Lesson 68: Heading Back Home to Gilead Genesis 31:17 - onward.

Getting Back at Dad. 31:17-21

English Standard Version (Chapter 31)

17 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. 21 He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

This part of the chapter shows the determination of Jacob to leave Paddan-aram and get back to Canaan. The determination of the Jewish people to “get back” to Canaan. This mindset has carried over through the centuries and as in the last days the children of Israel will flock to their home land once again. The urgency to leave is heightened by the chance to high tail it while Laban is out in the field, shearing sheep. Jacob and fam are going to get out!

Before they leave, Rachel goes into her fathers tent and stole all of Laban’s collection of mint condition idols. (“Stole her father’s household gods- little g.”) Jacob has his family, his, livestock, personal property( chest of drawers and Elvis records- that kind of stuff), and the stuff that you acquire in life there in the territory of Aram. Jacob did not tell his father in law he was leaving. He intended to just flee (for his life.) Jacob pulled off the flight out of Paddan-aram under clear skies, crossed the might Euphrates river and “set his face towards Gilead.”

Jacob is Overtaken Near Gilead. Gen. 31:22- 30.

English Standard Version (Chapter 31)

22 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23 he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”25 And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead.

26 And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? 28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?”

We understand by our reading that Laban’s intention was to do them harm. We get the impression from here and last weeks passage, he was a Babylonian gangster of sorts.

But God,…verse 24. Laban is warned about doing anything nasty against Jacob, but he insists an chewing him out!. There is seven days of chase being instituted by Laban and he follows him all the way to Gilead. This is not the only time God has spoken to the pagan, Laban. Almost sounds like a rock group: Pagan Laban and the Kinsman!!! God said, don’t do anything to him good or bad! Verse 25 shows that Laban catches up with the fleeing family. Laban is thinking. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind that I can’t afford to lose!

At the overtaking, Jacob and clan were camped. Even Laban and his kinsmen were camped: they had an entourage of kinfolk ready to throw hands and ET Cetera. Now the verbal lashing begins:

What have you done?

Why have you tricked me

Why have you driven away my daughters like captives?

Maybe it was a little shady, to leave so fast, they never even got around to paying the paperboy his 62 cents for delivery of the Aram Daily News. They left post haste. We do not know how much distrust and abuse was in Laban’s pagan nature that Jacob was highly concerned about even getting away with his family, let alone their very lives. This is a highly emotionally charged dramatic environment of a Jewish guy getting away with the gangster’s daughters. What has he done? They were running for their lives because they knew Laban all too well.

The trickster and the fraud vs. 26- 30

Why did you trick me? Here is the king of tricksters and fraud, Laban getting his pride handed to him by God and by this non-professional, but highly skilled trickster of Jacob himself. The third question is an outright lie. Why dis you drive my daughters away . The truth is they left of their own accord because of the lying, cheating, fraud, and mischief that was perpetrated against his daughters all these years. They felt it was time for paybacks. While the timing of the fleeing may have been very good, the theft of Laban’s idols was his biggest concern, of course.verse 30. The word for idols is the word teraphim. It describes a smaller, certain type of idol that probably represented the way he made his fortune. It could have been an animal or god of the underworld. We are not told of the exact type, except this small idol was probably used for divination.

Laban’s is saying I wanted to throw a big party for a send off, but no one is buying that. They were expecting some fighting. One can only imagine the anger on both sides.

Jacob Responds With and Incomplete Perspective. 31:31-32

English Standard Version (Chapter 31)

31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

Jacob did not know that the household gods of Laban had been take. This was an incomplete picture. He is really putting his family on the line with his response. Did we have a little communication lapse? Yes we did! But was he expecting a fight? Yes he was.” I thought…you would take your daughters from me by force!” Then he says, anyone whom you find with your gods shall not live.” That was a brash remark that could have resulted in Rachel’s death. There was a pretty large crowd assembled for he says” in the presence of our kinsman, take what is yours.” Jacob was pretty confident there would be no loss.

Now we learn about the tension that lasted from Aram to Gilead. Big stuff. Big Feelings, big hurt, Stolen goods, idol worship madness and grown men making accusations right and left. Jacob is getting ready to let Laban have it in the kisser, but first Laban has to search the Jacob family tent. I would say there is not any trust between them, Laban probably has a bigger fighting entourage because he searches the tents with no problem. It’s not a beautiful day in the neighborhood and we will continue next week.