Slices
Prepare
‘… then … Hook bit him. Not the pain of this, but its unfairness was what dazed Peter. It made him quite helpless. He could only stare, horrified’.* How do you react when you feel you are being treated unfairly?
*JM Barrie, Peter Pan, Hodder & Stoughton, 1904 (play), 1911 (novel)
Bible passage
Laban pursues Jacob
22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘What have you done? You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war. 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so that I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? 28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?’
31 Jacob answered Laban, ‘I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.’ Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.
35 Rachel said to her father, ‘Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.’ So he searched but could not find the household gods.
36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. ‘What is my crime?’ he asked Laban. ‘How have I wronged you that you hunt me down? 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.
38 ‘I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. 40 This was my situation: the heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41 It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.’
Explore
Laban returns from shearing his sheep to find that Jacob has deceived him and run away with his daughters, his grandchildren, the flocks and herds that used to be his – and his household gods. Really angry and wanting revenge, Laban charges after Jacob and it seems that war is inevitable – until God intervenes (vs 23,24). Laban may well have felt that God has taken away his opportunity to relieve his anger by attacking Jacob – but God’s intervention means that no one is injured and no lives are lost.
However, the deviousness continues, as Rachel conceals the idols from her father and husband (v 35). When Laban’s search proves fruitless, Jacob feels justified in responding angrily to Laban (even though in fact Laban is right, and the idols are in Jacob’s entourage). He claims God for his side of the argument (v 42), although clearly there has been fault on both sides. Things could still have escalated to violence if Laban had not heeded God’s warning.
Respond
Pray for politicians, negotiators, marriage counsellors and all those involved in any kind of conflict resolution. Pray that God will give wisdom, and patience, that he would speak to warring parties and calm the anger.
Deeper Bible study
Give thanks: ‘The reign of sin and death is o’er, / and all may live from sin set free; / Satan hath lost his mortal power; / ’tis swallowed up in victory’.1
The Scottish poet Robert Burns inveighed against 18th-century politicians, calling them ‘such a parcel of rogues in a nation’.2 His damning quip is an apt description of the characters in our story. Having already witnessed the dysfunctional nature of their relationships, we re-encounter Laban, convincing no one with his protest that given the chance he would have organised a leaving party for Jacob and family (v 27). Jacob jeopardises his family with a rash vow (v 32) creating real tension in the story. Disaster is averted by Rachel blatantly lying to protect herself from the consequences of a foolish act. Stealing her father’s household gods (v 34) shows that she has much to learn about the God that her husband knows and reveres (v 42).
God is at work to protect his people and to ensure that his promise is kept. He restrains sin, warning Laban against employing any threatening word. Without that restraint, Laban had the capability to do Jacob great harm (v 29). Evil, however, does not have the final word. It can threaten, but never overthrow, the promise of God. Jacob takes his courage in his hands and describes his treatment at the hand of Laban. It could have broken him financially (v 39), physically (v 40) and spiritually (v 42), but God was with him, enabling him to persevere and not allowing evil to overwhelm him. Jacob, like Jesus, ‘entrusted himself to him who judges justly’.3 He uses the unusual term ‘the Fear of Isaac’ (v 42 – only ever used here and v 53) to refer to God. No longer in thrall to Laban, his fear is now of God rather than people.
Our frailty as humans is evident. Consequently, we live with muddle and messiness. What does it mean for you to trust God amid what seems unfair and threatening?
1 Charles Wesley, 1707–88, ‘’Tis finished! the Messiah dies’ 2 Robert Burns, 1759–96 3 1 Pet 2:23
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 13,14; Luke 18
Pray for Scripture Union
If Prison Walls Could Speak is a new production being developed by Local Mission Partner Artless Theatre Company in partnership with Release International. Pray for creativity and that, in a world affected by coronavirus, churches and schools will be willing to book the production.
