Jacob Leaves Haran

JACOB LEAVES HARAN

An Exposition of Genesis 31:1-32:1

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: October 8, 2023

Series: The Book of Genesis

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Holy Scripture says:

¹ 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. ³ Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

⁴ 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.’” ¹⁴ 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.”

¹⁷ 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.¹⁹ 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. ²¹ He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

²² 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. 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.”

²⁵ 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?” ³¹ Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 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.

³³ 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.

³⁶ 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? ³⁷ 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. ³⁸ 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. ³⁹ 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. ⁴⁰ There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. ⁴¹ 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. ⁴² 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.”

⁴³ 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? ⁴⁴ Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.” ⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. ⁴⁶ And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. ⁴⁷ Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. ⁴⁸ Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he named it Galeed, ⁴⁹ and Mizpah, for he said, “The LORD watch between you and me, when we are out of one another's sight. ⁵⁰ 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.”

⁵¹ Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 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. ⁵³ 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, ⁵⁴ 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.

⁵⁵ Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home.

32 ¹ Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.” (Genesis 31:1-32:1)

WALKING THROUGH THE PASSAGE

Let’s walk through the big picture of these 56 verses, and then afterward I’d like to call attention to one big takeaway lesson from this passage.

Number 1: It’s time to return home (Genesis 31:1-3)

We pick things up at the beginning of Chapter 31, which is where we concluded the sermon two weeks ago. Jacob’s relationship with Laban, his father-in-law, and Jacob’s relationship with his brothers-in-law, had gotten severely strained. Jacob spent a total of twenty years with Laban, and during the last six years the Lord had blessed Jacob tremendously – Jacob’s wealth grew, Laban’s wealth dwindled, and Laban and his sons weren’t too happy about it. Of course, Laban’s dwindling wealth was well-deserved: Laban’s wealth had previously grown because the Lord had blessed Laban through Jacob, but instead of being grateful and generous toward Jacob, Laban only wanted to protect his own assets. In God’s economy, what you hoard for yourself ultimately rots. In the midst of Jacob’s broken relationships with his in-laws, the Lord tells Jacob that it is time for him to return to the land of Canaan.

Number 2: Jacob prepares his wives to move (Genesis 31:4-16)

Jacob summons his wives and speaks to them regarding the plan to move, and Jacob explains why the move is necessary. Keep in mind that this is real life, not a thought experiment. Rachel and Leah have lived their entire life in Haran, with their father and their brothers. And with Jacob as their husband for the past thirteen years, they have been building up a family of eleven sons and one daughter. These dozen children were growing up on their grandfather Laban’s homestead. Jacob himself had worked for Laban for twenty years, and this is where he had gotten married and grown a family. Now they had to walk away from it all. On an emotional level it would have been especially challenging for Rachel and Leah to leave home and move hundreds of miles to the south, probably never to return to Haran, and perhaps never to see their father or brothers again.

In Jacob’s explanation to his wives in verses 5-13, Jacob tells them: 1) that their father Laban no longer looks with favor upon him, but that the God of his father Isaac has been with him (v. 5); 2) that he had served Laban with integrity, yet Laban had dealt dishonestly with him over and over again, but that God did not permit Laban to harm him (v. 6-7); 3) that God had outmaneuvered and outwitted Laban’s attempt to rob him of fair wages, and that God had taken livestock away from Laban and given them to him (v. 8-9); 4) that God had revealed to him in a dream that God was the key to the successful growth of Jacob’s flock (v. 10-12). Jacob “increased greatly” (Genesis 30:43) because God saw to it that he did.

Jacob continues speaking to his wives in verses 13-14, telling them what the Lord had told him. In verse 13, the Lord hearkens back to His revelation to Jacob at Bethel: “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me.” (v. 13) This would have reminded Jacob of the promise that God had made to Jacob at Bethel: “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) Twenty years on, God had kept His Word and God would continue to keep His Word. At the same time, the Lord’s statement to Jacob in Genesis 31:13 would also have reminded Jacob of Jacob’s vow to the Lord, that in view of the Lord’s promise to and providential care for Jacob, Jacob would devote himself to the Lord. At that time Jacob had vowed: “And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” (Genesis 28:22) Part of God’s promise to Jacob in Genesis 28 is that God would bring Jacob back to Canaan, and Genesis 31-32 marks the time of fulfillment. Thus we are also to sense that the time for Jacob to fulfill His vow is fast approaching.

Jacob concludes by telling Rachel and Leah that the Lord was directing him to return to Canaan: “Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.” (v. 14)

For their part, Rachel and Leah made it clear that their lot was no longer with their father (v. 14). In one sense, of course, daughters truly are detached from their father’s house when they are attached to a husband in marriage. Henceforth their portion and inheritance is bound up with their husband, not their father, although a father might still leave some inheritance to his married daughters. Even so, it is clear that Rachel and Leah aren’t just stating a matter-of-fact implication of marriage. They actually seem disenchanted with their father when they say, “Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money.” (v. 15) Ouch! Our father has cast us off! Our father has devoured our wealth! Rachel and Leah paint a very unflattering picture of their father. Then, reflecting the same point that Jacob had made, they recognize God’s sovereign hand in providing for their family: “All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children.” (v. 16) Then (at the end of v. 16) they express their willingness to accompany Jacob in whatever God has called him to do. This is the main focus of verses 1-16: God has called Jacob to return to Canaan and – by way of response – Jacob, Rachel, and Leah are ready to follow that call. The Lord is directing their steps.

Number 3: Jacob and his family leave town (Genesis 31:17-21)

Now that Rachel and Leah are informed and on board, Jacob gathers his family, his property, and his livestock – and they begin their journey to Canaan (v. 17-18). Jacob’s caravan must have included the “female servants and male servants” that were mentioned in Genesis 30:43. At the time of departure, Laban was preoccupied with his sheep-shearing work, which gave Rachel the opportunity to steal her father’s idols (v. 19). This will prove to be an important part of the unfolding storyline. For Jacob’s part, he had no interest in giving Laban a heads-up on his travel plans (v. 20), so he simply “fled with all that he had” (v. 21). Jacob and those with him would have “crossed the Euphrates” soon after departure, and then Jacob “set his face toward the hill country of Gilead” which was a few hundred miles to the south (also v. 21).

Number 4: Laban chases Jacob (Genesis 31:22-24)

A couple of days had passed by, and on the third day Laban learned that Jacob had run off (v. 22). So, Laban gathered his men and eagerly pursued Jacob for several days (v. 23). Jacob had a head start on Laban, but Laban would have been able to make up ground because he didn’t have extraneous livestock with him nor did he have young children to care for. Once Laban hit the road, he chased Jacob for seven days and closed the distance (also v. 23). Laban was obviously not pleased with Jacob, but God warned Laban not to interfere in Jacob’s life: “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.” (v. 24) The “either good or bad” part of this instruction is really interesting. Laban was not only forbidden to curse Jacob; Laban was also forbidden to bless Jacob. God was Jacob’s benefactor, period. God was Jacob’s protector. Laban was not to attempt any significant interference, one way or the other, in God’s plan for Jacob’s life. Having received this instruction from the Lord, Laban now had the difficult task of maintaining a neutral outlook in his dealings with Jacob. Maintaining neutrality would not be an easy assignment for a deceitful, dishonest, uncharitable, and upset man like Laban, but God’s command to Laban put a holy fear in Laban.

Number 5: Laban overtakes Jacob and confronts him (Genesis 31:25-35)

Finally, after a week in hot pursuit, “Laban overtook Jacob” in the hill country of Gilead (v. 25), which is on the doorstep to the land of Canaan. Then, in verses 26-30, Laban questions Jacob.

In verses 26-28, Laban asks Jacob why he had taken his family and fled without saying a proper goodbye to Laban – without having given Laban the opportunity to kiss his daughters and grandchildren and without having given Laban to send them all away with the blessing of music and song (v. 26-28). Laban makes it seem like he is magnanimous and generous to Jacob’s family, when in fact he is not. Jacob’s secretive departure was eminently reasonable in view of Laban’s corrupt character. Even so, Jacob charges Jacob with foolishness (v. 28) and tells Jacob that he has the power to harm Jacob, but adds that his hands had been tied by God’s command (v. 29). Jacob answers this line of questioning in verse 31: “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.” (v. 31) You indulge the affections when relationships are healthy and strong. When relationships are broken and ill-willed and fearful, you flee.

Laban’s second line of questioning occurs in verse 30 and circles back to Rachel’s theft of his idols: “And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” (v. 30) Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban’s gods (end of v. 32), and Jacob issued a strong statement to Laban in verse 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.” (v. 32)

Thus Laban proceeds to search for his gods, but he did not find them in Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, Zilpah’s tent, or Bilhah’s tent (v. 32) – Zilpah and Bilhah are “the two female servants” mentioned in verse 32 who were named for us back in Genesis 29-30. Finally, it was time for Laban to search Rachel’s tent. As it happened, Rachel hid Laban’s idols “in the camel’s saddle and sat on them” (v. 34). Laban searched through Rachel’s tent (except for the camel’s saddle), but was unable to find his gods. Then Rachel spoke a preemptive word to keep Laban’s gods hidden: “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” (v. 35) We might assume that Rachel is lying, but who knows, maybe she was indeed having her period and was utilizing that fact to her tactical advantage. In any case, Laban’s search for his gods came up empty (also v. 35).

Number 6: Jacob declares his innocence and glorifies God (Genesis 31:36-42)

After Laban’s accusation and search concerning his idols, Jacob was steaming mad: “Jacob became angry and berated Laban.” (v. 36) Then Jacob declared his innocence in the present matter (v. 36-37). Then Jacob defends his record of faithful service to Laban for the past twenty years (v. 38-40). Jacob’s testimony in these verses is consistent with what we learned in Chapter 30, that Laban’s flock had “increased abundantly” (Genesis 30:30) under the Lord’s blessing through Jacob’s management of the flock. Jacob had been a faithful and industrious servant in Laban’s household.

Finally, Jacob charges Laban with wrongdoing and glorifies God for taking care of him in spite of Laban’s mistreatment:

“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.” (v. 41-42)

The Lord had indeed rebuked and silenced Laban the previous night, and now Jacob was rebuking Laban. Laban is such a sad figure. He had tasted the Lord’s extraordinary blessing through Jacob (see Genesis 30:27), and yet Laban had continued down the path of deception and selfish ambition. Small-hearted Laban, although Jacob was the son of his sister, although Jacob was the husband of his daughters, although Jacob was the father of his grandchildren – small-hearted Laban, by his actions over the course of several years, showed that he would have sent Jacob away empty-handed. That is a damning indictment of Laban’s character. If you’re anything like Laban – always calculating how to get the best return for you, not trusting the Lord, not sharing generously with others – you’re in real trouble. But God did what Laban failed to do: God saw Jacob’s affliction, God saw Jacob’s honorable service, and God put abundance into Jacob’s lap. True believers say, like Jacob, that if God had not been on my side, then things would have gone from bad to worse. But God is on the side of His faithful people, and He watches over us for our good.

Number 7: Jacob and Laban make a covenant (Genesis 31:43-54)

Having been rebuked by the Lord and by Jacob, and having been forbidden to say anything good or back to Jacob, Laban’s options are limited. Laban claims to own everything that is Jacob’s – his daughters Rachel and Leah, his grandchildren, and the flocks (v. 43). Although the claim itself is not entirely accurate, nevertheless the larger point is that Laban recognizes that there is nothing he can do to press his claim. God has settled the matter in Jacob’s favor, and there is nothing that Laban can do about it. Laban then wonders out loud, “But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne?” (also v. 43) Then Laban proposes to Jacob that the two of them make a covenant with each other: “Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” (v. 44) Laban is basically proposing a non-aggression pact.

A covenant, of course, requires ceremony, sacrifice, commemoration, sacred vows, and shared meals. So, Jacob sets up a stone as a pillar (v. 45) and then Jacob’s men make a heap of stones “and they ate there by the heap” (v. 46). This heap of stones should have a name, so “Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.” (v. 47) Laban used an Aramaic term whereas Jacob used a Hebrew term – but both Jegar-sahadutha and Galeed have the same meaning: heap of witness. Laban explains, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” (v. 48) After calling the heap by the name that Jacob had given it (“Galeed”, v. 48), Laban also named it “Mizpah” (v. 49), which means watchtower. Laban explained, “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.” (v. 49-50) This may be Laban’s finest hour: having been justly put between a rock and a hard place, he does the only thing he can do – he relinquishes any claim to watch over and protect his daughters. From this moment on, Rachel and Leah are out of Laban’s hands, and Laban knows it. He must entrust the matter to the Lord: the Lord will watch, the Lord will protect, the Lord will judge.

The ceremony continues in verses 51-53 as Laban continues to explain the meaning of the covenant: “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 to me, to do harm. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor [Nahor was Abraham’s brother and Laban’s grandfather], the God of their father [Terah was the father Abraham and Nahor], judge between us.” (v. 51-53a) Part of the background to this statement is that Laban was the one who had attempting to harm Jacob. Jacob had said, “But God did not permit [Laban] to harm me.” (v. 7) Laban had said, “It is in my power to do you harm.” (v. 29) But now Laban relinquishes the right to do Jacob any harm. Further, although Jacob had been angry enough with Laban to berate him just moments earlier in verses 36-42, Jacob must relinquish any and all claims to retaliate against Laban. They must depart from one another in peace, entrusting all of their affairs and unresolved inter-personal issues to the Lord, and swearing to do each other no harm. Although it is not ideal, there may be times when a relationship is so strained that the way forward is not to untangle the complicated mess, but instead to settle upon a goodwill treaty that from this day forward, we will do each other no harm.

And so, Jacob made his solemn pledge: “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.” (v. 53b-54) Those who make a covenant of peace with one another do well to eat together as a sign and symbol of their friendship. In all of this, especially as it relates to Jacob’s action, we have a helpful practical example of Paul’s instruction in Romans 12:

“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God….” (Romans 12:17-19a)

When early morning came, “Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them.” (v. 55a) It is good and right that he did so. Notice that he didn’t bless Jacob – besides the fact that Laban may not have wanted to bless Jacob, he had actually been forbidden to do so (Genesis 31:24).

Number 8: Jacob and Laban go their separate ways (Genesis 31:55b-32:1)

Our passage concludes with Laban returning to his home in Haran, and with Jacob continuing his journey to Canaan. Genesis 31 ends, “Then Laban departed and returned home.” (v. 55b) In this way, Laban exits the narrative. There are a few historical references to Laban later on in the Book of Genesis, but the biographical snapshots of his life end here at the end of Chapter 31. Remember, Genesis is focused on the covenant family. Laban had only entered the narrative because he was extended family to Isaac and Jacob, and because Jacob spent twenty years with him. As Jacob has departed from Haran and concluded his dealings with Laban, now it is time for Laban to depart from the narrative.

As for Jacob, Genesis 32 begins, “Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.” (v. 1) The Lord has been with, and continues to be with, Jacob wherever he goes – and especially now, as he follows the Lord’s call back to Canaan.

A BIG TAKEAWAY FROM THIS PASSAGE

What big lesson shall we take away from this passage? Simply this: the Lord is the true and living God who actively takes care of His people, whereas false gods are powerless to help their followers. This is meant to be an encouragement to you to trust the Lord at all times, to wait patiently upon His steadfast love, and to resist the temptation to lean on false gods.

There is a profound contrast in our passage between the God of Isaac and the gods of Laban. Jacob’s father is Isaac, and the God of Isaac is referred to multiple times in our passage. Jacob says, “But the God of my father has been with me” (31:5); Laban says to Jacob, “But the God of your father spoke to me last night” (31:29); Jacob says, “If the God of my father… had not been on my side” (31:42); the narrator says, “So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac” (31:53). Now what is obvious in Chapter 31 is that the God of Isaac is calling all the shots – and calling them in Jacob’s favor – whereas Laban’s gods are not calling the shots.

In Genesis 31, the English word “God” is a translation of the Hebrew words El or Elohe or Elohim. As we come to find out, though, there were some rival gods in Laban’s house. Two different words are used to describe Laban’s gods. The English Standard Version uses the phrase “household gods” (in v. 19 and 35), and this is a translation of the Hebrew word teraphim – and it refers to an idol. These teraphim are also called “gods” (in v. 30 and 32). When Laban asks “why did you steal my gods?” (in v. 30), the word “gods” is a translation of the Hebrew word Elohay. Elohay comes from the same root as El, Elohe, and Elohim. Jacob had a unique visit to the Bethel – the House of El – back in Genesis 28. But Laban’s house had been a dwelling place for rival Elohay, for rival gods, for rival objects of worship. Jacob is oriented to the true God, the God of his father Isaac, whereas Laban is in the possession of rival gods, of false gods.

Now don’t fail to notice what we learn about Laban’s gods in Chapter 31: 1) they are capable of being stolen (v. 19); they are capable of being hidden (v. 34); they are capable of being secured in a camel’s saddle and sat upon (v. 34); and they are capable of being lost (v. 33-35). Laban’s gods are silent; they don’t reveal themselves; they don’t speak; they don’t direct; they don’t protect; they don’t administer justice; they don’t send their angels to meet you.

Reflect on the profound differences between the God of Isaac and the gods of Laban.

• Laban’s gods were taken, but the God of Isaac does the taking: “Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.” (v. 9)

• Laban’s gods didn’t have the power to bless and give, but the God of Isaac blesses and gives. The God of Isaac had generously given to Laban, through Jacob’s service, for fourteen years, and He had generously given to Jacob during the last six years.

• Laban’s gods didn’t have the power to transform Laban’s heart into the mold of moral excellence: Laban was as much a rascal in Genesis 31 as he had been several years earlier. But the God of Isaac was with Jacob to sanctify and transform him, and Jacob was growing in his walk with God.

• Laban couldn’t find his gods (v. 35), but the God of Isaac found Laban, warned him in a dream (v. 24), and put Laban in his place (v. 24, 29, 42).

• If Laban’s gods of wood or metal or stone had eyes, those eyes could not see, but the God of Isaac saw Jacob’s affliction (v. 42) and undertook action for Jacob’s good.

• Laban was capable of being separated from his gods, but the God of Isaac was with Jacob wherever Jacob went (v. 3, 6; see Genesis 28:15).

• Laban’s gods ended up in a camel’s saddle under Rachel’s buttocks (v. 34), but the God of Isaac “rides through the heavens” to help His people and upholds them with His “everlasting arms” and overpowers their enemies (Deuteronomy 33:26-27). The God of Isaac is “the Fear of Isaac” (Genesis 31:42, 53): there is no way around it, this is an intense Hebrew word meaning dread. The God of Isaac is dreadfully and compellingly and powerfully and sovereignly present for the good of those who trust Him and, equally, He is dreadfully and compellingly and powerfully and sovereignly present for the overthrow of those who reject Him. Be assured that if the Fear of Isaac is your God, although you may suffer much, you will ultimately not be empty-handed.

• Laban’s gods are a non-factor in the covenant between Laban and Jacob. In that critical moment of peace-making between a dishonest father-in-law and an aggrieved son-in-law, Laban’s gods didn’t serve him at all, but the God of Isaac had the glory and gravity to compel trust and to require that Laban surrender. Laban’s gods won’t witness anything or vindicate anyone, but the true God “is witness between you and me” (v. 50).

• When “Laban departed and returned home” (v. 55), he journeyed home without his gods, and without his gods having sent any angels to meet him. But when “Jacob went on his way” (32:1), the true Elohim dispatched His angels to meet Jacob. When the time was right, the true Elohim sent forth His ultimate messenger – His own dear Son – to die for the sins of His people. Laban’s gods are quite unable to lay down their lives for the salvation of their people.

In light of this, I ask you a question: What household gods are you sitting on? Are you fooling around with any false rival pseudo-gods? Though they take different forms, idols are as common now as they were in Laban’s day. It’s all the standard stuff – finding comfort and security in money, in possessions, in status, in people, in the past, in your own preferred sacred cows, in your own preferred fleshly crutches, in climbing the ladder and promoting yourself, in religious superstitions and rituals and mantras, in chasing after something unfamiliar and forbidden. The serpent whispers, ‘You can be your own god’ (see Genesis 3:4-5), and curates for you your very own teraphim and elohay that promise to make you feel really good about yourself. But the Fear of Isaac doesn’t coddle your emotions, and He calls you to grow up and to trust Him. Will you grow up? Jacob grew up in Haran. But Laban shriveled up. Each man reflected the quality of his own God/god.

If you trust the Lord, then you will find your comfort and security in Him and in His Word, and He will accompany you wherever you go and He will exercise His sovereign power for your good. But if you trust vain idols, you will only injure yourself and you will reduce yourself to that which can be stored away in a camel’s saddle. All who trust in idols become like the worthless idols that they worship (see Psalm 115:4-8). But “[those] who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” (Psalm 125:1)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Assohoto, Barnabe and Samuel Ngewa, “Genesis.” In Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars. Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor. Zondervan Edition (first edition published in 2006).

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Book of Genesis (Ariel’s Bible Commentary). Fourth Edition. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 2020.

Steinmann, Andrew E. Genesis (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019.