Bible Study Online ArticleLocated at the Bottom of Page In the last article we discovered that the business relationship between Laban and Jacob had begun to go sour. Because of this Laban and his sons had became envious of Jacob.
To support this claim, the Sacred Record points out that Laban's sons had spoken between themselves, when it came to their displeasure of Jacob and his new established wealth: "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.'" -- (Genesis 31:1) But when it came to Laban he wouldn't say much. But his attitude and actions towards Jacob had sent a clear signal that he was no longer happy with the current business arrangement. Needless-to-say, Jacob would take notice when it came to the jealous behavior of his in-laws. Because of this, Jacob had become concern and decided to bring the matter up before his two wives Rachel and Leah. And after hearing all that Jacob had to say, the two women would find themselves in agreement with their husband, when it came to their father's behavior towards, not just Jacob, but towards them as well. And it would be because of these reasons that they decided it was time for them to leave and head out to Canaan - Jacob's homeland. Now briefly, I want to touch on the event that takes place while Jacob and his family were packing their things and readying themselves for their journey. This event deals with Rachel stealing her father's "household gods" while he was away shearing his sheep. Now personally I find this interesting, being that Rachel's husband (Jacob) believed in the Most High God. One can't help to wonder while asking the question: "Why would you still your father's "household gods," when you know about, and serve the Almighty God?" Now I'm asking the question, because normally when this account his preached and taught, Rachel gets ridiculed for stealing her father's idols. But upon closer review, something should be considered before we decide to cast judgment upon Rachel. First off, we have to understand that at this point from within the Sacred Record - God was only personally communicating with one person, and that person was Jacob. The things that Rachel and Leah knew, when it came to the Master Creator - would come from the limited information that their husband had personally shared with them. Also keep in mind that Rachel and Leah didn't know God in a personal way like Jacob did, so they still had the tendency to lean to their own understanding - for that's all they knew. Also keep in mind, that Rachel had acted on her own when she took her father's "household idols" and Jacob did not know of Rachel's plans, or actions, when it came to Laban's idols. Now let's take a look at something else... Depending on the translation you're reading, you'll find that some Bible translations calls the mentioned "teraphim" or "idols" as: images, manifest objects, statues, talismans or Penates (Roman deities known as "the inner ones"). Also keep in mind that the word "teraphim" is also associated with having a meaning that refers to "disgraceful things." The "teraphim" are also believed to be little small statues that were made in the shape of men. These statues would be worshiped as some type of "subordinate god" in which the worshiper thought that these statues would provide protection for their family. Know that when it came to the fallout between Jacob and Rachel's father and brothers, it shouldn't surprise us that she took these "household idols" thinking that they would protect in some kind of way when it came to her father. It's also presumed that the worshiper would look to these idols as some type of oracle? These "oracular practices" that the worshiper would indulge in, would consist with one consulting with the "teraphim" when it came to future events. This would also explain another reason, as to why Rachel would take the idols. With her beliefs and teachings when it came to the "teraphim" she could have believed that taking them, would perhaps, prevent her father from consulting with the idols when it came to him trying to find out about their whereabouts. Be that as it may, Rachel actions indicates that during this moment of great strife and uncertainty, she leaned towards her own understanding, instead of leaning on a "God" that she knew hardly nothing about. Know that she hadn't at this point developed the faith and trust that's needed, when it came to leaning on the Most High God. But to her credit, how could she? For she didn't know God personally like her husband did. In the next article we will take a look at the one mistake that Jacob made during his twenty year ordeal with Laban. Know that Jacob trusted and had faith and he knew God. But could his mistake have been that he limited his faith and didn't trust God all the way? **YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE** 56) <-CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE PAGE-> 57) Jacob's Mistake of Deception 62) Jacob & Esau - The Reconciliation 63) Dinah the Daughter of Israel  |
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