Chronological Study (011/365)

Genesis 30:25 – 31:55

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GETTING CARRIED AWAY

In Genesis 30:25, not long after Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob presents a request to Laban to be released from his servitude so that he can finally return to his own country. This means that Jacob has already completed 14 years of servitude. [Interestingly, Scripture is still silent regarding Rebekah; it’s been 14 years and yet Rebekah has still not sent for Jacob to return, as she said she would do (27:45). So, is Rebekah still alive? Scripture is silent on the matter.] In 30:27, Laban responds to Jacob by saying, “stay with me; I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.” So, not only is Laban selfish, thinking only of himself, but he attempts to use the Lord’s name (YHWH) as leverage for his benefit even though he confesses that he learned this information via divination, which the Lord hates and will later command not to do (Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10). The conversation just started and it already veered off course in the wrong direction.

In Genesis 30:28, Laban says, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” However, Jacob already named his wage and it was the wage of freedom to build his own life with his own family. In 30:30, Jacob essentially tells Laban that it’s true that the Lord has blessed Laban because of the Lord’s favor on himself, but it’s time to provide for his own family. In 30:31-32, ignoring Jacob’s request to be sent off, Laban asks, “What shall I give you?” Jacob replies by saying, “³¹ You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock: ³² let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.”

Jacob’s response of “You shall not give me anything” reminds me of 14:23 when Abraham told the king of Sodom, “I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ ” Instead, Jacob states that he will continue to stay and serve if he can have all the animals that have blemishes. But why did Jacob change his mind so quickly and make such an odd request? Because Scripture is setting the stage once again. Jacob knows something that we (the readers) don’t yet know.

In 30:34-36, Laban schemes with his young sons and then “he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.” And so it seems as if Laban has deceived Jacob yet again, not allowing Jacob to find any blemished animals for him to receive because Laban gave all those animals to his sons. If those animals belong to his sons, then Jacob would not be able to remove them from Laban’s flocks because they no longer belong to him but to his sons. However, what follows in 30:37-43 is a bizarre tactic that leads to unusual breeding of Laban’s animals. And it is at this point in the story that the typical unbelieving critic usually claims that the Bible is either teaching an unscientific view that prenatal influence affects the physical characteristics of the unborn, or that Jacob is using magic. Scripture does state that Jacob placing stripped rods before the animals during mating leads to the newborns having streaks, specks, or spots; however, Scripture does not assert that the action Jacob performed is the cause of the animals having blemishes. In fact, Jacob later reveals to Rachel and Leah in 31:9-12 that GOD showed him to do this, that GOD saw all the wrong Laban had done to Jacob, and so GOD decided to take away from Laban and give to Jacob. Therefore, the bizarre action was not the scientific cause for the newborns having blemishes; rather, Jacob’s faith led him to take action (as bizarre as it was), and then GOD produced the results because of Jacob’s faithful obedience. Later on, we will see another similar example of this in John 9:6-7 when Jesus will spit on the ground, form some clay, rub it in a man’s eyes, instructs him to go wash in some water, and then the man becomes healed and can see, no longer blind. Neither the action of rubbing clay in eyes nor washing with water are scientific causes of the man being healed of blindness; rather, the man’s faith led him to take action, and then GOD produced results because of that man’s faithful obedience.

As time went on, Laban’s sons complained that Jacob was stealing all of their father’s wealth (Genesis 31:1), even though they had been guilty of stealing all the blemished animals from Jacob. Jacob then discerned that Laban’s attitude toward him had changed, becoming unfriendly (31:2). “Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you’ ” (31:3).

In 31:4-16, Jacob explains to Rachel and Leah that Laban’s attitude is now hostile; moreover, Laban has changed his wages along the way and has cheated him ten times over. He then explains how the Lord has decided to take away from Laban and chose to bless him with all that the Lord took away from Laban. This outcome showcases fulfillment of what Isaac prophesied over Jacob in 27:29 when he said, “Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.” And ultimately, this fulfillment comes from the promise GOD gave to Abraham in 12:3. Indeed, Laban admitted that he had been blessed because of Jacob (30:27), but now he is under a curse due to the wickedness of his actions against Jacob. And finally, Jacob explained how the Lord told him to leave and return to the land of his birth. In response, Rachel and Leah said that they have no inheritance, their own father has considered them to be as foreigners, and they’re still hurt by the fact that he sold them to Jacob yet kept and used all wealth of the bride price for himself. The bride price paid by the groom was often transferred to the bride as an indirect dowry. As such, it became part of a financial reserve for the woman that served as an insurance policy of sorts. This claim suggests that Rachel and Leah had neither direct nor indirect dowry (their share of the inheritance); therefore, no financial security would have been assigned to their present or future holdings. Laban alone profited from Jacob’s labor, meaning that he had, in effect, simply sold his daughters for profit as if they were slaves and not his daughters. And so Rachel and Leah conclude by saying, “Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.” And of course, this only confirms Laban’s greed, which was first seen in 24:30-31 when he set his greedy eyes on the valuables Eliezer brought with him.

In 31:13, the Lord said to Jacob, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me.” But why did the Lord have to say that to Jacob? Well, in 31:4, while talking to Rachel and Leah, Jacob described the Lord as “the God of my father”. Thus, it is evident that Jacob has still not made a permanent commitment for the Lord to be his GOD. If you remember, in 28:15, the Lord told Jacob He would be with him, protect him, and bring him back to his own country. And in 28:20-21, Jacob said YHWH would be his GOD if he returns to his father’s house safely. Further, the Lord was making it known to Jacob that He is not a limited god confined to one location, but He is in all places. Interestingly, the One who said “I am the God of Bethel” is described as “the angel of God” in 31:11. But how could GOD be viewed as an angel of GOD? That had been discussed in Part 006/365 of our chronological journey in our discussion about Theophany.

In 31:18, it is written that Jacob set out “to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.” And so yet again, Rebekah is omitted from Scripture. [It now seems likely that Rebekah might already be dead at this point in the story.]

In 31:19, it is written that Rachel stole her father’s “household idols”, which is the Hebrew word תְּרָפִים [H8655] terāp̄îm (ter-aw-feem’), which comes from the root word רָפָא [H7495] rāp̄ā’ (raw-faw’), which describes the action of being healed or to be healthy. And because Laban identifies these idols as his “gods” in 31:30, these “household idols” were most likely small figurines positioned throughout the home that were supposed to provide good health for the people who lived in that home. Not only does stealing these idols reveal bad character for Rachel, but it also reinforces the fact that Laban is certainly unfaithful to the Lord and is an idolater as well as someone who practices divination (30:27). But why did Rachel steal her father’s idols? What was her motive and reasoning behind the theft? It’s possible she could have done it out from spite, hoping to hurt her father, but it’s also possible that she could have considered their monetary value and had plans to sell them later. However, it is also possible that she had been an idolater herself, unfaithful to the Lord, and had been attached to false gods with the hope of them bringing her good fortune and/or health benefits. As we will later see, her entire family was polytheistic (35:2; Joshua 24:2). Regardless, in Genesis 31:20-21, Jacob and his entire family flee in secret, without telling Laban they were leaving. But why wouldn’t they tell Laban? Because they all knew Laban’s character by that point. Wisdom tells us that a fool does not delight in understanding, but is only interested in speaking his/her own mind; there’s no reason to speak to a fool, for that person will despise words of wisdom, and so a wise person should leave the presence of a fool (Proverbs 14:7-8; 18:2; 23:9). Laban’s character was so poor, in fact, that he didn’t even notice they were all missing until three days later! It is written in Genesis 31:22 that Jacob had distanced himself a three-day journey before Laban discovered that he left. This is poetic payback from when Laban had distanced the blemished animals from Jacob by a three-day journey (30:36). However, by the time Laban caught up with Jacob, he traveled a total of seven days (31:23); therefore, a total of ten days passed between Jacob’s departure and Laban confronting Jacob. But prior to Laban confronting Jacob, GOD spoke to Laban in a dream the night before and told him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad” (31:24). Yet again, GOD’s timing is precise, speaking to Laban only hours before the confrontation. However, even though GOD warned Laban not to speak to Jacob, he still chose to confront Jacob and speak to him, directly disobeying the Lord’s command.

Examine Laban’s words in 31:26-30: “²⁶ Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? ²⁷ Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with timbrel and with lyre; ²⁸ and did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. ²⁹ It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, “Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.” ³⁰ Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?’ ”

Ten times Laban placed the focus on himself. [And if you remember, this is the same pride we witnessed from Cain and Lamech in 4:9-15,23-24. i.e., me, me me, I, I, I – priiiiiide.] This explains why Jacob said Laban had cheated him ten times (31:7). And it took ten days for Laban to confront Jacob, only to place the focus on himself ten times. And the fact that Laban claims to have other gods explains why he didn’t completely obey the Lord’s command not to speak with Jacob. In Biblical numerology, the number 10 is sometimes viewed as a complete and perfect numeral (as is 3, 7 and 12). The number 10 is made up of 4, which represents the physical creation, and 6, which symbolizes man. As such, the meaning of 10 is one of testimony, law, responsibility and the completeness of order. And because the number 10 is used to describe Laban placing the focus on himself, cheating Jacob, and pursuing Jacob, Scripture seems to inform us that Laban was completely out of order, rebelling against GOD’s will.

When Laban claimed that Jacob carried away his daughters as if taking them captive by force, he is ignorant to the fact that his daughters felt as if he were the slave owner and they were his captives because they had no inheritance, he treated them like foreigners, and he sold them as if they were slaves (31:14-16). When Laban expressed anger about being deceived or outwitted, this is also poetic payback and a great reversal in yet another wrestling match. Laban had outwitted Jacob in the beginning, but then in a reversal, Jacob ended up outwitting Laban, taking his daughters and great wealth from his flocks. Laban claimed that Jacob didn’t tell him that he wanted to leave and that if he had, he would have sent him away with a joyful celebration, yet Jacob had told Laban his desire to leave in 30:25-26,30-31, yet Laban ignored his request due to his greed. And for that reason, GOD saw Laban’s wickedness (31:12) and decided to take from Laban and give to Jacob (31:9). Laban claimed that Jacob acted foolishly, yet Jacob did exactly what GOD commanded him to do – to leave (31:3,13) – whereas Laban disobeyed GOD’s command not to speak to Jacob (31:24). Laban claimed that it was in his power to harm Jacob, yet Scripture states that GOD prevented Laban from causing any harm to Jacob (31:7,24). And finally, Laban’s prideful rant ends with a confession of idolatry in that he claims multiple gods. In fact, if we are to believe the testimonies of Rachel and Leah along with the inspired words in Scripture regarding Laban’s character, Laban’s concern about his idols might have been the true motive for pursuing Jacob. Jacob was the only reason Laban had been blessed, but then Jacob departed; in addition, Laban also discovered that his idols were missing. Therefore, I think it is reasonable to believe that Laban wasn’t concerned about his daughters or grandchildren; rather, I believe Laban had only been concerned about his own blessings.

Now, when Laban said in 31:26, “What have you done by deceiving me”, the word translated as “deceiving” is from the Hebrew word גָּנַב [H1589] gānaḇ (gaw-nab’), which means to steal and to carry away. Although not immediately obvious from the English translation, this Hebrew idiom connects the dots between Laban stealing seven more years of servitude from Jacob, Laban stealing the blemished animals from Jacob, Rachel stealing Laban’s idols, Jacob stealing Laban’s daughters and wealth, and how Jacob’s blessing was due to the Lord taking from Laban and giving to Jacob. This entire section is centered around everything being carried away, and it will conclude with the Lord carrying Jacob away from Laban to the birth of his country.

In 31:32, Jacob, not knowing that Rachel had stolen Laban’s idols (31:19), boldly states that he did not steal Laban’s idols and that if anyone has them, that person will die. Rachel hides them in her camel’s saddle, sits on it, and then states that she doesn’t want to get up due to experiencing pain from her regular menstrual discharge of blood (31:34-35). And because a woman’s monthly period was considered impure, Laban would have willingly avoided the object Rachel was sitting on. However, by Rachel sitting on the idols, her action shows that she does not revere these idols as real gods. Further, her refusal to confess and return the idols to Laban reveals the disdain she has toward her father, which she already expressed (31:14-16). Thus, I think it is reasonable to believe that Rachel’s true motive for stealing the idols was to hurt her father out of spite. And the fact that Scripture describes Rachel sitting on these idols emphasizes the total impotence of any such false gods. No real God would ever allow a human to dishonor or blaspheme it by permitting that human to sit on it – especially a woman during her menstrual discharge of blood. Therefore, Scripture describes the false gods as being even more impure than a woman’s menstrual discharge.

In 31:36-42, after Laban’s search ends in vain, Jacob then becomes angry and contends that he has remained a hard worker who was faithful for 20 years, bearing every loss unto himself, even though Laban cheated him the entire time, concluding by saying, “⁴² If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.” Thus, as is evident by 28:20-21 and 31:5, Jacob has still not declared YHWH to be his GOD, only the GOD of his father, yet he does recognize that YHWH currently has His hedge of protection around him. Therefore, with this statement, Jacob takes another step closer to claiming a personal relationship with the Lord. Further, this statement is probably a verbal attack against Laban, pointing out that Laban has lost his gods, his gods have left him, but YHWH is with Jacob and is for Jacob, and Laban even experienced that truth for himself in a dream when the Lord warned him.

Examine Laban’s response in 31:43-44: “⁴³ Then Laban replied to Jacob, ‘The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and 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? ⁴⁴ So now come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.”

Five times Laban places the focus on himself. Even though this is half of the pride he showed earlier (31:26-30), his true character is still revealed in that he refuses to admit any guilt or wrongdoing. However, Laban decides to make a covenant/treaty between them. Judging by the descriptions provided within the inspired Word, I think it is reasonable to believe that Laban had been motivated by self-interest, either thinking about his own safety from future retaliation (31:52), or to hopefully appease an angry god who might take away more of his wealth. Regardless, Jacob chooses the wise path of peace and completes the covenant with Laban. Later, Paul will exhort his readers to do the same in Romans 12:18: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

In Genesis 31:45-48, Jacob sets up a single stone as a pillar, similar to what he did at Bethel (28:18); however, Laban and his kinsmen pile multiple rocks into a heap. This description is a distinction between the monotheism of Jacob who serves only the one true GOD and the polytheism of the others who serve multiple false gods. Since ancient Near Eastern treaties normally involved gods as witnesses, the treaty between Jacob and Laban also required divine witnesses. Afterwards, they eat a covenant meal together. Laban names the place “the heap of witness” in Aramaic (Jegar-sahadutha) and Jacob names the place “the heap of witness” in Hebrew (Galeed). But in 31:49-50, Laban says, “⁴⁹ May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.” Therefore, the place was also known as Mizpah, which means “the watchtower”. Yet, Laban failed to recognize his own hypocrisy in that moment. Though he warned of the truth that GOD sees wickedness even if no man does, that never stopped him from acting wickedly and the Lord taking notice (31:12). And then in 31:51, Laban pridefully takes credit, claiming that he set the pillar in place even though Scripture specifically states that Jacob is the one who set the pillar in place (31:45).

The phrase “May the Lord watch over you” is a common expression used today, often used in a positive way by ministers to the congregants at the end of a service. This expression is even sometimes inscribed on wedding rings. However, this expression was not used in a positive way in the ancient Near East; this expression conveyed a message of distrust. A paraphrase of the expression might be something like this: “I don’t trust you out of my sight, but since I can no longer personally hold you accountable, may the Lord hold you accountable and bring swift judgment upon you for any wickedness you commit.”

In 31:53, Laban said, “ ‘The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.’ So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.” Now, those statements concern the God of someone else, but not themselves; the God of Abraham, not the God of Jacob; the God of Nahor, not the God of Laban. So, the actions of both Jacob and Laban reveal that they have not declared a personal relationship with YHWH, although Jacob is close to commitment whereas Laban is far away. And then 31:54-55 concludes with a sacrifice, a shared meal, and Laban returning back to his home.

One final note is that 31:55 is numbered as 32:1 in Hebrew text and so 32:1-32 in the Bible are numbered as 32:2-33 in Hebrew text. But why? And does this matter? Well, on one hand, minor discrepancies of chapters and verses do not matter because they do not change the inspired text. In fact, the Old Testament of the Bible has 39 sections whereas the Hebrew text (Tanakh) only has 24 sections, yet they are the same text, merely arranged differently. But on the other hand, however, it does matter if a person desires to cite the source of a specific portion of any given text. For this reason, the chapters and verses which are now standard in our modern Bible became unanimously agreed upon so as to eliminate confusion while citing sources. In short, the original ancient manuscripts did not use punctuation, paragraph divisions, spaces to separate words, chapter numbers, or verse numbers. Simply stated, the ancient manuscripts were written as one would write a letter, with all words connected together so as to convey one continuous message. For this reason, whenever someone within the Bible quotes someone else within the Bible, the quote is often a paraphrase from an ambiguous source. For example, in Hebrews 2:6, the author writes, “But one has testified somewhere, saying, ‘What is man, that You remember him? Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him’ ”. For another example, in John 6:45, John says, “It is written in the prophets”. Another example can be seen in Acts 7:42 when Luke documents Stephen’s last speech against the religious leaders prior to being stoned to death when Stephen said, “as it is written in the book of the prophets”. However, sometimes the author will remember from which scroll the words originated and so a specific prophet will be named. For example, Luke 3:4 says, “as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet”. The important thing to remember is that we cannot hold our modern standard of citing sources to ancient authors who expected their audiences to already know the sources being cited. But as more and more time passed, separating people from the sources being cited, the greater the need for citing those sources became evident.

So, how did the Bible receive chapters and verse numbers? And how did the chapters and verses within the Bible become standardized? The need for chapters and verses became a revelation that arrived in progressive stages. In order to facilitate the reading of manuscripts—especially in public—scribes began to create unnumbered divisions or sections as early as the fourth century. The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. However, the chapter/verse numbers in translations of the New Testament used today originate from the beginning of the thirteenth century, when a lecturer at the University of Paris, named Stephen Langton, introduced major divisions into the Latin Bible (Vulgate) in A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of A.D. 1382 was the first Bible to use this “chapter” pattern. Verse divisions arrived about three centuries later. In A.D. 1551, a Parisian printer named Robert Stephanus published a Greek and Latin edition of the New Testament in which each chapter was divided into separate verses. These are the verse divisions still in use today. They first appeared in an English translation in the A.D. 1560 Geneva Bible. In conclusion, the minor discrepancies of chapters/verses do not ultimately matter because the text is still the same. However, they do matter now because we use them to cite our sources (as is evident from this very study).

• Throughout all the years of Jacob’s suffering and servitude under Laban’s selfishness, the Lord was with Jacob and was causing all things to work together for his good. Are you currently suffering in a place you don’t want to be? Are you currently suffering in a position under someone you don’t want to serve? Do you believe that GOD is causing all things to work together for your good? Do you believe that the Lord will ultimately take from the wicked and bless you in His perfect timing?
• In Genesis 31:3, the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” Scripture states that the Lord will be with him at that new place. The Lord is on the move. Are you following the Lord? Many “Christians” claim to be followers of Christ, but are they going where He would go? And what about you? Do you claim to be a follower of Christ yet refuse to go where He calls you to go and do what He calls you to do? Are you truly following Christ or are you following your own desires?
• In 31:20-21, Jacob left without telling Laban he was leaving and then Laban got angry. But why did Jacob do that? Because in 31:13, the Lord told Jacob, “leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.” When the Lord tells you to leave, you need to go. So, what about you? If the Lord tells you to do something, are you willing to do it even if other people will get upset because you do it?
• When Laban finally caught up to Jacob and confronted him, Scripture states that Laban acknowledged YHWH (the one true GOD); however, he was upset about his stolen gods. But how could Laban show belief in GOD while at the same time claiming belief and loyalty to other gods? Well, many people acknowledge GOD without living rightly for GOD according to His Word and His will. Is that you? Do you claim GOD while living a life of idolatry? An idol is anything that replaces the One true GOD in priority and position. Idolatry extends beyond the worship of idols and images and false gods. Our modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not physically bow before a statue, idolatry is a matter of the heart — pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against GOD. Are you placing anything or anyone above GOD in priority and/or position? Are you merely acknowledging GOD but not living for GOD?
• In 31:39, Jacob reveals that every time Laban had a loss, Jacob absorbed that loss unto himself. Why? Sacrificial love absorbs the cost! Jacob worked for a total of 20 years under Laban! How long are you willing to work for your blessing? How long are you willing to work and endure? If you’re unwilling to wait, work, endure and suffer, then you’re not acting out from a selfless and sacrificial love. [At the time of writing this, I recently got offered the position as the pastor of Ozello Island Church of Crystal River, Florida. I waited 20 years for this moment! How fitting that I would be writing about Jacob’s 20-year wait! How statistically unlikely that I would complete my 20-year wait and then immediately produce a study about Jacob’s 20-year wait! I know it’s GOD because when I started this chronological study, I had not yet been offered that position. GOD’s timing is precise and is awesome!]
• Although Laban acted wickedly against Jacob, Jacob still chose the wise path of pursuing peace. Is there someone in your life who acts wickedly against you? How can you pursue peace with that person?
• Complete and total peace simply isn’t possible unless both parties agree to keep the peace. The conversation between Jacob and Laban ended with a boundary line being set between them to ensure peace. What boundary lines exist in life that we need to respect? How do we fail to do this? How can we be sure to do this? What boundary line do you need to set in place today? What boundary line exists that someone else has set in place that you need to respect? What boundaries lines have been broken by the enemy that we need to reestablish?
• The essential message of this particular study is the concept of getting carried away. Are you getting carried away by Satan while you continue to do evil or will you allow the Lord to carry you away in His perfect timing while you continue to act according to the Lord’s absolute moral standard?