Jacob Flees from Laban

Story: Jacob Flees from Laban

Passage: Genesis 31

Characters: Jacob, Rachel, Leah, Laban

Summary: Jacob heard that Laban and his sons did not like him anymore. God told him to return home. He told Rachel and Leah tha God had told him to return. They said they had nothing left at home and Jacob could do what he wanted. They fled. Laban pursued. He wanted his idols back which Rachel had stolen. Jacob said he would kill whoever had the idols. Laban did not find them. Laban and Jacob made a covenant and Laban returned home.

Notes: Laban did not like Jacob. I doubt he ever really did. He just liked what Jacob did for him and he was no longer on the receiving end of this relationship. Jacob had served with all his strength for 20 years but Laban had continued to change his wages and take advantage of him. Jacob gave credit to God for blessing him and bringing him through his time with Laban. This is significant since he did not yet consider God his god. God referred to Himself as the God of Bethel, where Jacob had made Him a vow. This meant God was reminding Jacob of His promise to Jacob and their deal they had made. Rachel and Leah felt regarded as foreigners in their own home. Their dowry was meant to be used for them, but Laban had used it for himself. He was not providing for his daughters, so they had nothing tying them to home. They submitted to Jacob’s leadership through following God. They said “Whatever God has said to you, do.” This is a great example for how marriage should work. The wife is supposed to submit to the husband who is to submit to Christ. If the husband is following Christ, then by following her husband, the wife is following Christ. Rachel and Leah decided to follow Jacob because they knew he was following God. Rachel stole the idols. I assume she must have believed in worshipping them. She kept it secret though. The passage is specific enough to tell us that Laban took seven days to overtake Jacob’s three day lead. God told Laban not to talk to Jacob. He failed miserably! He claimed that he wanted to celebrate with Jacob and send him on his way. I think that this is dripping with deceit. Laban did not like Jacob anymore and would not have consented to letting him leave with his daughters. The missing idols were a good excuse to chase down Jacob. I find it interesting that the passage says he felt for the idols everywhere. This was a very thorough search. I find Rachel’s method of hiding the idols humorous. Claiming she was on her period and could not move is funny to me, but even funnier is that Laban did not question it and gave up. Jacob was angry and questioned Laban’s motivation for chasing them down. Laban said that everything he saw was his: the flocks, his daughters, his grandchildren. Laban still did not acknowledge that Jacob had earned his wealth but felt it was stolen. If Laban had his way, Jacob would have never had any wages. Laban does not want Jacob to marry again showing that he does have some respect for his daughters. Jacob offered a sacrifice to God, probably to thank him for letting him survive his encounter with Laban. Jacob called God the God of Abraham and Nahor and the Fear of Isaac. I find it interesting Jacob called the God he didn’t quite know yet the Fear of Isaac. Laban left for home.

Questions: Why did Rachel want the idols? Did Jacob ever find out she had them? What did the daughters think of their father Laban? Why did Jacob call God the Fear of Isaac?

Lessons: Leah and Rachel’s submission to Jacob is a great example for marriage. Husbands can learn from Jacob’s submission to the will of God, and wives can learn from Leah and Rachel’s submission to their husband as they knew he was following the will of God. We can also learn from Jacob giving credit to God for his blessing and protection and his submission to God’s will as a result. Everything we have comes from God and belongs to God. If we can remember that, it could transform how we approach our lives. Jacob’s obedience is significant as well because while God had blessed him, it had not been easy. He had spent twenty years of hard work constantly having to overcome unfairness from his employer, yet he still trusted God and tried to follow Him.