Genesis 31:1-55

The relationship between Jacob and Laban was marked by deception and deceit.  In the end Jacob married both of Laban’s daughters and earned the large majority of his flocks.  It is inevitable that when people consider their own interests above that of the people around them, they will face conflict.
LABAN’S FAMILY IS JEALOUS: After several years of Jacob tending to the flocks it became obvious that flocks of Jacob were growing while Laban’s were getting smaller and growing weaker.  Laban and his sons could not help but feel that all of Jacob’s wealth was coming from them.  Jacob believed that God was blessing him while Laban’s family believed that Jacob was simply taking advantage of them.  For twenty years Jacob had worked with the flocks while it appears that Laban and his sons simply sat back and let him work.  Wealth without work will soon disappear.   Jacob was willing to work hard and because of that he increased in wealth.  Laban’s family seems content to just sit back and watch their wealth melt away until it became obvious that they would soon be destitute.  Laziness is addicting and snowballs with amazing velocity to create disasters.  No matter how much we may possess, a proper work ethic is essential to preserve that wealth.
JACOB’S FAMILY TAKES A JOURNEY: Jacob recognizes the broken relationship between Laban’s family and his own so he decides, with God’s direction, to return to the home of his fathers.  He informs his wife of his plans and they agree that it is time to leave since their own family has consumed all that they owned and Jacob had amassed great wealth.  In order to avoid the impending confrontation and conflict it is necessary to separate from one another.  Jacob’s wealth was not in land but in flocks that could be taken with him.  It was the wise choice to separate from one another to avoid invasion and further conflict.  Jacob’s leaving would accomplish two things.  First Jacob would return to the land of promise.  Second, Laban’s family would now be forced to take care of their own herds and begin to rebuild their wealth.  There are times when it is necessary to separate from one another.  However, there is a right way and a wrong way to do that.
LABAN AND JACOB BOTH THINK THEY ARE JUST: Jacob is leaving with his family which he has the right to do, the problem is that he did not say goodbye.  Laban feels that Jacob has taken off with all of his wealth and family and has stolen his idols on top of it all.  It is obvious the idolatry has taken its toll on Laban and his daughters.  Aparently Jacob has not had as big an effect as he should have had on his family.  Laban chases Jacob down and the confrontation does not go well, but they do have clear communication with one another and end up making an agreement.  Bitterness and disagreement can almost always be worked out through communication.  It would have been much better for Jacob and Laban to have sat down before the flight to come to this agreement, but it is important to recognize that they did work things out with God’s help to still Laban’s furry.  God is always faithful to protect His own even when we may fail.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more