Verses 25–30: Jacob spent fourteen years serving Laban for Leah and Rachel; now he wants to return home. He asks Laban to release him from service so he can take his family back to Canaan. Laban recognizes that Jacob’s presence and care over his flocks has brought him great wealth, so he asks Jacob to name his wages and stay. Jacob presses Laban, recounting the blood, sweat, and tears he’s invested in Laban’s flocks. Now he wants to build up his own family.
31–36: Laban asks, “What can I give you?” (my paraphrase), to con- vince Jacob to stay. Jacob negotiates an agreement to receive only the speckled, spotted, or dark-colored livestock in Laban’s flocks as his wages. Laban separates these and assigns his sons to care for them. He then sets a three-day distance between himself and Jacob, who continues shepherding his flocks.
37–43: The exact meaning of these verses has been difficult for schol- ars to understand. The general point, though, is that Jacob used God-given wisdom and/or direction to steward Laban’s flocks to his own benefit. God sovereignly blessed Jacob by gradually increasing his flocks and prospering his entire household.
Genesis 31
1–3: In time, Laban’s sons notice Jacob’s prosperity and begin to accuse him, amongst themselves, of cheating their father. Laban’s attitude toward Jacob also noticeably turns sour. God tells Jacob it’s time to pack up and head home.
4–13: Jacob calls Rachel and Leah out to the pasture and reveals his intention to leave Laban. He details God’s favor over his life the last twenty years, despite Laban’s regular attempts to cheat him out of a fair wage. Then, he shares a recent dream in which God acknowl- edged Laban’s mistreatment. He recognized Jacob’s loyalty to Himself and directed him to return home.
14–16: Rachel and Leah add their own injustices to Laban’s account, replaying how he sold them into marriage and then spent all their dowry. They feel as if they’re strangers to their father, not true family, and believe they are likewise the rightful recipients of God’s transfer of wealth from Laban to Jacob. They encourage Jacob to follow God’s call and agree to set out with him to his homeland.
17–21: So, with his family on camels and livestock/goods traveling ahead, Jacob and his entire household journey to Canaan. Rachel brings her family’s idols, which she stole while Laban was out shearing his sheep.
22–24: After three days, Laban is alerted to Jacob’s departure. He chases Jacob down for seven days before catching up, but God warns him in a dream not to speak to Jacob “from good to bad” (literal translation). This basically means that Laban is forbidden from harming Jacob, either physically or verbally, as well as from using threats or positive inducements to persuade Jacob to return.*
25–30: Laban confronts Jacob, asking why he left in secret with all of his family; Laban never had the opportunity to say goodbye. He then goes further, accusing Jacob of stealing his idols.
31–35: In reply, Jacob says that he feared Laban forcibly taking his wives. As for the idols, Jacob denies any wrongdoing, and invites Laban to search their camp. Anyone found with Laban’s idols would be put to death. After a thorough search, Laban fails to discover his property. The idols have been cleverly hidden under Rachel’s saddlebags, upon which she’s sitting.
36–42: Jacob angrily confronts Laban, asking why he’s accused and pursued him as he would an enemy. Jacob recounts his great care over Laban’s flocks, bearing the cost of any loss per Laban’s demand and never taking the animals for his own use. He served Laban for twenty years under harsh conditions, with regularly changing wages. Although Laban tried to cheat him out of his livelihood, God protected Jacob and his family, rebuking Laban in the end.
43–44: Laban unduly lays claim to all Jacob’s wealth and family, but yields to God’s obvious direction and protection over Jacob’s life. He proposes a covenant with Jacob, so they can depart from one another in peace.
45–54: Jacob sets up a stone pillar as a memorial of their covenant. They agree not to pass beyond the pillar to harm one another, and Laban also stipulates, with God as his witness, that Jacob is not to mistreat his wives or take any additional wives. Typical of covenants at the time, Jacob sacrifices an animal, symbolically showing what would be done to either party if they failed to keep the agreement. The two households then sit down to feast together and seal their pact.
55: The next morning, Laban kisses his daughters and grandchildren goodbye and blesses them. Following this, he leaves for home.
Comments