Nov 19
10
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 30:25–32:2
“As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, ‘Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.’ But Laban said to him, ‘If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you. Name your wages, and I will give it.’ Jacob said to him, ‘You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?’ He said, ‘What shall I give you?’ Jacob said, ‘You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.’ Laban said, ‘Good! Let it be as you have said.’ But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock. Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock. Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.’ And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the LORD said to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.’ So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was and said to them, ‘I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. You know that I have served your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’ Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, ‘Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.’ So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods. And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, ‘What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 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 say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.’ Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. And she said to her father, ‘Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.’ So he searched but did not find the household gods. Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.’ Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, ‘The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne? Come now, 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. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, ‘Gather stones.’ And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said, ‘This heap is a witness between you and me today.’ Therefore he named it Galeed, and Mizpah, for he said, ‘The LORD watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight. If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.’ Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm. 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, and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country. Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home. Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. ‘And when Jacob saw them he said, ‘This is God’s camp!’ So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.” (Genesis 30:25–32:2, ESV)
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[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without proofreading.]
Introduction
You are probably thinking to yourself, this is a very large portion of scripture to handle in just one sermon! We’re going to be here all day! Well, no. The sermon will be as long as it usually is.
To help us digest this large text of scripture I will divide it into six parts. One, the negotiations between Jacob and Laban as found in 30:25-36. Two, the account of Jacob breeding his own flock in 30:37-31:1. Three, Jacob’s preparations to return home in 31.2-16. Four, Jacobs departure and Laban’s pursuit of him in 31:17-24. Five, the confrontation between Laban and Jacob in 31:25-54. And then six, the conclusion of the matter, when Laban returns home but Jacob continues on and sees the Lord in 31:55-32:2. Obviously we will not be able to spend a great deal of time on each of these parts, but we will know their meaning and draw application from each.
Not only is it helpful to divide this narrative up into its distinct parts, it is also important to recognize its focus. And what is the focus, or main point, of this story? Once again it is that God was faithful to fulfill the promises that he made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
God promised that they would be blessed, and that they would be a blessing. He promised that they would have many offspring, that they would become a nation, and that they would have the land of Canaan as their possession. And in this narrative we see that Jacob was blessed, and that Laban was also blessed through his relation to Jacob. We see that Jacob was given offspring — many offspring. But notice that at the beginning of this passage Jacob is still living like a slave in a foreign land. For 14 years he had served his uncle Laban who proved to be a cruel, cunning and covetous taskmaster. Jacob served him to have his daughters and in marriage. But we are to remember the promise that the Lord made Jacob concerning the land — Jacob certainly remembered it! Many years prior to this episode Jacob had dreamed a dream and saw a ladder to heaven with the angels of God ascending and descending upon it, the heavens opened and the LORD standing above it.And what did the LORD say to Jacob? Genesis 28:13: “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:13–14, ESV). For 14 years Jacob lived in exile. He was like a slave to Laban. But the LORD would keep his promise. He would be faithful to rescue Jacob from the bondage and to bring him back into the land of promise. This is the focus of this narrative. It is again a testimony to the faithfulness of God to keep the promises that he made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He would bless them. He would give them many offspring. And the land of Canaan would be theirs.
I do wonder, though, are you growing tired of hearing about “the promises of God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”? From Genesis 12:1 that has been the central theme. Those promises made to Abraham were passed along to Isaac. And the promises given to Isaac were passed along to Jacob. Those promises are the glue that holds the individual stories of the book of Genesis together. Those promises are always there in the background. In other words, each individual story that we have considered — though many observations and applications can be made about them — is really about the fulfillment of these promises. I suppose that it is possible for one to grow weary of hearing about these promises Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day, but I would urge you to not grow weary. Instead, understand that these promises are so important that the book of Genesis — indeed the entire pentateuch — is about the initial fulfillment of them. More than that we are to understand that the New Testament scriptures are very much focused upon them, for the New Testament is concerned to demonstrate that these promises find the ultimate fulfillment in the person and finished work of Jesus the Christ.
So then, this long passage that we are considering today may be divided into six parts, but it’s focus is to once again tell the story of God’s faithfulness to keep his promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
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I. Jacob Negotiates With Laban ( 30:25-36)
Our story begins with these words, “As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, ‘Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country’” (Genesis 30:25, ESV). And with these words Jacob’s negotiations with Laban begin.
14 years had passed since Jacob began to serve Laban for his two daughters. At first, he served Laban for 7 years. He thought he would be given his beloved Rachael as wife at the end of those seven years, but Laban acted deceptively and gave him Leah instead. A week later Jacob was given Rachel also, but the agreement was that he would serve Laban for another 7 years. Jacob was faithful to his word. He completed those seven years of service also. And, having remembered the promise of God concerning his eventual return to the land of Canaan, he went to Laban to ask permission to leave, saying, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country.”
But Laban was a shrewd man. Remember how he tried to keep Abraham’s servant from leavening with his sister, Rebekah, as a wife for Issac. We presumed then that he wish to delay the servant so that he might extract more of Abraham’s wealth from him. Laban was shrewd with Jacob when he first met him. He capitalized upon Jacob’s love for his daughter and his naïveté and essentially enslaved Jacob for 14 years. And here we see that his character has not changed. He is still hesitant to let Jacob go. And why was he hesitant? Not out love for Jacob, nor for his daughters and his grandchildren, but because he knew that he was being blessed on account of Jacobs presence. Verse 27: “But Laban said to him, ‘If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you. Name your wages, and I will give it’” (Genesis 30:27–28, ESV).
Not only was Laban a greedy man, in love with the things of this world, here we see clearly that he was also a pagan man — one who worshiped and consulted false gods. Laban claimed to learn “by divination” that the LORD had blessed Jacob because of him. He probably didn’t need divination to see that. It was obvious. Anyone with eyes to see could understand that Laban’s wealth increased greatly while Jacob was with him. Jacob was blessed of the Lord, and he also was a blessing to those with whom he was allied. This was in fulfillment to the promised made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Laban’s words, “name your wages, and I will give it”, seem generous on the surface. But Jacob knew that they were empty words. He knew that Laban was only beginning the process of a vigorous, and probably oppressive and controlling, negotiation.
Jacob was wise. He knew full well how greedy and stingy his uncle was. And so Jacob did not ask for a wage. Instead he made an offer that Laban couldn’t refuse. It was also a plan that required Jacob to trust in the Lord’s provision. If the plan was going to prosper him it would require that the Lord bless him.
Essentially the offer was this — Jacob would continue to serve as the shepherd of Laban’s flocks and his payment would be the rare and oddly colored sheep and goats — these off colored sheep and goats would be Jacobs to keep. Jacob even sweetened the deal (and trusted in the Lord) by agreeing to allow Laban to remove all of the oddly colored sheep and goats from the herd from the start. Most of Laban’s sheep where white. A few were black. The black ones would belong to Jacob, but Laban was to take those black sheep away from the flock, thus greatly minimizing the possibility of more black sheep being born within the heard. Similarly, most of Laban’s goats were black. A few were spotted, stripped and mottled. Again, the oddly colored goats would belong Jacob, but Laban would remove them from the flock and take care of them, thus minimizing the possibility of more spotted, stripped and mottled sheep being born in the heard. It was a sweet deal for Laban. He was an experience herdsmen. He knew that Jacob’s cut would be very small, and that his wealth would continue to grow.
But notice the shrewdness and distrust in the heart of Laban. Instead of allowing Jacob to remove the oddly colored sheep and goats as it was proposed, inverse 35 we read, “But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock” (Genesis 30:35–36, ESV).
What drove Jacob to make this arrangement?
One, he knew that he could not escape Laban’s grasp on that day, for he was too poor. He had basically served as a slave to Laban for 14 years, and for no profit to himself. Really, he had no power in the negotiation. If he were to flee, where would he go? How would he survive the journey? Jacob was in a bad spot. It was under Laban’s thumb. He was like a captive.
Two, he knew that the time had come for him to provide for his own family. “Jacob said to [Laban], ‘You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?” (Genesis 30:29–30, ESV).
And three, Jacob remembered the promise of the LORD, that he would one day return to Canaan — that land would belong to him and to his descendents after him.
I believe that Jacob is to be commended here. He is to be commended for his wisdom and his faith. Jacob was wise. He knew that he needed to provide for his family, and he understood the character of the man that he was dealing with. He had to find a way to procure wealth so that he might return home, but he understood that Laban would do everything in his power to control him and to keep in bondage. The proposal that he made to Laban would require that the Lord bless him, but it also would free him from Laban’s grasp should the Lord choose to do so.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, I think we can learn something from Jacob here. We learn that we are to be wise in the world, and not naive.
The Christian should know that the world is filled with people like Laban who, if given the opportunity, would happily to take advantage of them. Now, not everyone is like this. We must guard against being overly pessimistic on this point. But the are in fact many “Labans” in the world. There are many who prey upon orphans and widows.They are ready and willing to take advantage of the vulnerable and needy. And I am concerned for you, Christian, that as you labor to love even your enemies according to the command of Christ, you bring along discernment too. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love even your enemies. But do so with wisdom and discernment, knowing that the human heart is exceeding corrupt. There are very wicked people in this world who will devour you during the day and sleep very well at night. Jacob learned this the hard way. He was naive at first. He assumed that his uncle would look out for his best interests, but he proved to be a shrewd and oppressive man. After 14 years Jacob saw this clearly, and so he acted according to wisdom. To not be naive, brothers and sisters. And if you know that you are prone to gullibility, then surround yourself with those we are discerning and rely upon their wisdom for protection.
Not only should the Christian know that the world is filled with people like Laban, we should also remember that our spiritual advisory is this way too. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” This is why we must be “be sober-minded” and “watchful” (1 Peter 5:8, ESV). We must stay alert, for the Evil One is crafty and cunning. He would love to have you in his snare. For this reason the Christian must cultivate spiritual discernment. We must take care to obey God’s word always, to partake regularly of the ordinary means of grace, and rely upon one another in Christian fellowship, lest when we think we stand, we fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).]
I have said that Jacob is to be commended for his wisdom and also his faith. I say that he is to be commended for his faith because his proposal to Laban would only profit him should the LORD choose to bless him. Jacob believed that the LORD would, and this was based upon the promise of God, who years earlier had said to him, “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 promised you” (Genesis 28:15, ESV).
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II. Jacob Breeds His Own Flock (30:37 – 31:1)
Secondly, it is in Genesis 30:37 – 31:1 that we find the account of Jacob breeding his own flocks. This is a strange little section, and I will admit, and it’s hard to know what to make of it.
As Jacob shepherded Laban’s flock — a flock that was at first made up of all white sheep and all black goats — he would take poplar and almond sticks and peal stripes of bark off so that they were striped sticks. When the sheep and goats would come to drink water they would mate. And so Jacob would at that time place the striped sticks in the water, but only in front of the strong sheep and goats, “so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.”
In those days shepherds believed that what their sheep and goats looked at while they mated would have an effect upon the appearance of their offspring. For example, if the goats looked upon something stripped while mating, they were more likely to bear young that were stripped. It is understandable why ancient people would think this. If a black goat looked upon a striped goat while mating, it was likely that a stripped goat would be born. They knew this from observation. Modern genetics explains why this is, but the ancients based their theory off of what they saw happening in their flocks. As white sheep looked up black sheep while mating they observed that something other than white sheep were born.
Jacob knew this. But the question was, how would he come to have oddly colored sheep when the flock consisted of only white sheep and black goats? Jacob’s solution was to put something stripped in front of their eyes when they mated, but he would do this only with the strong ones, so that his oddly colored flock would be large and strong, and Laban’s small and weak. And it worked! It worked to the extent that “Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, ‘Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth’” (Genesis 31:1, ESV).
Modern science tells us that is genetics, and not what sheep and goats look at when mating, that determines the color of the offspring. How then are were to interpret this story about what Jacob did to get his multi-colored flocks? Two things should be observed:
One, Jacob did what he thought needed to be done to produce the oddly colored sheep and goats which would be his according to the agreement. In other words, he acted. He did his very best. He did everything in his power and acted according to his understanding of things. Considered from this vantage point, Jacob should be commended for his creativity and work ethic.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, trusting in the Lord and in his promises does not mean that we are to sit idly by, for God accomplishes his purposes through means. As parents we should pray for the salvation of our children and trust the Lord to call them to graciously to himself, but we should also act. Parents must discipline their children. They must teach them the word of God and communicate the gospel to them. They must also live according to the scriptures and put the love and grace of God on display to them. Trusting in God does not mean that we are to sit idly by. We might look with suspicion upon Jacob’s methods, but one thing is sure — he worked. And so I ask, where might the Lord be calling you to work, that is to say, to take responsible action?]
Two, though Jacob acted in this way, he ultimately trusted in the LORD to bring forth the oddly colored sheep and goats that were to be his. This becomes clear in the next and third section where we see Jacob preparing to return home.
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III. Jacob Prepares To Return Home (31.2-16)
Two things let Jacob know that it was time to leave.
In verse 2 we read, “And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before” (Genesis 31:2, ESV). Laban enjoyed having Jacob around provided that his wealth grew while Jacob remained poor. Now that Jacob’s wealth was increasing, and his decreasing, the relationship grew strained, and Jacob knew it was time to leave.
This inclination was confirmed by the word of the Lord. In verse 3 we read, “Then the LORD said to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you’” (Genesis 31:3, ESV). The matter was settled.
Jacob then called his wives, Rachel and Leah, to himself. He spoke with them in the open field to be sure that no one overheard them. Pay careful attention to what he said (verse 5): “‘I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. You know that I have served your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred’” (Genesis 31:5–13, ESV).
Jacob knew that it was ultimately the LORD who gave him the increase. It was the LORD who had appeared to him at Bethel and promised to be with him and to bring him back home who had preserved him and blessed him, just as he had said.
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IV. Jacob Departs And Laban Pursues (31:17-24)
Fourthly, in verses 17 – 24 we learn of Jacob’s departure and Laban’s pursuit. I will not read this section again for the sake of time, and I will only make one observation.
It is hard to miss the parallels between this story of Jacob’s departure and Laban’s pursuit, and the story of the exodus of Israel from Egypt.
God preserved Jacob while in “captivity” under Laban. He sent him out after he had “plundered” Laban. And Laban pursued him. Years later the descendents of Jacob would find themselves in captivity to Pharaoh in Egypt. The LORD preserved them there in that place. He would send them out from Egypt with plunder. Pharaoh would pursue them. But God would preserve them.
[APPLICATION: It is important to recognize these parallels, for these historical events — Jacob’s deliverance from Laban, and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt — revealed truth. More than random and ordinary historical events, these historical events revealed something. They revealed that God would be faithful to preserve his people, that he would bless them, and provide redemption for them. He would free them from the tyranny of the Evil One. Jacob’s deliverence from Laban, and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt were physical in nature, but they symbolized and prefigured our spiritual deliverance in Christ. As Paul says, “[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV). Jacob was in bondage to Laban, and Israel to Pharaoh, but you, if you have not been set free by Christ, are in bondage to Satan, sin and death. You are held captive by the Evil One and are oppressed subjects of his kingdom. You must be set free in the Christ whom God has sent — “in [him] we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” So I ask, are you in Christ, friends? Have you been set free by him through faith in him? Repent and believe upon the Lord for the forgiveness of sins, the scriptures say.]
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V. Laban Confronts Jacob (31:25-54)
Fifthly, in verses 25 – 54 we learn that Laban finally caught up with Jacob and confronted him for leaving secretly with his daughters and grandchildren. I’ll leave it to you to consider the details of this conversation. I would like to make just one observation.
Laban confronted Jacob in much the same way that the Evil One confronts those who have escaped his oppressive reign and who are journeying on towards the land of promise, that is to say, the new heavens and new earth.
When Laban caught up with Jacob he rebuked him so as to shame him. He claimed that Jacob had tricked him, had led his daughters away like captives, and not given him the opportunity to say goodbye. Jacob had good reason to sneak away. He knew well Laban’s character. But Laban sought to make Jacob feel ashamed that he had broken away from him in this manner. The Evil one will do this to those who have broken with his kingdom to walk with God in his. How could you leave your old friends and allegiances behind?, he will say. He will seek to convince the new Christian that break away from his kingdom was far too abrupt and extreme.
When Laban overtook Jacob he also accused him. Someone had stole his household idols, and so he spoke to Jacob saying, “but why did you steal my gods?” Now, it was true that someone did steal his god’s. It was Rebekah. Why she did this, we do not know. But she hid them from Laban. Notice that Evil One also pursues those who leave him to sojourn with Christ to accuse them. He reminds them of their sin — former sins and present sins — to urge them to turn back. You are not worthy, is his central message. Truth be told, he is right. When the Accuser accuses the believer must appeal to Christ, to the forgiveness of sins through his shed blood, and the imputation of his righteousness to them, received by faith.
When Laban spoke with Jacob he sought to persuade him to return. He sought to convinceJacob that really he was a good master and a loving father. Jacob knew that these were just words. Laban was a cruel and exacting master, and an unloving father. The Evil one will pursue those who have been freed from his grasp to follow after Christ and he will try to convince them of the same. I wasn’t such a bad master, he will say. I was good to you and wanted what is best for you. You, like Jacob, should have none of that empty and deceptive talk.
Take special notice of the covenant that Jacob and Laban made with one another in verses 44 through 53. Jacob set up a stone and they together heaped up stone. In other words, Jacob and Laban built a monument. This monument functioned as a boarder between them, and as a reminder of their vow to do each other no harm. Look against verse 52: “This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us” (Genesis 31:52–53, ESV). What a sad ending to the story of Jacob and Laban. Though kinsmen according to the flesh, they could not dwell together and so distrusted one another that a covenant had to be made and this monument erected.
[APPLICATION: And so it should be in regard to the believers relationship with the Evil One and his kingdom — there can be no peace. There should only be distrust and a commitment on behalf of the believer to never return. “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4, ESV)]
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VI. Laban Returns Home But Jacob Sees The Lord (31:55-32:2)
Sixthly, and lastly, in 31:55 – 32:2 this story is brought to a conclusion as Laban and Jacob go their separate ways. Laban simply returns home to his land back to his old way of life. But notice what is said about Jacob. Verse 1: “Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, ‘This is God’s camp!’ So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.” (Genesis 32:1–2, ESV)
This is significant. The LORD reveled himself to Jacob in that place in fulfillment to the promises that were made to him as he prepared to leave the land of promise all those years ago. Genesis 28:15: “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 promised you.” (Genesis 28:15, ESV)
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Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, the LORD proved himself faithful to Jacob. He kept his promises that he had made to him. Indeed, the LORD has proven himself faithful in every generation, for this is who he is — “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3, ESV). “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9, ESV). Let us put all of our hope in him, knowing that he will keep his word and finish the work that he has started in us.
