Bible Study Online Article
We have now come to the souring point within Jacob's and Laban's business relationship. Feeling like Jacob had deceived their father, Laban son's had become envious and ill-natured towards him. Laban son's had made the claim that Jacob had taken all the wealth that had belonged to their father. "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father," Laban sons would say amongst themselves. But Jacob did not take all the wealth that belonged to their father, for Laban still had his flocks that Jacob had built up over the past fourteen years. He sent most of those flocks with his son's in which they were to manage. He placed a three day journey between them and Jacob, leaving the promise bearer with a small herd to work with. But it was the increases that they were referring to. Jacob had received most of the increases based off the new business deal that he and Laban had agreed to. So therefore, Jacob's flocks grew tremendously and Laban's flocks had stayed stagnate. It was these increases over the past six years that Laban son's were upset over, and they felt like those increases belonged to their father. But Laban knew that he was taking some kind of risk, by agreeing to this new deal. He felt like the risk was small and thought that things would go in his favor (like they always had), nevertheless, it was still a risk and Laban would pay a heavy price for taking it. But his agreeing to this deal did not stop Laban from following the attitudes of his son's. Although he wouldn't say much, he too, would begin to treat Jacob differently; so much so, the promise bearer would take notice. "I see that your father's attitude towards me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. You know that I've worked for your father with all of my strength, yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages often. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me," Jacob would tell his wives Rachel and Leah. The promise bearer would continue to tell them about the dream that he had during the breeding season. "In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating wit the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' And He said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your nativeland.'" Jacob wanted them to know that his prosperity was not necessarily by his own doing; it was by the hand of the Lord that he is now a wealthy man. After Rachel and Leah had heard all that Jacob had to say, they responded by saying. "Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you," the two would tell their husband. So after they had their complaint session, we are told that Jacob had loaded his children and wives unto camels. The promise bearer would drive his livestock ahead of him along with all that he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, in which he would begin to make the journey back to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. In the meantime before Jacob and his family had departed from Laban's household, we are told that Rachel had stolen her father's household gods while he was away shearing the sheep (more on this in the next article). "Moreover Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away." (Genesis 31: 20) This would seem to be the mistake that Jacob had made during this whole ordeal with Laban. By him not telling his father-in-law that he was leaving, the scriptures tell us he was deceitful in that regard when it came to him leaving Laban's household. So he fled with all that he had, and crossing the river, he headed for the hill country of Gilead.
Start at: Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty 55) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 56) Rachel the Thief 57) Jacob's Mistake of Deception 62) Jacob & Esau - The Reconciliation 63) Dinah the Daughter of Israel  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites!
|
