Leaving Laban, Genesis 31:1-18

Jacob has been in Haran with Laban for about 20 years.

He showed up when he was 77, so that means he’s no spring chicken, but doing pretty good for 97.

He’s about to embark on a 400+ mile journey with wives and kids, on camels.

Genesis 31:1
Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.”

What wealth?

Genesis 30:43 Thus, the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob’s cousins/brother in laws weren’t being so brotherly.

For fourteen years while Jacob was nothing more than a hired hand, working just for room and board, and the hand of their sisters, Rachel and Leah.

Then, they liked him.

Then, they were glad God blessed them because of Jacob.  

But when Jacob started building his own flocks, they got mad. They think Jacob’s eating their share of the pie. They want Jacob to make the pie, not eat the pie.

He’s stealing our inheritance!

Communism verses Free Enterprise System.

Laban and sons, liked sitting around doing nothing but feasting off Jacob’s hard work.

But when Jacob introduced the free enterprise system, and had initiative to really prosper, they thought his prosperity belonged to them.

2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.

Before. Laban loved that Jacob was blessed by God; admitting that God has blessed me, because of thee (Genesis 30:27).

God grants favor to the righteous (Psalm 5:12), thus He can also remove it, which at times is appropriate. Such as now.

You see, the Lord has been providing and preparing Jacob for change.

When God starts working in you, the same ol’ same ol’ ain’t so comfortable anymore. The folks who thought you were oh so awesome, now, not some much, some will even think you’re awful.

Not because you did something awful, or start acting like a jerk, but because you lift your eyes toward heaven, and start to rise and shine, from glory to glory.

With Jacob it went like this:

Laban and family were blessed by the Lord’s presence in Jacob’s life and they thought it was awesome.

All the while, about fourteen years, God was teaching Jacob hard lessons about sowing and reaping.

Jacob, you are reaping what you’ve sown because you allowed the world to conform you into what it called you; heel grabber, supplanter, deceiver, thief, cheat.

Do not believe the world’s lies about you, that you’re too old, stupid, poor, sick, crazy, diseased, all alone, useless…

Believe the Bible’s Truth about you.

You are a saint, chosen, sacred, set apart, holy, precious, wonderfully made, one of a kind you-nique, with Powerful Potential, a Divine Eternal Purpose, and you are oh so loved, dearly beloved.

But I’ve done some awful—

Listen Jacob. Those are things you’ve done; and they are just that. DONE. They are NOT who you are.

The Lord says to Jacob, and to you. I have a new name, a place, a purpose, a calling, just for you. This is not all there is.

Like Mufasa told Simba, in the Lion King, “You are more than you have become.”

So, after fourteen years, with his Bride Price debt paid, Jacob told Laban; I’m outta here.  Genesis 30:25-26.

But that was a bit impulsive. Jacob was broke. What would he do? Walk 400+ miles with four wives and nearly a dozen toddlers (11 kids under 7).

But God is not impulsive, He’s intentional. His methods are as a farmer, not a magician. He prepares the soil, plants the Seed, provides sunshine and rain and watches for harvest.

Laban said, please stay, whatever it takes. Name your wage. Genesis 30:27

This was an opening for Jacob to plant the seed God gave him in a dream. Genesis 31:11-12. ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

So, Jacob trusted God, planted the seed by telling Laban, he’d stay under one condition; that his wages be all the streaked, speckled and spotted. Genesis 30:31-33.

Laban agreed.

Jacob worked.

God gave the increase; with a bonus. He gave Jacob insight into animal husbandry, so far advanced that we, only in the last 3-4 decades, have come to understand. (Seeping peeled poplar, almond and chestnut branches, in water; Genesis 30:37-42).

And thus, Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. Genesis 30:43.

In a short summary analogy, it all looked like this:

Laban and crew were happy with the black and white TV Jacob gave them, until God taught Jacob how to make one in Living color.

Then, they weren’t happy with their black and white TV and wanted Jacob’s; claiming he stole it from them.

That’s what happened to the land of Israel, Mark Twain wrote in 1867, it was a barren waste land as if in sack cloth and ashes, nobody wanted it, until Israel showed up and turned it into a paradise in living color.

Now they say Israel stole the land, the very land God gave Israel, the barren streaked, speckled and spotted wasteland, that Israel restored to the land flowing with milk and honey.

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

Verse 1: Jacob heard. Verse 2: Jacob saw. Verse 3: The Lord said…

Now, after working for Laban twenty years. Fourteen years building a family, six years building a flock, the Lord sees that Jacob is finally ready for harvest.

It didn’t happen overnight.

God gives a dream, a promise, in seed form. Then, it takes time and work to grow.

Now, Jacob is bearing good fruit. It’s harvest time. Promotion time. Time to go home. To his Promise Land.

God tells him to go. Most importantly He tells him, I will be with you.

4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock,

Away from prying eyes and ears, they meet in Jacob’s office—the field by his flock.

He uses wisdom to explain the situation to Rachel and Leah.

5 and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

You father is against me, but my Father is with me.

6 And you know that with all my might I have served your father.

You know I wasn’t lazy, I worked hard and served him well.

7 Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.

I’m not the one who cheated and stole, your father is. This had to be bittersweet. Bitter in that his own father-in-law deceived him. Sweet in that he wasn’t the one doing the deceiving. I’m not the old heel-grabbing deceiver I once was.

This the 7^th time in 7 verses we’ve read the word, father.

Referring to three different fathers.

God the Father.

Isaac the Godly father.

Laban, the godfather.

No matter your father, whether Godly like Isaac, or a manipulative like Laban, there is a Father, who is always Good and loves you more than any father ever could.

He wants to adopt you into His family, be with you, show you His favor, protect you, provide for you, Love you, forever.

However, He won’t unless you want Him to. He kidnaps no one.

Jacob understood this and willingly received His provision and His protection, and explains all of this to Rachel and Leah.

8 If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked.

If Laban said this, God did that.

Despite your father’s ever changing position, my Father’s plan still prevailed.

9 So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.

I didn’t take anything from your father, God lifted His hand of blessing from him, and rested it on me.

As long as Laban was blessing Jacob, the household of Laban was blessed. That was about fourteen years.

But after Jacob’s debt was paid and Jacob started building his own flock, Laban’s family turned against Jacob, and in so doing stepped out from under the umbrella of God’s blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you. Genesis 12:3.

The surest way to a curse, is to curse Israel and curse God’s people, His Ekklésia, His Church.

Since the fall of man, the curse falls like rain on the whole earth. The only way out is to abide under the almighty umbrella of the Lord. Psalm 91.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse, that the blessing of Abraham may come upon us through Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:13-14.

10 “And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. 11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

The Lord told Jacob of things to come, and the reason; “for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.”

This was the seed the Lord gave Jacob; to provide for him, and prepare him, for his journey home, back to the Promise Land.

God will plant a seed, give you a dream, a vision, and then, He will prepare and provide, for your journey to fulfill the dream, the vision.

That’s what happened to Jacob, for six years he worked out his odd and unique sheep breeding program, and God worked out His Divine Eternal Plan for Jacob.

13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me.

It’s been 20 years since you anointed that pillar, since you made that vow.

Since you anointed that pillow with tears, and vowed, if You’ll just fix this one thing Lord, take this pain, save this child, deliver us, if only You’ll help me through this trial, I’ll serve You forever. I’ll never get into this mess again. I’ll follow hard after You, and never turn back.

The Lord says, I was with you then, I’m with you now, and I still remember that.

Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’”

Now arise! Arise from the dead, arise from regret, arise from shame, get out of this land, go to the land of your God given Divine Destiny, the land of the Living.

It’s time to go home, to your family, given by the Almighty.

Jesus asked, “Who is My family?” And after looking around at His disciples, He pointed at them and said, “Those who do the will of My Father, are My mother, sister and brother.” Matthew 12:48-50.

14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. 16 For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s…

There’s nothing left for us.

He treats us like strangers.

He sold us. Lord, we pause and pray for the horrific evils of human trafficking to come to an end.

What heartbreaking words to hear from any daughter.

Their earthly father sold them, and consumed for himself, what should’ve been theirs.

Yet, nothing escapes the hand or reach of your Loving Heavenly Father.

The Almighty and His Divine reckoning will balance all scales.

Next, Rachel and Leah, come together and utter perhaps the wisest (and bravest, and maybe the scariest) words a woman can say to her husband:

16… Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.

That’s got to take faith. What if he didn’t hear from God? What if he did but was jumping the gun?

Well, if it’s not contrary to Scripture, say those same words as Rachel and Leah, say them in faith, and then pray like crazy, and trust that God is more than able to reach your husband if he’s hearing wrong.

Jacob was hearing from God. He wasn’t jumping the gun. Remember, he stayed another six years after God first planted the seed about him leaving (verse 13).

Now, God has confirmed, and prepared and provided for the fulfillment of the mission.

17 Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels.

This was first class accommodations back in the day.

Did you know, camels can go 20-25 mph for up to 18 hours. They can speed up in short bursts to 40 mph.

18 And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

Just picture this crew.

Four wives with eleven kids under twelve years old.

Who’s the old guy? Grandpa?

Nope that’s dad. Jacob. He’s 97, and he’s heading back to his dad’s house.

From this unlikely bunch, plus one more from Rachel, today we have the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. And then, through the womb of a Jewish virgin named Mary, we have our Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

God did all that, with them.

Now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, You are all the time Good. Thank You for accepting us, and adopting us, into Your family. Lord, help us to leave our Laban, our old land, our old ways, and walk in Your newness of Life, abundant Life, the Promise Land You have for our lives. Thank You for giving us a Seed, a dream, a vision, and Your direction, to rise up and whatever You call us to do, we’ll do it.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

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