GENESIS 31: Leaving Haran

In the previous chapter we saw that Jacob and Laban had reached a livestock business agreement that would benefit both of them. However, Laban was not pleased to see that his son in law was prospering. This same attitude was transferred to his children.

(Genesis 31:1-2)  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."  (2)  And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before.

Laban was the type of person that can’t consider the thought of being beaten or the thought of someone else prospering as much as or more than he is. There was no way for Jacob to prosper and be at peace with Laban. This way of thinking was inherited to his sons, who saw Jacob’s prosperity with disdain.

When our heart is not right, things are distorted in our sight. Laban’s sons were accusing Jacob of gaining his wealth by taking Laban’s possessions, when the truth was that Laban himself had prospered thanks to Jacob’s labor.

Jacob knew that he would be unable to prosper if he remained under these conditions. Therefore, he decided to go back to his place of birth. However, this was a risky decision, since he did not know if his brother Esau had forgiven him after all those years.

THE RETURN TO THE LAND

In order to give him a nudge in the right direction God spoke to Jacob.

(Genesis 31:3)  Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you." 

It was not a hard decision for Jacob to return to his family and to his land. The question was if his two wives, Laban’s daughters, would be willing to leave behind their land and their kindred. That is why Jacob called them and talked to them.

(Genesis 31:4-13)  So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was  (5)  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.  (6)  You know that I have served your father with all my strength,  (7)  yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me.  (8)  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.  (9)  Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.  (10)  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.  (11)  Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am!'  (12)  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.  (13)  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.'"

God had been with Jacob all this time. He had gone with him, protected him and prospered him. Now the Lord was reminding Jacob of the vow he made. God kept his promise… now it was time for Jacob to keep his vow.

(Genesis 28:20-22)  Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,  (21)  so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God,  (22)  and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."

If Jacob was to return to the Promise Land, his women and children had to come with him also. How did Rachel and Leah respond to Jacob’s request of going to Canaan?

(Genesis 31:14-16)  Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house?  (15)  Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money.  (16)  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." 

With his family’s support, Jacob began to get everything ready for his departure from Haran. However, he did not feel at liberty to talk about his plans with his father-in-law, since he knew he would be opposed. Instead, they left without saying a word.

(Genesis 31:17-18)  So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels.  (18)  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. 

Regretfully, Jacob had not completely turned away from deceit in his life, and left without saying goodbye. Then Rachel added to the deception by what she did.

(Genesis 31:19-20)  Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods.  (20)  And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. 

What may have seemed as a normal tent move in search of better pastures for the flock, turned out to be an escape beyond the borders of the lands they were known to frequent.

(Genesis 31:21)  He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. 

PERSECUTION

When Laban realized that Jacob had fled beyond his territory with all his family, he went after him…

(Genesis 31:22-23)  When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled,  (23)  he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 

Laban did not just stand there idly. He pursued them until he caught up with them beyond his border. He definitely did not set off with good intentions, but God appeared to Laban in a dream and prevented him from harming them.

(Genesis 31:24)  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."

What did Laban do when he finally caught up to them?

(Genesis 31:25-30)  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.  (26)  And Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword?  (27)  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?  (28)  And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? 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 say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.'  (30)  And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?" 

Again we see Jacob looking for excuses for his deceitfulness.

(Genesis 31:31)  Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 

The truth is that he did not repent, we will later see the consequences of his deceit. He will be deceived by Rachel, by one of the concubines and also by his sons.

Jacob excused himself for running away with his family, but stood up for himself from the accusation of stealing the idols, since he did not know that Rachel had taken them.

(Genesis 31:32)  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. 

Believing himself to be innocent, he made a declaration that ended up being a curse – we will later see Rachel die from a complication during childbirth (Genesis 35:16-20). We have to so careful with the words we say. With our tongue we may speak life or death.

(Proverbs 18:21)  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Being a deceitful man, Laban did not believe what Jacob told him. Therefore, he set out to search throughout everything that belonged to Jacob and his family, to claim that which belonged to him.

(Genesis 31:33-35)  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.  (34)  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.  (35)  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.

Here we see Rachel commit a triple blunder: not only deception, but also theft and idolatry. In the Middle East it was customary to have “household gods”, which were the idols each family had. They revered these idols because they were believed to protect them and bring them prosperity. Rachel had her faith in those idols and not in the God of Israel, whom she probably did not know yet.

In our next study we will finish studying chapter 31, and we will see Jacob and Laban reach an agreement…