Sermon Tone Analysis
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Genesis 31
Jacob flees from Laban to Canaan
A. Jacob has some disputes with Laban’s sons and it causes Laban to look at Jacob a little bit differently (31:1-16)
1. Jacob and Laban’s sons have a dispute
It wasn’t that Jacob had taken anything belonging to Laban
It was that his wealth was increasing in proportion to Laban’s wealth
The problem wasn’t that Jacob stole; it was that Laban’s sons were full of envy
Envy will always distort the truth.
Jacob hadn’t taken anything from Laban, but envy will lie.
When Laban’s sons saw that Jacob became rich, they viewed his wealth as essentially stolen, despite the fact that
a) Laban asked Jacob to name a price for his many years of service
b) That service resulted in great prosperity for Laban.
Jacobs wealth was entirely due to his own efforts and God’s blessing.
The Hebrew/Jewish people have always been envied because of God’s blessing upon them.
2. God tells Jacob to go back home v. 3
In the last chapter, God had already been dealing with Jacob about going back to Canaan
Then his present circumstances became unbearable
Then God was like gave him some personal direction to go and the promise was that He would be with Jacob.
Laban was delaying (again) Jacob
The enemy likes to strike up deals with you to delay you
The promise is this: Wherever God calls us to go, He will be with us!
He’ll never ask you to go somewhere where His presence won’t follow you
We can do anything He asks us to do!
3. Jacob explains the situation and his plan to his wives v. 4-13
Even though Laban tried to cheat Jacob, God protected him all the time.
God showed Jacob that He was greater and able to overcome what any man might do to him.
v. 13 - “I am the God of Bethel”
Think back.
Remember.
That’s what we’ve got to keep doing as we walk in faith.
Remember what God has done for us.
God told Jacob to go back to Bethel - back to the place where he had encountered the Lord in a personal way.
He was reminding Jacob of their encounter at Bethel many years before and of their mutual vows.
God vowed to provide Jacob protection, and Jacob vowed that if God followed through on that promise and brought him safely back to the land of his birth, God would be his God, and he would tithe his wealth.
“Get back to your first love and your first works.”
That’s what Jesus told the Church at Ephesus in Revelation 2
When we remember the ways the Lord has met us and the great works He’s done for us, God reminds us that He is still the same God who met our needs then and wants to meet our needs now!
4. Leah and Rachel support Jacob in his desire to move back to Canaan v. 14-16
Leah and Rachel are actually in agreement about something!
It would be a huge undertaking to move a large family so far.
But Jacob had the support of his wives.
B. Jacob’s flight from Laban 31:17-42
1. Jacob leaves without saying goodbye v. 17-21
I think Jacob intended a quick departure traveling as fast as possible.
It was a flex that his entire family could travel on camels.
God had already told Jacob to go and promised him safe passage.
I think he was little bit afraid of Laban, though
Maybe have acted a little bit out of the flesh
Rachel stole the household idols before she left
Why?
It could be that she worshiped these idols and didn’t want to be without them.
Maybe she didn’t want her father to inquire of them, using them as tools of divination to catch them
Maybe it was because such idols were often used as deeds to property and she thought this was taking whatever inheritance might be left to Laban’s children
Maybe she stole them to get back at her father, who she felt had mistreated her and her family
Maybe, just maybe, she was sold out to the one true God and she took them to keep her father Laban from idolatry (Jewish tradition)
More than likely she did it because she believed they would bring good fortune on the journey back to Jacob’s homeland.
She surely believed in the God of Jacob, but she might well have still believed in the power of the idols with which she grew up with.
Remember, she used mandrakes in Chapter 30 to get pregnant
So she was open to using Jacob’s God, but also the things in her father’s household
But the Bible makes it very clear: “God remembered Rachel” in Genesis 30:22 and that is when she conceived!
They were headed to the Mountains of Gilead
It was about 300 miles from Haran to the Mountains of Gilead
But the journey was longer and tougher psychologically than physically for Jacob.
He left the place of safety, where he lived in a comfortable servitude, to go to a place where God has called him.
But dangerous enemies were lurking in the direction he was headed…including his brother Esau who swore to kill him.
2. Laban pursues and catches Jacob v. 22-24
Laban didn’t find out about Jacob’s departure for three days (which means there had been some distance between the two households)
He catches him in the Mountains of Gilead
But God told Laban in a dream to leave Jacob alone
3. Laban meets and confronts Jacob v. 25-29
At this point, Jacob wasn’t very far from the Jordan River and the Promised Land.
Both Jacob and Laban are traveling QUICKLY
This took a lot of determination from Laban to catch up with Jacob.
He was BIG MAD.
First, he tries to shame Jacob with kindness:
“Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; I for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp?”
I think Jacob’s facial expression never changed and Laban was met with an unsympathetic response.
So Laban threatened him, (“It is in my power to do you harm”)
4. Laban accuses Jacob of stealing his teraphim and searches for them v.30-35
Jacob had no idea that Rachel had taken the idols
He proclaims innocence on himself and places a curse on the thief, not knowing it was Rachel
Rachel learned deceit from Laban
She sat on the idols
5. Jacob rebukes his father-in-law v. 36-42
I think this was probably about 20 years of anger coming out.
He’d probably been practicing this speech in the mirror!
Elaborate
C. Laban and Jacob make a covenant (31:43-55)
“All you see is mine” - Laban boldly said that everything Jacob had actually belonged to HIM
“But out of the generosity of my heart, I’ll let you have it.”
Laban viewed his daughters and grandchildren as rightful possessions
To him, Jacob was nothing more than a servant, entitled to his own freedom after years of service - but not to his wives, children, or flocks.
But he also understood how limited his options were
His daughters had free will, and they preferred to go with their husband, and he was facing the will of Jacob’s God, who wanted Jacob left unharmed to return with his family to the Promised Land
In this covenant, Laban expressed how suspicious he was of Jacob
The idea of Mizpah (watch) is “If you do wrong, God will see it and may He punish.”
In effect, the pillar of Mizpah meant, “If you come over on my side of this line, the pact is void and I will kill you.”
The covenant breaker would need God to take care of him, because the other would shoot to kill.
Mizpah was never meant to be a nice sentiment
A pillar of separation and a parting of their ways (v.
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