact, it was Laban’s son’s comment of how things were looking a little fishy that made Jacob think he needed to sneak out of Dodge. He knew the game was up. Without a word he packed up everyone and everything and left in the dark of night. Not exactly how brothers should treat each other right? And what about Rachel and her thievery. What are we supposed to do with that? It is clearly an analogy with what Jacob was doing. 

However, it should make us stop and think, what is this one sentence all about? Keep it in the back of your mind because it comes up later. 

 

Laban arrives, with his posse, he wasn’t about to trust a one-on-one confrontation with Jacob. Lo and behold, just before meeting him, Yahweh comes to Laban in a dream at night and said, 

verse 24,

“Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

Basically, “Cool your jets, Laban. Guard yourself.” 

 

Let’s see if Laban listens and obeys. 

 

Laban manages to pitch his tents up in the hill country next to Jacob’s. Notice Laban’s first question, verse 26, 

 

“What have you done?” Anybody? 

Hyperlink, back to Genesis 4, God hears the outcry of Abel’s blood and confronts Cain with the very same words. Laban continues with: 

“You have stolen my heart and led my daughters  away like captives of the sword.”

“I mean, why did you hide yourself?”

“Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels and harps?”

 “You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye.” 

 “You have done a foolish thing.”

Okay, stop for just a minute. Do you really think Laban would have let anyone go? No way. Last week we read how Jacob had convinced his wives they had to leave because they couldn’t trust Laban. One con, trying to con, another. 

Also, notice all the Genesis 3 & Genesis 4 language:

“What have you done?”

“Hiding yourself” like Adam & Eve hid among the trees. 

“Playing the fool.”

Laban continues, verse 29,

 “I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’”

It looks like Laban is heeding Yahweh's warning. And rationalizes why Jacob has done all these things, verse 30,

“Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household.” 

Okay, I get all that, but Laban has one final question, 

“But why did you steal my gods?” 

Notice the two stealings. Laban opens his monologue with the “stealing of his heart” and ends with the “stealing of his elohim”  the idol statues. 

Can you see Jacob standing there, listening and nodding his head while Laban is talking all along thinking of what he would say to calm him down? Jacob responds with, 

“Ok, let me be honest with you. I was afraid. I thought you would steal your daughters by force.” 

“But as for your idol statues… I don’t know what you are talking about. In fact, whomever you find has them, they can die.” 

A bit rash, don’t you think, or more like indignant.

Jacob continued in his self-righteous manner saying, 

“In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.”

The narrator steps in and lets us know that Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods. Talk about foolish! Jacob was putting his beloved wife’s life on the line. Not because of what God had asked in a test, like Abraham and Issac on Mount Moriah. This was all Jacob’s own making. He had created this situation much like what his grandparents Abraham and Sarah did to Hagar which led to a cascade of events that led to the test of Abraham having to give up his first born and second born only to receive them back again. 

Laban was on the hunt. He went into Jacob’s tent. Then he went into Leah’s tent and the two female servants tents. But he found nothing. After coming out of Leah’s tent he entered Rachel’s tent. The narrative begins to slow down, building tension. Remember, Rachel had taken the household gods and what did she do with them? She hid them under the skin of an animal, the leather saddle of a camel. Then she sat on them. 

Think about it, there’s Laban, the father, in a dark tent, feeling around for his idols. Ring any bells? In a previous narrative we had a father who couldn’t see well so he was feeling his son, who was wrapped under the skin of an animal. Rachel was duplicating the very deception Jacob pulled off on his dad. Like husband, like wife. The Hebrew word used here for Laban searching is the same Hebrew word used when Jacob asked his father to “search or feel” him to prove he had hairy skin.

Rachel came up with the perfect excuse for not being able to rise and greet her father. She was having her period. The mention of that stops most conversations with men. 

Laban searched but found nothing.  Now who is angry?

Indignation digs in, Jacob exclaims, 

“What is my crime?” 

“How have I wronged you that you hunt me down?”

“Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household?”

“Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.”

OUCH!

Jacob doesn’t stop there. Jacob plays the “poor me” innocent card. Within his claims, although they are not all false, there are layers of mistruth. If you read this speech just once, eager to get on with the story, chances are you will miss them. But if you take a moment to ponder what is said you will notice some elements that make you go, “Hey, I haven’t heard about that part?” The truth is that God did say He would be with him. However, not explicitly that Jacob could do whatever he wanted to do and God was going to agree with it. 

 

Jacob had the mindset that because God said He would be with him, 

that whatever Jacob did, 

God was for it. 

If you read through Jacob’s speech again, you will notice many pieces that Jacob shares, 

that the narrator never told us. 

All we have to go on are Jacob’s words. And we know from his past that his words have not always been true. 

The two snakes duel it out. Laban draws his sword and accuses Jacob of stealing something. Then Jacob responds, so sure of his own righteousness, and accuses Laban of stealing from him. Even though he knows he has done some stealing from Laban, Jacob justifies it in his mind that Laban has stolen more.

And what about those household gods? They certainly were a significant part of the story, but what are they all about? What motivates someone to steal the household gods?

We do know that her stealing was set as an analogy to Jacob’s stealing. So what was Jacob stealing? Wealth. Jacob manipulated Laban’s abundance and wealth to generate wealth for himself. It was all about money.

As for Rachel, she’s running from home. What does she want most? The very thing those idols have given her father ever since she can remember, wisdom. The small idol statues were what her father used to get wisdom from the gods to know how things in your life would go. 

What’s Rachel’s story? She was the beloved wife who couldn’t have kids. And when Yahweh finally blessed her with one, remember what she called him, Joseph, which in Hebrew means, “more.” 

Her last words to God were, “Give me another one.” It’s been six years and apparently she hasn’t had another one. So she steals the idols. She imitates her husband by deceiving her father, and she imitates her father in assuming that she can find a way to fruitfulness through consulting the gods. 

And so we see that Jacob and Rachel were two peas in a pod. Each believes in a deep way that their abundance and their fertility, their security, their future will be provided by their own means, their own schemes, by their own plan. Oh yeah, and along the way, God said He would be with them. 

Check in time. 

Step into today. Jacob and Rachel really aren’t that much different than you and me. Our culture teaches similar habits that we so easily take for granted that God goes along with. 

When in essence, we don’t even have the conscience to ask. I encourage you to ponder these questions, on a personal level:

1) Where does your abundance come from? You’ve worked hard, you’ve earned a good living. You’ve learned how to pull yourself up from your boot straps and get things done.  Oh yeah, and along the way, God said He would be with you. 

2) What about your security? Are you relying on your income, investments, 401K plans? Oh yeah, and along the way, God said He would be with you. 

3) As for cheating? Let’s not even discuss the IRS. 

How many times have we decided to go ahead with our own plans and then asked God to bless them? Rather than asking God to lead us and following His plan. It’s not easy, I know. Yet, here’s the kicker. 

We all can agree that following God’s plan is far more abundant and secure. Why we don’t always begin with God’s plan is beyond me. 

And why does God continue to have Jacob’s back? 

What I do know, and what we have seen thus far in Scripture, that regardless of what we do, God is faithful. 

Oh yeah, and along the way, God said He would be with us. Regardless.

Let’s pray.