Confronted

Confronted

Genesis 31: ³⁶ 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? ³⁷ 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! ³⁸ 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. ³⁹ 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. ⁴⁰ There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. ⁴¹ 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. ⁴² 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.”

 

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Laban looked for the household gods stolen by Rachel, but did not find them because she sat on them on her camel. Jacob took the opportunity to confront Laban for twenty years of mistreatment.

 

My Observations:

• Laban may not have been as interested in Leah’s wellbeing, rather with free experienced labor.
• Laban made Jacob work seven years for Leah, knowing Jacob wanted Rachel, then he made him work another seven years.
• Laban changed Jacob’s wages to benefit himself and to steal from Jacob.

 

Two wrongs don’t make a right and three wrongs makes a mess. Rachel stole the household gods, which was wrong. Jacob wanted to skip tradition by marrying Rachel, which was wrong. Laban wanted free labor, which was wrong. BUT GOD worked through this messy situation.

 

GOD knew the promise o salvation would come through a deceitful lineage. Laban convinced Leah to deceive Jacob into marrying her. She could have refused. Jacob was being transformed from trying to get his way. His work was hard and he probably realized he needed to make a change. Meanwhile, Laban was demanding free work with no benefits. GOD saw it all and protected Jacob, father of many nations.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD explain in detail to Moses how Jacob was deceived over wages?
• Has an employer ever been deceitful to you?
• Do you know that GOD sees the people who have been deceitful to you and will pay you back in full?