Genesis 31

Genesis 31 continues the saga of Jacob and Laban.  God comes to Jacob and tells him to get out of town.  Jacob calls his wives to the field and reviews the history – Laban has mistreated and cheated him for many years but “the God of my father hasn’t changed; he’s still with me”.  God has told him to come back to his homeland.  In spite of all the intent to cause pain and hurt, Jacob declares that “God never let him really hurt me”.  God has been faithful and it is time to leave.  I think Jacob was concerned that Rachel and Leah would be willing to go with him, but they confirm Jacob’s feelings about being mistreated and are ready to load em up and move em out.  So they do – they pack the kids on the camels, grab the flocks and head out.  Laban and his boys are off somewhere working so they don’t even know it happens until three or so days later.  Then he rallies his troops and takes off after them.  They catch up a week later in the Gilead mountains where Jacob’s family has pitched their tents.  It is time for the showdown at the Gilead corral.

There is the expected finger pointing and accusations from both sides.  Some things are so predictable.  Whenever there are two people involved, there are at least two sides to the story.  That is true here where Jacob is convinced he has been wronged and Laban is irritated that he has been cut out of what he thinks are his rights as father.  They have some tense moments and finish their mud slinging by creating a truce and building an altar or marker out of a pile of stones setting up a dividing line and coming to agreement on treating each other correctly going forward.  They sacrifice and make an agreement and worship together.  The next day Laban gets up, kisses the grandkids and his girls, and heads back home.  But the rest of the story is that it wasn’t really the way he had planned for it to go when he took off in pursuit.  You see “God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, “Be careful what you do to Jacob, whether good or bad”.   Laban had intended to do bad to Jacob or why else would he have chased him for a week.  It wasn’t for a social visit.  But God is faithful to his promises a couple generations back to Abraham, and Jacob is the blessed one in this story.  God is in control.  God is keeping score.  God does know what is going on.  We need to make sure we have God smack dab in the center of everything we are and do.  That is the only way to live.