genesis 31:22-42
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A Prophetic exodus
A Prophetic exodus
INTRO
The Gospel is so sweet
and it is really a rescue story
its the story of How we were imprisoned by our sin
and How God called us out of sin
and into His kingdom…
That day that you asked Jesus to be your savior
is the day that you were set free from the curse and penalty of sin
no let me ask you a question....
Q. As a christian does the enemy still pursue you?
Q. As a christian , doesnt your God continue to be with you
and protect you..
today we are going to see a prophetic picture of the exodus out of Israel
which is also a beautiful picture of the Gospel
to recap, Jacob has fled from the opression of his uncle laban
And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. 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.”
laban finds out 3rd day
it took laban 7 days to catch him
in mountain of giliead
but wouldnt you know
God protected jacob
Warned Laban in a dream
be careful with how you deal with Jacob.... warning
genesis 31:25-30
So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. 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? 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? And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. 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.’ And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?”
We get this recap of sorts
Laban has overtook Jacob and has made his accusations
you have stolen from me
you have kidnapped my daughters by the sword
and let me tell you how ridiculous this is ....
and you have secretly departed —cunning , tricky…
He goes on to absolutely lie
in saying He would have sent them off with a party and singing and joy
Laban already refused to let them go…
however He was upset that he couldnt say goodbye to his daughters and grandkids…
Laban finishes his rant with a proclemation!!!
I should do you harm… stealing capitol offense
but what
But God .....
He protected Jacob
and laban refers to the dream he had the night before
God tells him be careful how you speak with Jacob....
but Laban still has a genuine question to ask…
He is like I know that your God protects you but…
Why did you steal my Gods
and so jacob is posed with the question,
Why did you leave and
why did you steal from me
Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’ 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.
Jacob genuinely answers the first..... you were being unreasonable and I was afraid…loosing my family....
the second question laban asks, Jacob is unaware of
and tells laban .... check and kill me if you find your idols on me
and kill anyone who would dare steal from you....
yet he didnt know that rachel had stolen them
genesis 31:33-35
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. 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. 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.
LAban goes on the search and can not find his idols
he goes on to each tent with anticipation...
if He could just find the idols
He would have an upperhand on Jacob
yet despite rachels deciet
laban is unable to find them
Rachel hides them in the camels saddle
and sits upon the camel…
And when it is time for her to greet her father
she gives the excuse of her period
Honestly pretty smart…
yet very decietful
He cant find them and this shows the utter uselesness of his gods…
in contrast do you know what happened when the phillistenes stole the ark of the covenant ....
plagues and destruction of their idols …
Here the decietful Rachel successfully gets away with stealing
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? 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! 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. 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. There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. 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. 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.”
Jacob rebukes Laban pretty hard
and he explains how Laban has opressed him for 20 years
isaiah 1:17
Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
God has certainly rebuked the opressor and defended Jacob
Without God
Laban would have certainly dealt with jacob harshly
but God defended him and rebuked him in the dream
essentially protecting him
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?
stop right here
no they are not
wife leaves father and cleaves to husband
flocks were jacobs according to their agreement
Laban is grade a con man
Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed, also Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. 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!” Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. 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. 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. 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. And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
The tension has met its high point
and they decide to part ways
jacob has escaped the wrath of Laban because Laban was afraid of the wrath of God
and we know the fear of God is healthy
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
they set up a pillar and made an agreement
you dont come my way for harm
I dont go your way
and then JAcob worships God with a sacrafice
and here we see a beautiful picture of God
leading Jacob out of opression and
on his way back to the promise land ....
Now how does this look like a prophetic exodus .....
We were opressed by sin
We were opressed by sin
in the same way Jacob was opressed by Laban
working 20 years and being miserable
mirrors the opression of Israel in egypt --- slaves to sin
Sin opresses you
puts you in a spiritually dead place
This is where we all are prior to giving our life to Christ
opressed by Sin
but then we were called out by God
We were called out of our sin
We were called out of our sin
We see How Jacob is in a helpless place
but GOD calls Him to get up and leave
and promises I will be with you…
God has put it in our hearts to leave the opression of sin
to turn away from the world
and to follow Him in Christ Jesus
and just like the promise to Jacob
God says I will be with You.....
and when you make the decioson to follow Jesus
its not easy… there is a cost
but you can know
God saves and protects us
God saves and protects us
having faith in Jesus means that you listen and follow Him
when you put your faith in Christ
you go on the journey to the heavenly kingdom
and as you pass hrough this world
you will have the opressor hot on your trail....
Satan is your accuser
but God is your protector from sin and your accuser
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
we can trust that God is our shelter
and when satan comes after us
we must understand his mission....
it is to make you feel unworthy, and not good enough for God
This is when you take a page from Jacob and Rebuke that accusation!!!!
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
The devil spends day and night accusing christians before God
but at the same time
Jesus intercedes for us day and night
when satan accuses you
Jesus says I died for you.
that sin satan accuses you of has been crucified on the cross
and you are loved and accepted by God on the basis of grace
let that lead you into a life devoted to Christ
Once God leads you out of the opression of sin
you must know
He will defend you until the day He brings you to Glory…
God is our defender
and He will protect us until the day we reach the promise land.
