seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.
3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.
10 “In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’”
14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”
17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.
19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
Here's the link to the commentary I perused this morning.Please let me ask you to continue praying for my son. He is in the hospital, his foot [not his leg] is broken in three places. There is indeed something going on with his heart. They need to figure out what is going on in his heart before he can have surgery on his foot. Please continue to pray. Thank you so much.
So back to the story. Laban had sons! Yesterday I learned that Laban's wife's name was Adinah... even though she isn't mentioned in the Bible. Now I learn that Laban also had sons... even though they are not named in the text. Was Laban on his last fiscal leg when Jacob came into the picture? It seems Jacob's husbandry talent was the only source of income for Laban and his family.
Here I thought Jacob was the only man in the Pasteur. Labans sons could count and they saw Jacob's herd of speckled, striped, and dark sheep increasing in number while Laban's sheep, the perfect pretty white ones, started to decrease in number. Laban's sons figured out that Laban was losing money with Jacob tending the flocks.
Back in the days of Abraham and Lot, the flocks grew too large for the Pasteur and that's when Lot left his cousin Abraham and moved to Sodom to avoid a range war.
Here in these verses... Laban's sons were starting to sharpen their swords and daggers for a range war against Jacob.
When Jacob heard Laban's sons arguing about Jacob... he decided to leave... and he wouldn't have time to announce his plans to Laban. After all, Laban might convince him to stay. Jacob was Isaac's son. Jacob was a rich boy. Maybe Laban was waiting for Jacob to invite Laban to Isaac's home, where Jacob would inherit a fortune for Laban to claim.
Rachel and Leah met him in the field and Jacob told them of his plan. They both agreed... but Rachel.... that silly woman... Rachel stole idols from her dad's house.... and that will haunt them tomorrow!!!!
Oh Rachel... She was like Lot's wife who looked back! Now she's gonna give her dad something to hang on Jacob. Maybe Rachel only said she was ok with leaving. Maybe she was going to miss her things too much to leave them. Can't you just see her loading all her inconsequential stuff on the back of a camel? Maybe she even brought her old toys from her youth. Maybe she loaded the camel so much, it slowed them all down.
If this was a Western... she would have insisted on loading the wagon with the family piano and heavy furniture making crossing the river impossible. Maybe that's what she was doing... only with the stuff her family worshipped. Hey... People worship household stuff even today! When I moved from Maryland to Arizona... I even loaded my kitchen aid mixer in the truck. Was that like what Rachel did?
At any rate, as we leave this story... Rachel has stolen goods... and Jacob is trying to outrun the range war.
They didn't say "Good bye"!
