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The Genesis 31:30-42 passage continues the confrontation between Jacob and Laban. Jacob has now fled from his home twice. Once when he swindled the traditional blessing from his brother Esau, and now he has fled with the wealth he has legally acquired while working for his father-in-law. Jacob has realized it was time to go back to his real home with his entire family. While Laban was away, Jacob packed up everything that was legally his and left.
When Laban hears of Jacob’s departure, he was angry and chased the slow-moving caravan down to confront his son-in-law. Fortunately for Jacob, as we saw in last week’s devotional, God has abated much of Laban’s wrath before the encounter. Laban fired off a litany of questions at Jacob: “Why did you deceive me?” “Why did you sneak away?” “Why did you steal my gods?”
Jacob answered Laban in the same order of Laban’s questions, and pointedly described the manner in which Laban had treated Jacob for the past twenty years. Laban had prospered greatly by having Jacob on staff. Yet throughout this employment, Laban was always conniving and altering the terms that would best suit Laban.
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Yet most of this passage focused upon Laban searching for stolen property – written in the text as the teraphim, or “household gods.” The possession of these idols signified the headship of the family and they were often gifted to the eldest male son from the father. Unbeknownst to Jacob, Rachel has secreted them away. Jacob is so convinced of the innocence of his departure he declared “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live.” Had Jacob known he was potentially pronouncing a curse upon Rachel, he would never have uttered this oath.
Crafty Rachel concealed Laban’s prized possessions in a manner most likely to guarantee they remained hidden. Perhaps she wanted them in her family’s possession to signify Jacob was to be the head of the family and not one of her brothers. Regardless of her intentions, Jacob’s oath to Laban proved to be prophetic: “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live.”
These events were recorded so we could learn from her mistakes. Rachel did not sin only against her father, but also against God. Sin is the source of the calamities in this world, including illness, disease, birth defects and even premature death. Even the “little ones.” Sometimes the calamity is manifested within a short time frame. Rachel will discover this shortly. Sometimes it takes generations for the effects of sin to become apparent. Learning from Rachel, and knowing that every sin we commit against another is also a sin against God, which “little sins” we commit everyday can we avoid to help reduce this development? In the eyes of God, they all matter.
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Text By: Kyle Clark
Photo from: Lawrence O. Richards, The Bible Reader’s Companion, electronic ed. (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991), 42.
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