Sermon Tone Analysis

Wednesday July 12, 2006

Genesis: Genesis 30:25-36-Laban Agrees to Jacob’s Proposal

Lesson # 177

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 30:25.

This evening we will study Genesis 30:25-34, which presents to us the record of Jacob’s proposal to Laban regarding flocks, which Laban agrees to.

We will also note Genesis 30:35-36, which records Laban’s mistrust of Jacob.

As we noted in Genesis 28:10-15, the Lord promised Jacob His presence and protection while he was in Paddan Aram.

In Genesis 29:31-30:24, we saw that the Lord has prospered Jacob in the sense that He has given him eleven sons and one daughter while in Paddan Aram.

Therefore, in this passage, we see the Lord building Jacob’s house but in Genesis 30:25-43, we see the Lord building Jacob’s property.

Proverbs 27:23-27 teaches that one should prudently build up his property before his family, but Laban has prevented Jacob his own nephew from acting prudently.

Proverbs 27:23-24, “Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds; For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations.”

Proverbs 27:25-27, “When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, the lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats will bring the price of a field, and there will be goats' milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and sustenance for your maidens.”

During the first seven years of their marriage contract, Laban should have allowed Jacob to prepare his own household but instead he left him with nothing.

Now we see in Genesis 30:25-43, Jacob building up his own property without the help of Laban.

Genesis 30:25-43 takes place over the last six years of Jacob’s exile in Paddan Aram (See Genesis 31:41).

So this evening we will note Jacob’s proposal to Laban regarding flocks that is recorded in Genesis 30:25-34 and Laban’s mistrust of Jacob that is recorded in Genesis 30:34-36.

Genesis 30:25, “Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, ‘Send me away that I may go to my own place and to my own country.’”

Genesis 30:26, “Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.”

Jacob requests that Laban let him leave and go back home to his father in Canaan since he has fulfilled his fourteen year marriage contract (See Genesis 29:41; 31:41).

All told, Jacob will spend twenty years in Paddan Aram with Laban according to Genesis 31:38.

Jacob worked seven years for Rachel but Laban deceived him and sent Leah into his tent on his wedding night (See Genesis 29:21-25).

After Jacob voiced his displeasure over Laban’s deception, Laban proposed that Jacob work another seven years for Rachel, which he agreed to (See Genesis 29:26-30).

So all told, Jacob worked fourteen years for both Leah and Rachel.

The conversation between Laban and Jacob that is recorded in Genesis 30:25-34 takes place after he has fulfilled the seven years of service to Laban to secure Rachel as his bride.

Therefore, Jacob has been in Paddan Aram for fourteen years when the events of Genesis 30:25-43 are recorded.

Genesis 30:25 implies that Rachel gave birth to Joseph at the end of the fourteen years of Jacob’s labor to Laban.

Jacob had eleven sons at this time and one daughter, all of whom were born during the last seven years.

Of course, the children were born of four different mothers (Leah, Bilhah, Rachel and Zilpah), but still it shows that the succession of births went much more rapidly than the story would suggest.

Now, that Jacob has fulfilled his contract with Laban, thus paying for his two wives, he then asks Laban to let him go home with his wives and children.

As before, after the first seven years of service were concluded, it was Jacob who had to remind Laban of the agreement made.

Just as Jacob had to remind Laban that it was time for him to fulfill his end of the contract and give Rachel to him as his wife (29:21) so Jacob must remind Laban again that he has fulfilled his end of the contract for Rachel and thus seeks his release so that he might return to his homeland and family.

Laban had not lost count but had intentionally not taken the initiative in reminding Jacob that his seven years of service for Rachel were concluded since he was not ready to let his son-in-law go because he recognizes that he has been blessed by God due to his association with Jacob according to Genesis 30:27.

Several factors would have contributed to Jacob’s desire to leave.

First, his attitude toward Laban would not have been positive at this point since Laban had deceived him by sending Leah and not Rachel into his tent on his wedding night, thus delaying his return to the land of Canaan seven years longer than he had expected.

Undoubtedly, Jacob wanted to return home to his family.

Also, Jacob would be itching to leave Laban because the Lord had promised him that he would someday return to the land of Canaan (28:10 22).

Jacob demands that Laban release to him his wives and children since he has fulfilled his end of the contract by paying the “bride-price” for both Leah and Rachel through his fourteen years of service for Laban as payment.

The “service” to which Jacob is referring to is of course, the fourteen years that he served Laban, which constituted the “bride-price” or the payment to secure both Leah and Rachel as his wives.

The “bride-price” refers to the compensation paid to the family of the bride for the loss of the bride’s presence and services and her potential offspring and would demonstrate proof to Laban’s family that both Leah and Rachel would be well cared for by Jacob.

The “bride-price” must not be confused with a “dowry,” since the latter was provided by the bride’s family whereas the former was provided by the groom.

Genesis 30:27, “But Laban said to him, ‘If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account.’”

Laban’s polite and flattering response to Jacob’s demands indicates that Laban acknowledges that indeed Jacob has fulfilled his responsibility in the contract to marry Rachel and Leah.

Laban’s flattering response to Jacob’s demands reveals that Laban acknowledges that he has been blessed by the Lord due to his association with Jacob.

“I have divined” is the verb nachash (vj^n*) (naw-khash), which does “not” mean “to practice divination,” since God would never communicate to Laban by this evil means.

Divination presumes that other spiritual forces control the world and are therefore not under God’s sovereign authority and was prohibited in Israel since it causes people to trust in evil demonic forces instead of trusting in God.

Leviticus 19:26, “You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying.”

Therefore, the context indicates that the verb nachash means that Laban “discerned through circumstances” that he had been prospered by God on account of Jacob since prior to Jacob’s arrival he had not been prospered.

Laban’s reference to God as Yahweh, “Lord,” was merely a case of Laban accommodating himself to Jacob’s references to God.

Just as the Philistine kings had to acknowledge God’s blessing on Abraham (21:22) and Isaac (26:28-29), so Laban has to acknowledge God’s blessing on Jacob and thus he has by association with Jacob, been blessed.

Genesis 30:28, “He continued, ‘Name me your wages, and I will give it.’”

Laban was willing to make almost any bargain with Jacob that would keep him working for him since he profited so much from Jacob.

Seven years prior Laban let Jacob name his own wages and had gotten the better end of the bargain and now he does the same by letting Jacob name his own wages.

All Jacob would have to do is name his price and Laban assured him that he would meet it, if Jacob would only keep working for him.

Since Laban had no other daughters to offer Jacob, the agreement between himself and Jacob would have to be an actual payment of money or property.

The latter of which they agree to, but of course later on we see that Laban had no intention to let Jacob leave with any property according to Genesis 31.

Laban’s statement “name your wages” reveals that he is always occupied with money and echoes the first deal that he made with Jacob and anticipates that he intends to deceive Jacob once again.

This statement also indicates that Laban is proposing a change of status for Jacob, going from an indenture servant to a partner since he lets Jacob name his terms and yet it reveals that Laban views his relationship with Jacob on a purely economic level rather than a blood relationship.

The fact that Laban lets Jacob name his terms provides Jacob an opportunity to build his estate and provide for his family so that he does not leave for home penniless.

Genesis 30:29, “But he said to him, ‘You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.’”

Genesis 30:30, “For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned.

But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?”

The possession of livestock in the patriarchal period was a sign of wealth.

The little Laban had has now multiplied because of Jacob’s service on behalf of him.

In Genesis 30:29-30, Jacob drives the point home to Laban that he had been prospered by the Lord because of being associated with him.

Jacob’s statement “you yourself know” emphasizes that Laban is well aware of the fact that he has been prospered by the Lord due to his association with Jacob since prior to his arrival in Paddan Aram, Laban was not prospering.

Jacob’s statement “the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned” means that Laban was blessed by association with him and is an expression of his humility in that he ascribes these blessings to God, acknowledging that the Lord has been fulfilling His promises to bless him while in exile (See Genesis 28:10-13).

By making this statement Jacob is giving glory to God by bearing witness to Laban that the Lord is the cause of his increase in wealth and not himself.

Though, Jacob states that he was faithful and honest in his service to Laban, he still points out to Laban that the Lord was the ultimate cause of his increase of livestock.

Now, in Genesis 30:31-33, Jacob names his terms.

Genesis 30:31, “So he said, ‘What shall I give you?’

And Jacob said, ‘You shall not give me anything.

If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock.’”

Laban’s question to Jacob, “what shall I give you” sounds reasonable but it is actually a question used to deceive Jacob since later on we see that Laban had no intention of letting Jacob leave with anything of his.

Jacob’s response to Laban’s question, “You shall not give me anything” reveals not only that he has learned by experience that the Lord would provide for him what he needed but also that Jacob did not wish to be indebted to Laban who he has learned through experience was a selfish, deceptive and wicked schemer.

Therefore, in Genesis 30:32-33, Jacob makes a proposition to Laban, which would give the Lord an opportunity to bless him materially as the Lord had blessed Laban materially through his association with Jacob.

This proposal would bring blessing to Jacob without taking anything belonging to Laban and thus would give God the glory and would also demonstrate Jacob’s great faith in the Lord.

Genesis 30:32, “let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.”

Normally goats in that land were black or dark brown, seldom white or spotted with white (See Song of Solomon 4:1; 6:5) while sheep were nearly al-ways white, infrequently black or spotted (See Song of Solomon 4:2; 6:6; Isaiah 1:18; Daniel 7:9).

Jacob proposes that all speckled and spotted among the sheep and goats and the dark colored lambs was to be his wages and the pure white sheep, the dark goats were to be considered Laban’s property.

Any spotted or speckled lambs or goats and dark colored sheep born in the future will be Jacob’s property.

The removal of these spotted and speckled lambs and goats and dark colored sheep would “not” later be considered Jacob’s property since he has already stipulated in Genesis 30:31 that he wants nothing that is Laban’s!

Therefore, Jacob is not changing his mind but is referring to all “future” speckled or spotted lambs and goats and dark colored sheep, which would be his property and so he is actually proposing to start with nothing from the outset.

The removal of these spotted and speckled colored animals was to ensure that Jacob received nothing that was Laban’s.

The agreement was solidified, and the flocks were divided, with Jacob tending the white sheep and dark colored goats while Laban’s sons would tend the speckled and spotted goats and sheep and black sheep that were removed from the flock and segregated from the flock that Jacob would be shepherding.

Undoubtedly, Laban expected Jacob to ask for a certain number of animals to begin his own flocks and herds but Jacob does the unexpected since he did not ask to take any property that was Laban’s.

Instead, Jacob proposes that he work for Laban to again supervise and shepherd his flocks and herds as he had been doing for the previous fourteen years.

His pay would consist of only those animals yet unborn that would be less desirable to Laban because of their markings.

Therefore, it would be entirely up to the Lord as to how many animals would become Jacob’s.

Jacob’s proposal put himself entirely at the mercy of the Lord and was a great act of faith in the Lord on his part.

Genesis 30:33, “So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages.

Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.”

Jacob also proposes that if anything appears in his flocks, which is not speckled or spotted among the goats or black among the lambs was to be considered as stolen by him and Laban could promptly remove it and claim it as his own.

So the issue will be clear-cut and deceit will be out of the question.

Genesis 30:34, “Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’”

Laban agrees to Jacob’s proposal without hesitation because he cannot see how he could possibly lose out and not profit from it.

In fact, he would lose nothing of his flocks and it appeared from his human perspective that it was very unlikely that Jacob would acquire any future animals by this process either.

Jacob would have no breeding stock of his own and none of the animals from which his pay was to come would be likely to produce spotted and speckled progeny of their own without a spotted and speckled population with which to interbreed.

The only way that Jacob could possibly succeed and prosper was if the Lord intervened for Jacob.

Genesis 30:35, “So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons.”

Genesis 30:36, “And he put a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.”