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RECONCILIATION BETWEEN JACOB AND LABAN

Chapter 31:22 - 55

The news of the escape of Jacob and his family took three days to reach Laban (see Chapter 30:36). He immediately joined his brothers (or sons?) and went in pursuit: no doubt he was very angry, because he considered that Jacob was fleeing with his daughters and grandchildren, as if they had been kidnapped, and had even robbed his household images.

He certainly planned to use violence against Jacob. But God intervened, appearing to him in dreams and warned him not to speak to Jacob either good or bad: that is, to refrain his tongue, so as not to seek to discourage Jacob from his purpose in returning to his homeland.

In a week he reached Jacob, and camped beside him on the mountain of Gilead (mountain of testimony), a mountainous region east of the Jordan River.

He made the following allegations when meeting him on the next day:

1. Deception and abduction of his daughters, by fleeing without giving notice. For the supposed folly of Jacob to be evidenced, he said he would have prepared a farewell party, if he knew he was leaving and would have kissed his daughters, grandchildren and granddaughter (He did not mention any gift!). It is common and easy to declare the good that we would have done if the circumstances were different! He boasted of being able to harm Jacob, but that he was prevented by the intervention of the God of Isaac in his favour: indicating that He was not his own God (he was an idolater, polytheist).

2. Theft of household idols. As we saw in the previous study, the idols were not only a kind of talisman, but also a symbol of heritage: Laban did not intend his inheritance to be passed on to Jacob, and the theft of the idols, therefore, was very serious in his eyes.

Jacob defended himself from the accusations of Laban by:

1. Admitting his fear that Laban would forcibly prevent him from taking his wives, daughters of Laban, with him, thereby forcing Jacob to remain there, because he would not go without them.And he certainly had every reason to think so, for he knew his father-in-law very well!

2. Permitting the execution of the person found to have the idols (he no doubt did not know that Rachel had stolen them), and allowing Laban to search his tents to see if there was anything there belonging to him.

Laban then made a thorough search through the tents. There were four: that of Jacob, Leah, the two maids, and Rachel, but Laban did not find the images because he was tricked by Rachel, who sat on them and refused to get up claiming to be going through her menstruation.

 

 

Although quiet and peaceful in character, Jacob could take no more of the behaviour of his father-in-law, and altercated with him, berating him for the insult of treating him like a thief. He recalled to Laban the honesty with which he had worked for him:

• ensuring the welfare of his animals, never killing any for his own food

• taking upon himself the damage caused by wild beasts or thieves, as Laban demanded

• suffering from heat, frost, and insomnia, he had worked for twenty years, fourteen of them in exchange for his two daughters, and six for his flock.

Moreover, we glimpse the greed and malice of Laban:

• requiring the payment by Jacob of damages for which he was not responsible, which to Laban meant a small cost, but was a huge expense to Jacob, who had nothing.

• changing the salary of Jacob ten times to reduce the payment he owed.

• forcing Jacob to work for him without pay, for fourteen years in exchange for his daughters in marriage - and Jacob only wanted one of them

• the Lord having prospered Laban because of Jacob, Laban nevertheless gave Jacob nothing for him or his daughters.

If it were not for the hand of God, Jacob would have been despatched now empty-handed, but God responded to his suffering and rebuked Laban in a dream on the night before he caught up with Jacob.

Laban had no answer to give to the explosion of Jacob, whether by pointing some fault on his part, or defending his own behaviour. Certainly his conscience must have accused him, but he preferred to change the subject, instead of admitting his injustice and apologizing.

Although he had treated his daughters as if they were strangers (v. 15), he declared them, and everything else that Jacob had, as being also his (not true, because Jacob had paid dearly for them, but Jacob did not discuss it). Then he proposed to do something for them and his grandchildren, in the form of a treaty between him and Jacob.

 

 

Jacob promptly took a stone and set it up as a pillar, as a monument to give concrete form to the treaty which was to be proposed by Laban, told Laban´s brothers to gather stones into a heap and they ate there on the heap. This was a ceremonial meal to seal the deal, and they called the place “Heap of Testimony” (Jegar-sahaduthain Aramaic and Galeedin Hebrew) and “Watch Tower” (Mizpah).

The treaty consisted of only two clauses:

1. Jacob pledged not to mistreat his wives, and not to take other wives besides them.

2. Jacob and Laban agreed not to cross the border, marked by the pillar and the column of stones, to harm one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laban swore in the name of the God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father (Terah. The capitalization of God in the English versions indicates that the translators felt Laban was referring to the one true God that Abraham came to know. However, since the Hebrew does not have upper and lower case letters, we can't tell if Laban might have been referring to the pagan gods which these men had worshiped in Ur). Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac—that is, the God whom Isaac feared. Isaac had never been an idolater. Jacob offered a sacrifice, then all ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain.

Laban finally parted from his descendants with kisses and blessed them, and returned home amicably. It is the last time we read in the Bible about him and his family, the descendants of Nahor.

R David Jones

22 And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23 Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days' journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead.
24 But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad."
25 So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead.
26 And Laban said to Jacob: "What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword?
27 Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp?
28 And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing.
29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.'
30 And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?"
31 Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.'
32 With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 And Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the two maids' tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's tent.
34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.
35 And she said to her father, "Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me." And he searched but did not find the household idols.
36 Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me?
37 Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both!
38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.
39 That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
40 There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes.
41 Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
42 Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."
43 And Laban answered and said to Jacob, "These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?
44 Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me."
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.
46 Then Jacob said to his brethren, "Gather stones." And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.
47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore its name was called Galeed,
49 also Mizpah, because he said, "May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.
50 If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!"
51 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me.
52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
53 The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us." And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain.
55 And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.

Genesis chapter 31, verses 22 to 55