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Bible History of the Old Testament |
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No. 20 Jacob's Flight From Haran - The Pursuit of Laban
The details of what previously happened in Jacob's life are recorded in the last two or three previous texts. To read this account, click on the Home Page link above and go to Bible History Old Testament Archives Page. The sinful weakness of Jacob appeared also in his married life, because he was unjust and unkind in preferring Rachel over Leah. God reproved him by blessing the "hated" wife with many sons, while the "favored" wife could not have any children. During these times, a woman was looked upon with disfavor if she could not bear any children. Leah bore 4 sons in rapid succession for Jacob. She gave them all significant names:
It deserves special notice that in the birth of at least three of her sons, Leah not only recognized God, but specially acknowledged Him as Jehovah, the Covenant-God. Just because the Scripture lists the sons in a certain order, it does not mean that Rachel just stood by and did nothing when she found that she could not get pregnant and father a child. Probably as soon as she perceived her dire circumstances, she persuaded her husband to make her a mother through Bilhah, her maid, just as Sarah had done with Hagar. Thus the sins of the parents many times reappear in the conduct of their children. Instead of waiting upon God, or praying about it, Jacob complied with the desire of Rachel, and her maid bore him two sons. Rachel named them:
Leah had named her children with gratitude to God for them. Rachel named her children because of jealousy of not being better than her sister. Although she claimed to love God, He was not Jehovah to her as He was to Leah. He was Elohim, the God of Nature, not the covenant-God of the Promise. When Leah did not become pregnant soon again, she also gave Jacob to her maid Zilpah, just as Rachel had done. By now everything was just a jealous competition between the two of them to see who could bear Jacob more sons. Leah's faith had declined much by the time the last two sons were born. Look at the different meanings of these names compared to the first four sons she had.
Leah did not remember God this time or thank him for the birth of her two sons. But the number of children they had did not remove their jealousy for each other, nor did it restore peace to the house of Jacob. When after more trying, Leah finally had two more sons, she did recognize God in their names, but it was only the Elohim God and not the Jehovah God as before.
It has already been stated that the order in which the sons were named might not be the order in which they were born. They are so documented, partly to show the varying motives of the two sisters, and partly to group together the sons of different mothers. The birth of the only daughter, Dinah "judgment", is mentioned immediately after that of Zebulun, but the wording of the Hebrew text implies that Dinah was born at a later period. She alone is mentioned on account of her connection with Jacob's later history, though it is probable that he had other daughters whose names and history are not mentioned. It seems that better thoughts and a better attitude may have come at last to Rachel when we read that in giving her a son of her own, "God hearkened to her". This infers that maybe believing prayer had taken place in her heart instead of the former envy and jealousy of her sister. She now bore a son of her own in the 14 years of Jacob's servitude to Laban.
Jacob had now served his 14 years with Laban and was just as poor as when he had first come to live with him. The wants of his increasing family, and the better understanding now established in his family, must have pointed out to him the desirableness of returning to his own country. Naturally, though, when he mentioned it to Laban it was met with unwillingness. After all, he had profited greatly by having Jacob with him. Laban only had a dim knowledge of the being of Jehovah when he said to Jacob: "If I have found grace in thy sight (i.e., tarry), for I have divined (ascertained by magic), and Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake." None of the foreign nations denied that Jehovah was God, they just tried to place Him on a level with other false deities. Laban realized that something was very different about Jacob, though, and he wanted the blessings that were coming his way to remain with him in his household. He pretended that he really cared about Jacob and wanted him to stay, so he very liberally invited Jacob to name what he wanted his wages for the future to be. This time, though, Laban was deceived. Jacob made what seemed like a very modest request to him. He just asked that all the flocks that were either spotted or speckled be his share and be his alone. Naturally, those were the flocks that started being born much more than just the plain colored flocks. When Laban saw that he was losing money, he again and again tried to change the conditions of their agreement. This went on for some time and still Laban saw that God was blessing Jacob in whatever way the agreement was changed. Jacob always came out on the best end of the deal. In point of fact, immediately after the first agreement with Laban, the Angel of God had spoken to Jacob in a dream, and assured him that God would right him in his cause with Laban without any strategies, tricks, or ingenuity on his part at all. But once again, Jacob acted the same as when he was in his father's house - with deceit and cunning. He "made haste" and would not wait for the Lord to fulfill his promise. He decided he would use his own means of cunning and devices to accomplish the purpose of God. Formerly he had had the excuse of Isaac's weakness in favoring him, and Esau's violence against him to do things in haste. This time is seems that he maybe could have justified that he was acting purely in defense against, or protecting himself and his family from the cunning devices of his father-in-law. It seems that the spring harvest was much more plentiful than the autumn harvest in the area where they were. He figured that he deserved the better harvest while he would let Laban have the lesser one. The consequences of his actions proved very similar to those which followed the deceit in his father's house years earlier. Laban's wealth had grown greatly during the time that Jacob had been there. In the natural realm, he probably felt much tension from the envy and control of Laban and his sons. They would do anything to keep him from leaving, because to them he was their "good luck charm". Jacob must have felt it necessary for his own safety that he should leave even if he did not have Divine Direction to that effect. When all these things came to a head with Laban, though, it probably removed any doubt from his natural mind. Having mulled things over himself and talked them over with his wives, they all reached a mutual consent that they would leave secretly while Laban was away doing sheep-shearing. They knew that the job would keep him away from the house for some time. Three days elapsed before Laban knew that they were gone. He immediately went after them with several of his men. His anger was also flamed by the theft of his household gods or "teraphim", which Rachel had taken that nobody else knew anything about. They had been gone 7 days when Laban and his men overtook them close to Mount Gilead. The consequences might have been terrible if God had not intervened and warned Laban in a dream that he must not injure or hurt Jacob. Laban also lost his household gods when Rachel lied about taking them and would not let him search her tent, again coming up with a lie for the reason. For this lie, she paid dearly with her own life in the not-to-distant future. When he could not find the idols, Laban then made several hypocritical professions of affection for them and how it might have been if Jacob had not just left the way he did. Of course, he didn't mean any of those things. He pretty much stood convicted of his selfishness and unkindness, even though Jacob had not done the best thing in just leaving like he did. Laban had lived a life of the most unprincipled kind, but peace was somewhat restored between them and a covenant was made in virtue of which neither party was to cross for hostile purposes the memorial pillar which they erected, which they gave the name of Mizpah which meant "the heap of witness". Additionally, the name also means "watchtower". This can also be a very significant designation to mark great events in our lives, especially our alliances and undertakings. The words which accompanied the giving of this name were: Jehovah watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. For more information from this book, go to the archives page at my site www.cathydeaton.com There are other articles of interest there also. This text is taken from the book Bible History Old Testament written by Alfred Edersheim. This book has been used by permission.
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