The following is a teaching transcription. It has not been checked for complete transcription accuracy.

Let's turn in our Bibles to Genesis chapter 29. Where we left off in our last study in the book of Genesis, we saw Jacob clearly and obviously chosen by God. He of course had manipulated his way into receiving his father's blessing. But then after going on the run from his brother, Esau, God met Jacob at Bethel. The ladder of God was lowered in his vision or dream from heaven down to Jacob and angels from God ascending and descending upon the ladder. And with that ladder came the blessing of God upon Jacob's life. It was confirmed there by God, not through theft of the blessing, that Jacob was the chosen seed. It would go Abraham, Isaac and not Esau, but Jacob.

God's Gracious Decision

Now, it should be clear to us that this was God's gracious decision. This was not done because Jacob was such a Godly man although Esau, for his own right, in his own right, was definitely not a Godly man or the kind of man that you would want in the line of the promise. But Jacob was no angel either. Stealing promises, manipulating to get his way. It was the gracious sovereign favor of God which brought Jacob into the promised line. This is favor, in other words, without merit. That's what Jacob is experiencing at this point.

Now, Jacob of course is God's man. He is carrying the promise. But let's go back to the original promise. The promise was that through Abraham's seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. And that Abraham, through his seed, would receive descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. So at this point, Jacob has now been chosen. He is the blessed seed. But the problem is very clear. He has no wife. With no wife, he has no offspring, no children. With him, the line would stop unless he is married. And that's where the passage in front of us is going to take us, God providing a bride for Jacob.

1 Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. 2 As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well's mouth was large, 3 and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.

Now, in the passage in front of us, we're going to have to squint to see God working. He's clearly working. The people of Israel, when they read these chapters, would have seen God working. But it's not explicitly clearly stated. You just have to sort of watch the scene unfold to discover the hand of God operating and working in the midst of human chaos, human tragedy, and even human sin. So let's start reading together in verse one of chapter 29. "Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well's mouth was large, and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well."

Now, there are a couple of things to notice from this opening paragraph. When it says there in verse one that Jacob went on his journey, I'd remind you of the original journey that he's on. He's running from Esau. So he reconvenes that journey. Not only is he running from Esau, but remember the guys that Rebecca had given to Isaac. What was the story? She told him, "Well, I don't like these local women that our son Esau has married. Let's send Jacob away so that he might find a bride." That's the journey that Jacob is on, to go find a bribe.

The second thing that I would point out to you is that it says there in verse one that he came to the land of the people of the east. That might not mean a lot to us, but for the ancient Israelites who would have originally read the book of Genesis, the people of the east were people of mystery. They were a forbidden people. They were a dangerous people. This was in other words the plan of God in jeopardy as Jacob went to a place outside of God's covenanted land.

But a third thing I want you to see is that God is leading all the while. And one of the first hints that we see of this, and we'll see a greater portrayal of this in the paragraph to come, but the first hint that we see of this is found in this first paragraph. He comes into the land and there is a well. It's mentioned five times in those first few verses. A well that the flocks were watered at. And of course Jacob's father, Isaac, especially was a man who dug wells, found wells, re-dug wells and met with God quite often at these wells. And so it seems like God is, as you squint, working to bring Jacob to this place. But if you were an ancient Israelite, you would be rooting for Jacob to find his wife and get out of there to go back to the land of Canaan.

4 Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.” 5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.” 6 He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” 7 He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.” 8 But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

Verse four, "Jacob said to them, 'My brothers, where do you come from?' They said, 'We are from Haran.' He said to them, 'Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?' They said, 'We know him.' He said to them, 'Is it well with him?' They said, 'It is well; and see, Rachel, his daughter is coming with the sheep.' He said, 'Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.' But they said, 'We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well, then we water the sheep.'"

Now, this is fascinating. Jacob arrives in the land of Haran, it tells us there in verse four. He begins asking around a little bit, "Do you know Laban?" That's his uncle, his relative. He is curious, "Do you know Laban?" They say, "We do know him. In fact his daughter, Rachel, is coming with her flock." And then he begins to question the local shepherds about their practices. "Why are you here at the well? Why don't you disperse? Why don't you water your flocks?" He, as a visiting shepherd, is telling these local shepherds how to do their jobs. And in fact, they seem to be a little bit lazy in comparison to the ethic that he is advocating for or showing.

9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son, and she ran and told her father.

13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, 14 and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month.

But let's go on in the story. Verse nine. "While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son, and she ran and told her father. As soon as Laban heard the news," verse 13, "About Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things, and Laban said to him, 'Surely you are my bone and my flesh.' And he stayed with him a month."

The Hand of God

Now, this scene is interesting and beautiful for a couple of reasons. First of all, one reason it's interesting is that all through the passage, you see sheep and shepherds, and then lo and behold, a shepherdess named Rachel. She's a distant relative of Jacob and she is out there to water her flocks. There's a little bit of anticipation in all of this because in the chapters to come, Jacob is going to excel so much as a shepherd or with livestock for Laban. And here you have these shepherds that are unwilling to get up and move the stone off of the well and all of that. And Jacob is able to do it all by himself. It's as if his work ethic is shining through and the hand of God upon his life in favoring and taking care of flocks is also shining through. This is something that Laban is going to benefit from in the years to come.

The other thing that is beautiful or interesting here is that this whole scene, you would almost feel that you've read this scene before in the book of Genesis. You might remember in chapter 24, Abraham wanted to find a wife for his only son, Isaac. He took his household servant and sent him to this very country, to this very household, perhaps even to this very well. And there, the spirit of God revealed not Rachel, but Rebecca, to the servant who then was brought back by the servant to marry Isaac back in the land of promise.

Now, of course there are differences in their story. Jacob has gone to the land himself rather than sending a servant. The well is similar, but there's not so much a prayer conversation that Jacob is having with God as he approaches the well like the servant did with God in chapter 24. And the response is different as well. But you can't help but notice the similarities. All of this was designed to help the reader understand that God was involved in this scene. That even though it feels like Jacob is doing his own thing and even a little bit in rebellion against God, God is sovereignly controlling these events to accomplish his divine purpose in Jacob's life. He's going to bring Rachel into his life and also much more.

Now Jacob, for his part, he responds, it seems, rather emotionally. He pushes the rock off of the well. It might be superhuman strength, or it might just have been the laziness of the local shepherds in saying they were unable to do it on their own. It might be romantic feelings when Jacob kisses Rachel. But again, he kisses Laban in a paragraph or so later as we already read. So, it's not necessary that it's a romantic kiss. Although as we'll see, he is greatly attracted to her and she was a woman of beautiful appearance. So there might have been something there as Jacob kissed Rachel. But he weeps and he cries in this moment. It's a very emotional moment for Jacob. He is feeling that God is going to bring his promises to pass in his life.

But this leadership of God, before we move on, I just wanted to say it like this. When God chooses you, when God calls you, when God brings you into his promise and plan, which if you're in Christ, that's exactly what he's done. He's brought you into his family. He's brought you into his plan. In one sense, he wants to use your life to be an extension of the very promise that he gave to Abraham many years earlier; that through Jesus, who is now in you, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. That means that he wants to bless the nations through our lives; through you, through me.

And as God is doing that in our lives as he's brought us into his plan just like he did for Jacob, bringing Jacob into his plan, you can rest assured that God, he not only wills to lead your life, but he will lead your life. Even when you are in rebellion against him, he is going to work behind the scenes to accomplish his ultimate purposes. And that's what we see happening here in the life of Jacob. And Jacob, for the next couple of chapters, is going to struggle with God's leadership of his life. Now, Jacob, for his party, goes into Laban's household, Laban and him embrace. They celebrate. Laban says, "You're my family. You're bone of my bone and you're of my flesh." And so he stayed with him there for one month.

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

"Then," verse 15, "Laban said to Jacob, 'Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?' Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, 'I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter, Rachel.' Laban said, 'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.' So Jacob," verse 20, "Served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her."

Now, recounting that paragraph, one of the first things that stands out is Laban's proposal to Jacob. After a month of being there with the family, the intimation is that Jacob have actually been working for Laban during that month. He's doing chores around the ranch. He's taking care of different responsibilities. And so Laban approaches Jacob and says, "Should you therefore serve me for nothing? You know you're already working. It seems that I should hire you as one of my servants. What shall your wages be?" Now when Jacob hears that he considers Laban's daughters, or to put it more correctly, he considers one of Laban's daughters; his younger daughter, Rachel. Rachel, it says, was beautiful in form and appearance and Jacob loved her. He'd been there a month. He'd fallen in love with this young girl. He thought to himself, I could work for seven years and that would be an appropriate amount of time for me to gain this woman's hand in marriage.

Now, there is an interesting note there in verse 17 where it says that Leah's eyes were weak, but in contrast, Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. It's difficult to ascertain exactly what Moses meant when he wrote that, that Leah's eyes were weak. Some think that it means that her eyes were beautiful, but that Rachel just excelled and exceeded Leah in beauty all around. Others think that there was something wrong with Leah's vision or something like that. It's hard to say. But what's clear is that when the two were contrasted, Jacob was drawn to Rachel and she was the one that he chose. Keep that in your mind as the passage progresses.

And now Laban hears this proposal, seven years. That actually was a long time for a man to work for a dowery or to work for a bride. And so Laban thought to himself this was a great deal for him. And that's what Laban was all about, himself and expanding his portfolio. So he said yes to this proposal. And as the years ticked by, it says there in verse 20 that they were like a few days to Jacob because of the love he had for Rachel. That kind of a poetic way of describing the attitude that Jacob had during those seven years. Now, again, this is somewhat shocking. He's gone on a journey to find a wife. The audience is rooting for him to return. But now it's going to take at least seven years. But there's a conflict there. Seven years and he'll get a wife at least, and it'll be Rachel. So again, there's conflict as you're watching this scene unfold.

Sanctified

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” 28 Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.

Verse 21. " Then Jacob said to Laban, 'Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.' So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. Laban," verse 24, "Gave his female servant, Zilpah, to his daughter Leah to be her servant. And in the morning, behold, it was Leah. And Jacob said to Laban, 'What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?'

Laban said, 'It is not so done in our country to give the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other in return for serving me another seven years.' Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. Laban gave his female servant, Bilhah, to his daughter Rachel to be her servant. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served Laban for another seven years."

Now, one of the first questions that modern readers would ask about this movement in the episode is, exactly how did this happen? I mean, there's a swap of women deceiving Jacob into marrying and sleeping with Leah, rather than Rachel. It's hard for us to fathom how this kind of thing could occur or take place. But what you have to remember is that in ancient cultures like this one, first of all, there was likely a fair amount of wine and alcohol that was involved in the wedding celebration. Secondly, there was a lot of veiling that was involved in the wedding celebration and the bridal outfit. And of course darkness in the tent. And so the idea here is that Jacob, he just didn't know. And there in the morning when the sun rises, he looks and realizes that the woman next to him is not the woman that he thought he was marrying, but she had been swapped out for Leah, Rachel's older sister.

Now, it's fascinating and almost humorous the irony of Jacob going to Laban and saying, "Why then have you deceived me?" I mean, we remember not all that long ago how Jacob had deceived his father in a very treacherous and straightforward kind of way. There was nothing else he was trying to do than to deceive, to lie, to trick his own flesh and blood, his father. And what was he trying to do? As he deceived his father, he was trying to convince his father that he was the first born, Esau, that Isaac wanted to bless. And when Laban responds to Jacob, he says, "It's not our custom to give away the firstborn after the younger. The firstborn need to be married off first."

The deceiver here has now been deceived over a firstborn situation or issue at that. And so Laban tells Jacob, "Listen, you need to serve me for seven more years, making it 14 total, in order to be able to marry Rachel also." Now of course in that culture and time, they were polygamists many of them and did not think twice about it as the revelation of scripture unfolds. I've talked about this already in our study of the book of Genesis. But as scripture unfolds, we'll begin to understand more and more the problems of polygamy. We'll see it right here in this chapter as well. And then also God forbidding this kind of behavior. And then ultimately seeing that what happened in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve is the ideal for which God or of which God approves.

But here, what's happening? Some people like to hold out Genesis chapter 29 as an example of a dysfunctional family and kind of preach sermons from that standpoint. Others like to think of Genesis 29 as divine justice. What you sow you will also reap, and here is Jacob reaping what he's sown. The deceiver now being deceived. But I prefer to think of it in a different way. I think that what God is doing now is he is providing the environment in which his chosen, beloved, called man, child; this man, Jacob, is going to be sanctified. He's been called, he's been blessed. The ladder of God ascending, the angels of God ascending and descending upon him. He is clearly within God's plan and program. But there are areas about his heart that must be changed. Must be purged. There are habits that he's dragged with him into God's divine plan that are not befitting God's man. And God wants to chasten those things out of him. And I think in part, Laban is a figure that God is going to use to help bring sanctification into Jacob's life.

Think about your own life. Think about the bad habits or practices or sins that though forgiven, you brought them into your relationship with Christ. They might be things that you did not know about or things you did know about. But as the years ticked by, God is working hard to shape and chasten and grow and sanctify us. What does Paul say in 1st Thessalonians 4? He says, "This is the will of God for you, your sanctification." God desires to clean us, not just positionally, but also practically. And here he's doing that in Jacob's life.

So Jacob makes the deal with Laban. They celebrate the first marriage with Leah for one week or seven day period. And then seven days later, a second wedding occurs. And Jacob now has two wives in a span of seven days. Again, not ideal. We'll see that even in this passage. But of course we all know it to be true from experience, but also from the rest of scripture. And there's an ominous tone at the end of the paragraph that we just looked at in verse 30. It says, "And he loved Rachel more than Leah." Well, let's go on.

Jacob's Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.”

Verse 31. "When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, 'Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction, for now my husband will love me.' She conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.' And she called his name Simeon. Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, 'Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.' Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'This time I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing."

Now, this whole passage, first of all, it's wild in the sense it's like an explosion of sons in rapid succession. Reuben, then Simeon, then Levi, then Judah are born to Leah. But not only that, it's also a sad movement. It begins with God looking at Leah and seeing that she was an unloved woman, and God making the decision to open her womb, it says. "He opened her womb," it says in verse 31. The implication is that God was involved in closing the womb of Rachel because it says, "But Rachel was barren."

One of the things I want you to see from God's decision to unload four sons onto Jacob through Leah's womb is that God loves the downcast and the unloved and the forsaken. You see, God was unveiling his plan for the people of Israel, the question that they would have been asking as they watched this story unfold. We know it's Abraham and Sarah. We know it's Isaac and Rebecca. We know it's Jacob, and who is it going to be that carries along the promise of God? And right away when they see that Reuben and Simeon and Levi and Judah come from Leah's womb, it would help them understand that God has chosen the weak of this world. God has chosen the outcast of this world. God has chosen the abandoned of this world to fulfill his plans and promises through.

In fact, when they saw those four names, those four children being born, the people of Israel would have understood that, yes, these are four of the 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel, but not only are they four of the 12, they are the four major tribes in Israel. God gives them all to Leah. He blesses her in this powerful and incredible kind of way. He's involved in this scene.

But the other thing that's sad about it is the way that she named each one of these sons, but it is encouraging to see the progression that she went through. The first son that she had, verse 32, she named him Reuben. It has a meaning within it that means something like see or witness. See a son is what I've produced is what she's trying to say. She says, "God has seen my misery and I want my husband to see that I've provided him with a son." And look at her hope in verse 32. "For now my husband will love me." She thought little baby Reuben would cause Jacob to finally actually prioritize her and love her.

When that didn't happen, she conceived again and she gave birth to a son that she named Simeon. Now, Simeon means heard. So not only had she been seen, but now she feels that she has been heard. And she says that her hope this time is that her husband would actually hear her innocence. Then in verse 34, she has Levi. The name Levi means something similar to attached and her hope was that her husband would be attached to her at this point. Maybe it wouldn't be love, but maybe at least he would just connect himself to her.

And then finally, after none of those three sons produced the attitude in Jacob that she wanted to see, she gives birth to Judah. Judah, which became the great tribe from which the kings of Israel came. The great tribe from which Jesus himself was delivered to planet earth. Judah is born and when he is born, no longer does Leah say anything about Jacob. This time she says, "I will praise the Lord." She had no longer any hope in Jacob. Her hope was exclusively, solely, completely only at this time in God. Everything else had been stripped away and she finally realized God is enough.

I find that often God will take his children through this particular process that Leah went through. Sometimes we set our minds and hearts on certain positions or possessions or experiences or relationships or status or look or physique. We set our minds upon these things telling ourselves, if I could only attain to that, then I'll be happy, then I'll be satisfied. But what happens time and time again is that that attainment, that degree, that career advancement, it comes into our lives and what we discover is that we have made it into our hope and it crumbles right before us. It cannot bring us the satisfaction that we thought that it might bring.

And God will often allow us to go through that process until we come to the place, like Leah said when she gave birth to Judah, now I will praise the Lord. She finally figured it out. My husband, he'll never be what I want him to be. My husband will never satisfy me like I'd hoped he would satisfy me. But now I will praise and celebrate the Lord. God will never let me down. God will always be faithful. God will always be enough. Now, as I said, these were the four major tribes in Israel; and Levi and Judah especially because of the priesthood from Levi, and the kings from Judah were of great significance. And the people of Israel knew that as they read through this chapter.

The Promise of God

1 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” 2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan. 7 Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.”

Now, in verse one of chapter 30, it says, "When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, 'Give me children or I shall die." Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, 'Am I in the place of God who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?'" Now, this is Jacob's way of saying what everybody reading the book at this point understands because Moses has written of it. God is involved. God has made Rachel barren and given children to Leah.

Then he said, in verse three, "Here's my servant..." Then she said, "Here's my servant, Bilhah. Go in to her that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her." So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Then Rachel said, verse six, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan. Rachel's servant, Bilhah, conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, "With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali.

Now, one has to remember the customs of that day when reading of this next movement. I mean, it's all already wild to us in the first place that Jacob has two wives. Now his second wife, Rachel, the one that he favors, she comes to him and says, "Look, I have no children. Take my servant, Bilhah." Now, on the wedding night, it was customary for the father of the bride in that culture to give to the new household one of the household servants, a young maiden. And so Bilhah was the one that was attached to Rachel. And Rachel now takes Bilhah and says to Jacob, "Take her as a wife, go into her, have a child with her and her child will be considered my child." Now again, it was the customs of the day. It was not something that was good or right. But God, as we're going to see, is going to use it for his overall purposes and glory.

Now the reader at this point might be saying, "Whoa, this is dangerous ground that Jacob is heading into." Why would we say that? Well, remember earlier in the book of Genesis, Sarah came to Abraham and made a similar suggestion. "Go into my servant, Hagar, and have a child with her that her child will be considered my son." And so we might be cautious as we see this episode unfolding before us.

But again, the promise of God is present. God is going to bless Jacob's life. He is going to use Jacob. Now, the interesting thing here at this point is that up to this point in Genesis, it's been one son for every patriarch. Abraham had Isaac, Isaac had Jacob. They had other offspring, other sons, but there was only one son that received the Abrahamic covenant. But what we're going to see unfold in this passage is that now that paradigm shifts. God is going to begin the purpose of making them a multitude or a great nation. And for that to occur, there needed to be many sons who would then receive the blessing that Jacob had received. So even these two sons, Dan and Naphtali, that came from Bilhah, they're brought into the covenant promise of God.

And again, the idea here is that God is taking a chaotic thing, an ugly thing, a broken thing, and he's making something beautiful. This should be no surprise to the reader of the book of Genesis because all the way at the beginning of Genesis in Genesis chapter one, we see that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. The idea there was that there was this chaos, there was this unbuilt thing, but that God spoke from that thing life and order into existence. So from the very beginning, we see God is a redeemer, God as able to take something that is without form and void and make it into something beautiful. And that's what he's doing here with this family. It's chaotic, it's terrible, it's dysfunctional, but they will become the glorious people of Israel, the children of God.

Now, the name Dan means vindicated and the name Naphtali means fought. That's what Rachel is thinking of when she has these children. I'm now vindicated against my sister and I've fought against my sister and I have prevailed. This is interesting because it gives us a glimpse into Rachel's heart. She's not portrayed here at this point as a Godly woman seeking the Lord but as a vengeful woman who is envious of her sister.

9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Then Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, “Good fortune has come!” so she called his name Gad. 12 Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.”

Let's go on in the story. "When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Then Leah's servant, Zilpah, bore Jacob a son. And Leah said, 'Good fortune has come,' so she called his name Gad. Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. And Leah said, 'Happy am I for women have called me happy.' So she called his name Asher." The name Gad means fortune, the name Asher means blessing. And that's how Leah felt, that she had been blessed and that she had received good fortune from God. Now, these four sons that came from the handmaids of Leah and Rachel: Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher, they are lesser figure heads or the fathers of the lesser tribes in Israel. But again, they're still part of the covenant promise of God.

14 In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.” 15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?” Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.”

Verse 14. "In the days of wheat harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, 'Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.'" Now, keep in mind, Reuben is the firstborn of Leah. So he is the oldest son. So he, at this time, he is a little bit older in his teenage years, perhaps a young man. He goes out on the field one day and he finds these things called mandrakes. Now, in that culture, they believed mandrakes to kind of be a sexual aphrodisiac, but also perhaps an aid to fertility. And so let's see what happens because what happens is that Rachel sees those mandrakes and says, "Please give them to me. Give me some of your son's mandrakes." Because Rachel, at this point, still not had a child and so she wants to be able to become pregnant, therefore she desires the mandrakes.

But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?" Rachel said, "Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes." When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he lay with her that night. And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, "God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband." So she called his name Issachar, which means my hire. I've hired him. And Leah conceived again and she bore Jacob a sixth son.

19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the Lord add to me another son!”

Then Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment. Now my husband will honor me because I have borne him six sons." So she called his name Zebulun, which means a gift. Afterward she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah. Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach." And she called his name Joseph, saying, "May the Lord add to me another son."

Now, of course, in reading this, it's almost uncomfortable to even pass through this passage because the dynamic is so awkward. These two competing wives who are also by the way siblings, they're sisters. One of them, her son comes from the field and gives to his mother, gives to Leah, these mandrakes. Again, considered an aphrodisiac that can help aid fertility. Rachel, the younger sister, hears about these mandrakes, goes to her sister Leah and says, "Please give me some of those mandrakes." She know Rachel's not been able to have a child, perhaps this medicine, so to speak in their opinion, would help her become pregnant.

Leah, rather than conceding or giving these mandrakes, she says, "Well, let's make a deal. Tonight, when Jacob comes in from his work in the field, he sleeps with me in exchange for these mandrakes." They make the deal. Jacob goes in that evening to Leah and they have a child together as a result of that encounter. And that child of course was not Zebulun but Issachar, born first. Then, a little bit later, she has another son for Jacob who they named Zebulun together. And finally, after all of that, maybe three years later, clearly the mandrakes didn't do the job that Rachel thought they would do, Rachel becomes pregnant because it says, verse 22, "God listened to her and opened her womb."

In other words, God is the one who is portrayed as fulfilling his purposes throughout this whole episode. God is the one that they should be turning to. It wasn't mandrakes that could get the job done. It was God who could get the job done. But again, it's also chaotic. There's so much sin and jealousy and ugliness in the midst of all of this. Now, when Rachel finally has a son, she has Joseph, as I already read to you, and Joseph's name means, may he add. So almost immediately, with a child out of the womb, Rachel is thinking about having another child, is thinking about having another son.

Now, in this whole episode that we just read and we flew through it rather quickly, the people of Israel, when they read it, would have seen the seeds of tribal jealousy that would plague them in the future. And one of the lessons that they should have gotten from this moment, the conflict between Leah and Rachel, the roots and history of their family, one of the things that they should have learned is that envy and jealousy and backstabbing and competition, they just don't work. They don't pay off for the people of God. What they should have done is look back, realized that God had blessed Jacob back there in chapter 28 at Bethel, and that they were the descendants of Jacob, therefore they also would be blessed if they just walked with God and obeyed him. They'd be blessed in their own way.

But so often they were competitive. They were against one another and there was conflict in Israel because of the same kind of envy that is found in this chapter. You see, for God's people, we cannot compare each other by each other. We cannot grow envious and jealous of each other. We just have to be the people that God has called us to be, walk with God for ourselves and let the Lord bless our lives. It is a freeing thing, brothers and sisters, to allow envy and jealousy to dissipate in favor of your own walk with God and his plan for your life.

Jacob's Prosperity

25 As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 

Now verse 25, it says as soon as Rachel had born Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you." But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you." Now, at this point, the people of Israel in reading this passage would have begun to grow excited about Jacob's proposal to Laban. Remember, Jacob just came on this journey to find a wife. It's been now well over 14 years that he's been there in this area, or at least 14 years. He's had two wives now and many children or sons through these four different women. His family has grown. Now he's asking to go back to the land of Canaan, back to the land of promise. That's where, in the people of Israel's estimation, he's supposed to be.

In a sense, this is a helpful message to us because God's people, they should be people who get back on track. There are times that we lose our way. There are times that we get off course. But God is rooting for us. And brothers and sisters in Christ are rooting for us to get back on track when we lose our way. Now, Laban though, he doesn't want to let Jacob go. He looks at Jacob and says, "Look, I've learned, through divination," which is a mysterious thing that he said. We don't know exactly what it means.

He says, "I've learned, through divination, that the Lord has blessed me because of you." He watched his household grow and expand. He saw that he was doing well financially and he'd learned, figured out somehow some way, whether through observation or through some cultic practice, he'd learned that God was the one who had blessed him because of Jacob's presence in his life. [inaudible] God that our employers and even employees would feel that God has blessed their lives because of the presence of a believer in their lives.

28 Name your wages, and I will give it.” 29 Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31 He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: 32 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. 33 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” 

Here's what Laban says next, verse 28. "Name your wages, and I will give it to you." Jacob said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock has fared with me. For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?" Laban said, "What shall I give you?" Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it. Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. So my honesty will answer for me later when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted as stolen."

So Jacob here, he makes a proposal to Laban. He says, "Listen. You like my presence. You think that God has blessed you because of my presence. Well, I'll stay a little bit longer and take care of your flocks. But here's the deal. When I depart, all the speckled and spotted among the goats and all the black lambs, they shall belong to me. All you have to do is go through my flocks when I'm leaving. If you see any animal that does not fit that description, then you know that I've stolen that animal from you. Those will be my wages when I depart.

34 Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. 36 And he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flock.”

"Laban," verse 34, "Said, 'Good. Let it be as you have said.' But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted; every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. And he set a distance, three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flock." What did Laban do? He made it so that the flock that Jacob wanted, statistically, naturally, scientifically could not grow, could not develop. He took the striped and the speckled, the spotted and the black lambs and he removed them far from Jacob, separated the males from the females so that they could not mate together, trying to make it so that the deck was stacked in his own favor.

37 Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. 38 He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, 39 the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban's flock. 41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, 42 but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. 

"Then Jacob," verse 37, "Took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban's flock. Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys."

Now, this is one of the most fascinating passages in the book of Genesis. What is it that Jacob actually does here to produce from the flocks the kinds of animals that would be able to be counted towards his inheritance or his wages once it was time for him to leave in six more years, is what it looks like it will end up being? Is this selective breeding that Jacob is doing? It doesn't really appear that there's enough time. Six years isn't really enough time for there to be some kind of mass selective breeding that Jacob is doing, at least in the natural world. There were some who believed in that era that whatever the female animal saw when she was being impregnated, that it would embed itself upon the embryo inside of her.

Now, of course, this is not true, but was sort of the mythology of the day. And perhaps Jacob thought that himself and decided, "I'm going to do this to try to produce the striped and the spotted and the black lambs." But what they knew when they read this, the people of Israel did, and what we know even more than they did when we read this and as we'll see in chapter 31, really ultimately Jacob thought he was doing this to produce this blessing in his life. But behind the scenes, it is God who is miraculously working to grow his flock, to grow his wages. I mean, he's got a big family at this point. He's got all these kids. He can't just go traveling with nothing in his bank account.

43 Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.”

He's got to have a large flock. He's got to have a lot to sustain this household. And so God decides to bless him. That's really the idea there in verse 43 when it says, "The man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants and camels and donkeys." This is a way of saying this is part of Jacob receiving the Abrahamic promise. God decided to bless Abraham and now he is blessing Abraham's descendant, Jacob.

Jacob Flees from Laban

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.”

Let's see the conclusion to this story in chapter 31. "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.' And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.'" Jacob had already decided in chapter 30 that he wanted to go back to the land of Canaan. But now there are two major voices that help him conclude that the deal with Laban is done and it's time for him to move on. The first voice comes from the voice of Laban's sons. Jacob starts realizing they're jealous of the wealth that I've accumulated. He even notices that Laban is starting to treat him differently, not with the favor that he treated with him before.

But the second voice is the voice of the Lord. Verse three, the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, into your kindred, and I will be with you." And Jacob took both of those things, the voice of the sons of Laban and the voice of God primarily and made a decision that it was time for him to depart. But he had to convince his family. He had to convince Laban's daughters.

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.’”

So in verse four, Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was 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. You know that I have served your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times.

But God did not permit him to harm me. 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. Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. 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. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am.' 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. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise and go 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.”

Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. 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." So you can see it was not difficult for Jacob to convince Leah and Rachel to pack up their belongings, bring their sons on this journey with him away from Laban, back to the land of promise.

And the big reason that he said, his big defense was, "Look, I did not do this. God has done this. God has produced this." Over and over again in the paragraphs that I just read to you, he says that God of my father has been with me. God did not permit him to harm me. God has taken away the livestock. God gave me a dream and showed me the striped and spotted and modeled. The angel of God spoke to me in a dream and told me that they would be mine. God said I've seen everything Laban is doing to you and God told me that he was the God of Bethel. You see, years ago, 20 years earlier, God blessed me. God showed me at Bethel that I would be the recipient of the promise. And now 20 years later, God is speaking to me again, it is time for us to depart, to return to the land of my family, back in the land of Canaan.

And the two women, Leah and Rachel, they just say, "Well, our dad, he took all of our money and he just spent it. He was reckless with his life. Our dowry is no longer. We think that everything that you now own, it actually belongs to us as well. And so, whatever God said to you, you do that." The implication is, we'll support you. Again, this is backing up the theme that we have chosen for this whole Bible study that we're going through tonight, that behind the whole episode, God is involved. That though Jacob is doing Jacob's stuff and Laban is doing Laban stuff and Leah and Rachel are in a competition against each other, God behind the scenes is accomplishing his purposes and working out his will and plans.

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[r] 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,[s] and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.”

"So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 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. Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods. And Jacob tricked Laban, the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead." This is a discrete departure. Jacob decides to steal away is the way the languages is laid out there in verse 20. He tricked Laban, but literally he stole away.

But he wasn't the only one who stole something. Rachel, his wife, also stole something unbeknownst to Jacob. She stole her father's household gods. Now side note, if a God can be stolen, it probably isn't a real God. But she had stolen these household gods. Now, there is some debate as to what these household gods would have meant. Some even think that the household gods meant that you could claim the property of the household even years later. In a moment, we're going to see Laban pursuing Jacob, chasing him down in part so that he can regain his household gods. Maybe his fear is that Jacob might return someday with those household gods and lay claim to all of Laban's property.

But even if that isn't what's happening here, Rachel takes these gods for some kind of impure reason or motivation. Again, Rachel is not held out in the best light. She's seen as a woman who would steal false gods or steal idols. But Jacob, he sets the course, puts his family towards the hill country of Gilead and he goes on this long journey with his livestock, his servants, his sons, and his wives back to the land of promise.

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.”

"When it was told Laban on the third day," verse 22, "That Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 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.'" Now this is, again, fascinating. We've seen all throughout this passage the hand of God, and here we see the hand of God protecting his man even when his man doesn't know that he's in danger. He doesn't know that Laban is there. He doesn't know that Laban's pursuing him with intention to harm him.

But God speaks to Laban, intervenes somehow in a dream by night and communicates to this man. "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad." He just defends his man from afar. This is part of God just working in Jacob's life. Was this because Jacob was good? Was this because Jacob had it coming to him? Was this because Jacob was a Godly person? No. Jacob was still being sanctified. But what we see is that God was graciously blessing Jacob because he'd called Jacob and chosen Jacob.

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[t] 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.”

"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. And Laban said to Jacob, 'What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? 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? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 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. And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?'

Jacob answered and said to Laban, 'Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 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 these household gods."

Now, this meeting is fascinating. It's going to escalate in a moment. But Laban's first move is to say, "Look, I would have thrown you a party if you had just told me that you wanted to leave. I could harm you here today, by God or the God of your fathers has spoken to me telling me not to say anything to you, either good or bad." But then he asks Jacob, "But why did you steal my household gods?" Now, Jacob unwittingly puts Rachel under a potential death sentence when he says, "If anyone has your household gods, they shall surely die." He did not know that Rachel had taken these household gods. But again, the idea or the theme is that God is working behind the scenes to protect Jacob.

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.”

"So Laban," verse 33, "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. 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. 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." Now, Rachel here, she knows her father. She knows how he's going to react. She sits on the household gods that she puts inside of a camel's saddle and when her dad comes in, she says, "Dad, I'm sorry that I'm not rising, but it's that time of the month. It's my monthly period. And so I'm not going to get up." And he decides not to press the issue and leaves her alone, he cannot find these household idols.

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.”

"Then Jacob," verse 36, "Became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, 'What is my offense? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all of your household gods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen that they may decide between us two. These 20 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. 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.

There I was; by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These 20 years I have been in your house; I have served you 14 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.'"

Now, you can almost feel that Jacob has practiced this speech before. You learn quite a lot actually in this speech that he gives to Laban. You learn that he was ultimately there for 20 years, 14 for the wives, six more serving for Laban's flock. You learn that he had his wages changed by Laban 10 times. And of course the implication is, changed downward. He's not celebrating 10 successive raises. He's saying, "You've taken money away from me 10 separate times." He says, "When I was out there, if an animal died on my watch, I took it from my own account. I didn't report it back to you. I didn't behave like any of these other shepherds that you hire. I've been different. I was out there in the heat of the day, the cold of the night; I've worked so hard for you."

Again, you can imagine he has prepared this speech before. Out there as a shepherd, all alone, I'm sure there were plenty of times in those 20 years where he had told Laban off without actually telling Laban off. The whole thing here is precipitated by a false accusation. He says to Laban, "Where is my offense? Where are your household gods?" Jacob thinks that he is justified in this moment. It will only be later somehow some way that it's discovered Rachel has actually taken these household god, that's how Moses knows to record it in the story. He is wrong, he doesn't know that he's wrong, and he's livid with Laban. Now, you can understand his frustration, but you should also be cautioned against the danger of lashing out in self justification, especially if there's a chance that you don't know the whole story.

Covenant of Peace

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.”

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 daughters or for their children whom they have born? Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.' So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, 'Gather stones.' And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban said, 'This heap is a witness between you and me today.' Therefore he named it Galeed, and Mizpah, for he said, '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.'"

Now, Jacob didn't ask for this covenant to be made. This is Laban's request of Jacob. They take a pillar, they take a pile of stones, and it's meant to be a place that when people went to that border land, they would remember and recall that there's a covenant between these neighboring people, a covenant of peace.

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.”

"Then Laban said to Jacob, '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 and this pillar to me, to do harm. 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, 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. Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home."

And now this man, Laban, is off the scene. He's no longer a thorn in Jacob's flesh. God used Laban to chasten Jacob, but as we'll see in the coming chapters, there's still more work of sanctification that God is producing in Jacob's life. He's trying to bring Jacob to a place of surrender before God. And they make this covenant and Jacob concedes, "Yes, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, the fear of Isaac, I will respect him and therefore Laban will respect you." But again, I remind you. All through this passage, for all we might learn of good morals or of good marriage or of good family, because of the bad examples that are found in these chapters, we have to remember the ultimate story is that God is faithful in the midst of human chaos here in these chapters.

God bless you, church. Have a wonderful week.