Verses 1-2 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
Gossip always travels back to the person being gossiped about, as was the case of Jacob. Now that he was accumulating some wealth and status after 20 years of servitude to Laban, the children of Laban were unhappy and believed that Jacob had been dishonest towards their father. More than likely, they were worried about their inheritance. And Laban’s attitude towards Jacob noticeably changed. Neither Laban nor his sons understood that God was honoring His promise to Jacob to bless and make him a great nation.
Application: It is human nature, unfortunately, to envy someone who is succeeding. This can be seen even in the Church of Jesus Christ. It should not happen. God blesses each believer differently, and some believers appear to have more earthly blessings than others. That should not be of concern to the true believer and servant of God. Gratefulness to the LORD is the attribute believers should be cultivating, and being glad for other believers when they are blessed should be the normal response of all believers. 1Timothy 6:8 states, “And having food and rainment (clothing) let us be therewith content.” Hebrews 13:5 commands, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” All true believers have been given the blessings of forgiveness of sins and adoption into the family of God with eternal life promised in the future. What more does one need?
Verse 3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
Jacob received his marching orders and the repeated promise of God’s presence in his life.
Application: Sometime believers becomes stuck in a pattern of existence where they neither want to change nor see a reason to change. Often, God allows the circumstances in life to become difficult so that they will make a move in another direction than the one they are following. When trouble and obstacles arise, seek to see if the LORD is attempting to move you out of the routine you are in and into another for the purpose of His glory and ministry.
Verses 4-5 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5 And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.
Here is an example of the family leader discussing the situation with his wives: a family meeting. Again, the reader can see that the male of the family was not just going to make decisions and order his wives to follow his leadership. Jacob went to his wives at the first opportunity to share his concerns with them and to receive their opinions on the situation. They were equals when making major decisions that would effect their family and the future.
Verses 6-9 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. 9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.
Jacob laid out the situation clearly and concisely and gave the credit for their change in fortune to God. He recognized that it was God who was restraining Laban and his sons from harming him. Jacob also admitted that it was God who had the power to provide the multicolored cattle and not the rods that Jacob had set in the troughs.
Application: Note that the deceiver, Jacob, had become the deceived. Believers are saved from sin, spiritual death, and the punishment of eternal Hell. They are not saved from the foolishness of their actions. They will reap the consequences of any thoughts or actions that are not according to the character and will of the LORD. God uses the consequences to correct His people. Notice the number 10 in verse 7. Ten is the number of worldly government and seven is the number of divine perfection. Laban in the world was governing Jacob’s physical life. He was not free. During his servitude, however, the LORD was perfecting Jacob’s character and teaching him a few lessons.
Verses 10-13 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. 11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.
Jacob revealed his dream to his wives so that they would understand that it was the LORD’s will that they leave Haran and Padanaram and go to Jacob’s family in Canaan.
Verses 14-16 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. 16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.
These verses reveal the sisters’ feelings towards their father. It appears that they resented being “sold” for profit and that they believed their father had taken any inheritance from them. In their eyes, anything that Jacob now had was theirs and their children’s and they were willing to leave their homeland.
Verses 17-18 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; 18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
The reader will have to use their imagination to picture what a difficult task this would have been. Think of a Western cattle drive and all the dust that was kicked up by the critters and the drovers and all the preparation needed to feed a family of sixteen plus all the servants on the trail back to Canaan. The fact that Jacob was able to leave unnoticed was indeed a miracle.
Verses 19-21 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. 21 So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.
Gilead means “rocky region” so it can be imagined that this mountainous area was indeed rocky. It was a region that bordered on the Jordan river and on the land of the Moabites and the Ammonites. Remember that these people were the descendants of Lot by his two daughters, making them distant relatives of Jacob.
Scripture is not clear as to why Rachel stole her father’s images. These were family idols, so perhaps she just wanted to have them for her family, or perhaps she just wanted to irritate her father. These idols would have been worshiped as gods.
Application: Rachel and Laban are Biblical examples of many believers today. They knew the God of Jacob and acknowledged His power and influence in their lives, and yet they had idols that represented demon gods who were also worshipped. They sat on the fence, so to speak, and had one foot in the camp of God and one foot in the camp of Satan. This is what James refers to in the New Testament book of James as a double-minded man. Believers will go to their church and support ministries and then give money or time to ungodly institutions or pursuits. This cannot continue. Sooner or later, the believer will have to make the decision to fully be in the LORD’s camp or to fully be in the Devil’s camp. That decision will determine their eternal destiny.
Verses 22-23 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. 23 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.
All kinds of things happened in the Bible on the third day. Jesus resurrected from the bondage of physical death on the third day. The report of Jacob’s release from physical bondage reached Laban on the third day. And the number 7 is seen again as Jacob and his family were under God’s divine protection when Laban caught up with them at mount Gilead.
Application: The Bible is not just a bunch of books written and combined in a haphazard manner. Every word is important and the numerical continuity of the Scripture is a sign that the entire work was written by divine inspiration and not by men using their own skills and intelligence. The Bible is the LORD’s love letter to man and it can be trusted as a source of truth and instruction.
Verse 24 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
This verse is another proof that Abraham and all his descendants were Syrian and not from any of the other nations that developed after the Flood. Even though Laban worshiped other gods, God Almighty appeared to him in a dream.
Application: God does not change. Just as He appeared to people that did not walk with Him, so He can appear to unbelievers today. He is the One managing the affairs of men, and He can use the unbeliever to accomplish His will as well as the believer. This will be seen later in the book of Daniel where God used unbelieving kings to fulfill prophecy.
Verses 25-28 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword? 27 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? 28 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.
Even though Laban had been warned by God to remain neutral in his communication with Jacob, he did not miss the opportunity to chastise him for his actions. It is doubtful that he and his sons would have thrown a going away party for Jacob, his wives and his children, but Laban wanted to make Jacob feel guilty. Where did Laban get his authority to accuse Jacob of acting foolishly when Jacob was obeying God?
Application: When acting in the will of God, it is not uncommon for others to accuse the believer of being foolish and to even cause the believer to doubt that he/she has really heard the LORD. This is a tactic of the Devil and it can be seen here in the life of Jacob. Going back to the garden of Eden, remember Satan asked Eve if God really said what He had said to her. Be aware of this tactic.
Just a reminder that in the Hebrew language there is no word for grandchildren or great grandchildren and so the word is always translated as son or daughter instead of grandson and granddaughter. The King James Bible is a word by word translation and not a thought translation. Therefore, each Hebrew word was translated into the most accurate English word available.
Verses 29-30 It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 30 And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?
The reader may wonder what was more important to Laban: his daughters and grandchildren or his gods.
Verses 31-32 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. 32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.
Jacob was not careful in his words regarding the stolen gods. Had Rachel been found out, she could have been killed.
Application: The believer needs to be careful what he/she says to others. The whole situation may not be known, as was the case with Jacob believing the stolen gods were not in his camp, and promises or statements may be made that the believer cannot escape from when the truth is known.
Verses 33-35 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. 35 And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.
The word “custom” means “manner”, and Rachel was saying that she was experiencing her monthly menstrual bleed and therefore could not stand up from whatever she was sitting on. Rachel was following in the family trait of deception and lies.
Application: Children learn best by watching their parents and other adults in their lives. They will develop the same behaviors, good or bad, that they see exhibited by these adults. When Jesus commanded His followers to be perfect as He was perfect, perhaps He had the welfare of the next generation in mind. Think about it.
Verses 36-42 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? 37 Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both. 38 This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. 39 That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. 41 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. 42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
Jacob finally found his strength and his voice and rebuked the bully in his life with truth. Nothing he said in these verses was untrue. The Hebrew word for “chode” is “riyb” and it means to plead, strive or debate. Jacob brings God into his argument and refers to Him as the God of both his father and of Abraham. He does not refer to God as being his God. He also reminds Laban that Isaac is still alive and a force to be reckoned with.
Verses 43-44 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born? 44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
Laban and Jacob resolved their differences with a covenant or agreement.
Verses 45-47 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap. 47 And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.
Jegar-sahadutha means “witness heap”. Galeed also means “witness heap” in Hebrew.
Verses 48-50 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed; 49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. 50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.
Another name, “Mizpah” was added and it means “watchtower”.
Verses 51-55 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; 52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. 53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. 55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.
The covenant formed required that neither men cross over the line that the heap of stones identified or harm could ocurr. Jacob and his wives would never see Laban again.