LEAVING HARAN

BOOK OF GENESIS

CHAPTER 31

            Look who has joined us for another slice of Daily Bread.  Glad ya did ... We’re well into the middle of the book of Genesis now and we’re finding out about the life of Jacob. He has been living with his Uncle Laban while in hiding from his brother Esau, who is enraged because Jacob overtook his inheritance and his blessing.  He’s been there for at least 14 years now and Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel are his wives.  He is ready to leave Haran to go back to his homeland, where God promised he would return.  Laban doesn’t want him to leave because the Lord has blessed Laban since Jacob arrived.  Jacob has eleven sons and one daughter now and wants to have his own place and increase his family for God instead of working to increase Laban’s wealth. 

            Jacob struck a deal with Laban about remaining with him for a while longer.  He agreed to stay on and raise Laban’s livestock if he could separate the spotted and speckled animals and the brown sheep for his payment.   Any newborn livestock that were speckled or spotted and any sheep that were brown would become Jacobs.  With the Lord’s help, Jacob found a way to multiply and strengthen the spotted and speckled livestock while Laban’s animals remained few and feeble.  Laban was a little disturbed and his attitude toward Jacob turned sour.

            When Jacob had been in Haran for twenty years, the Lord talked to him saying, Go back to the land of your fathers and your family and I’ll be with you. 

            In secret Jacob said to Leah and Rachel, Your father’s feelings toward me have changed, but God has been with me.  You know that I worked honestly for your father, and he changed my payment ten times these last six years, but God didn’t allow him to hurt me.  If Laban said the speckled will be your payment, then all the newborn cattle were speckled and if he said the striped will be your payment then all the newborn were striped.  So God took away all your father’s cattle and gave them to me.  And God told me to leave here and go back to the land of my fathers.

            Leah and Rachel wanted to leave with Jacob.  They said that they were strangers in their father’s house being as he had sold them and spent all their inheritance too.  But before they left, Rachel had stolen some false idol figurines that were Laban’s.

            Then without Laban knowing it, Jacob left with his children, his wives, his flocks, his herds and all that he owned and set out to go back to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

            It was three days later when Laban learned that Jacob had left.  With his brothers, Laban followed after Jacob for seven days.  God came to Laban in a dream and told him to be careful not to speak to Jacob either good or bad.  When he caught up to Jacob in the mountain of Gilead, Laban asked, Why did you leave without telling me and take my daughters like hostages?  I could have made a going away celebration, but you didn’t even let me kiss my daughters and my grandchildren good-bye.  You’ve acted foolishly and I have the right to punish you, but last night the God of your father told me not to speak good or bad to you.  I know you feel like you need to go and you’re homesick, but why did you steal my gods?

            Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had taken the images.  He answered, I left secretly because I thought you wouldn’t let me take Leah and Rachel with me.  As for your gods, whoever you find them with, let him die.  In front of our brothers, if you find that I’ve taken anything of yours, take it.

            Laban searched Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s, and the two maidservant’s tents, but he didn’t find them.  Then he went into Rachel’s tent.  Rachel had hidden the idols in the camel’s saddle and was sitting on it.  She said to her father, Please don’t be offended that I don’t get up, but I’m not well.  Laban didn’t find the images. 

            Jacob grew angry and snapped at Laban, What did I do that you want to accuse me of so badly?  You have searched everything I have, and what have you found of yours?  Prove it here in front of our brothers so they can judge between us.  For twenty years now I’ve been with you and I haven’t eaten anything I didn’t earn.  Whatever was killed by beasts, I didn’t tell you, but paid for it out of my own pocket whether it happened in front of your own eyes or in the dark of night.  In the daytime, the heat exhausted me and I didn’t sleep in the cold of night.  For twenty years I served you, fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for the cattle and you’ve changed my wages ten times.  If it wasn’t for God and your fear of Isaac, you would’ve sent me away with nothing.  But God knows my suffering and the labor of my hands, and He warned you last night.

            Laban said, These are my daughters and my grandchildren, and these are my cattle and all that you see is mine.  But what can I do for them?  Let’s make an agreement between us.  They built a pillar of stones and Laban said, This heap of stones is a sign of our agreement.  The Lord watch between you and I when we are apart.  If you ever hurt my daughters, or if you take other wives beside them, may God judge between us.      

            This pillar of stones between us is a witness and a landmark that I will not pass over it to you and that you will not pass over it to me to do each other harm.  The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.  And Jacob promised earnestly.  Then he offered a sacrifice and they all ate bread and stayed all night in the mountain of Gilead. 

            The next morning Laban woke up and kissed his daughters and his grandchildren, blessed them and went back to his home in Haran.

            So, what started out as a departure on bad terms turned out to be peaceful because of God’s encouragement.  You won’t want to miss our next story when Jacob continues his journey home and finds himself having a wrestling match with ... God!

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