Genesis 30 - 31

 

Genesis 30 – Jacob’s Family

There were a lot of conflicts and jealousy in Jacob’s family.  Rachel was jealous because she was not having children like Leah and probably a little afraid that Jacob would stop loving her.   Rachel blamed Jacob and confronted him with the problem.  Rather than being gentle and understanding like a husband should, he responded in anger.  He should have been the spiritual leader of his family and helped her to seek the wisdom and comfort of God in her pain.

Since Rachel wasn’t having children, she gave her maidservant to Jacob so she could build her family.  The maidservant bore 2 sons, Dan and Naphtali.  Again Jacob wasn’t a good family leader.  He should have suggested that taking her maid would bring all kinds of problems as it did for his grandfather by taking his wife’s maid, Hagar.  He should have helped her wait on the Lord for a child. 

Leah was jealous because Jacob only loved Rachel.  She desperately wanted Jacob’s love and thought she could get love by giving him more children.  When Leah stopped having children, she gave her maidservant to Jacob and she had 2 sons, Gad and Asher.  Then Leah had 2 more sons, Issachar and Zebulun.  Later Leah had a daughter, Dinah.  Then God remembered Rachel and she had a son and called him Joseph.  Then in chapter 35 Rachel died in childbirth with another son, Benjamin.  In all Jacob had 13 children.

I don’t mean to get off on a rabbit trail, but I have always wondered why so many men in the Bible had multiple partners with so many children and why God allowed it.  God intended for marriage to be between one man and one woman.  Monogamy was always God’s plan from the beginning.  If you study the biblical instances of polygamy in detail, you will see that none are condoned or portrayed in a positive light.  All had serious problems with strife, jealousy, distrust and some even led to idolatry.  They were all disastrous with a lot of heartbreak. 

I think one reason God allowed this is to protect women.  Women were often uneducated and relied on their fathers, brothers, and husbands for provision and protection.  Unmarried women were often subjected to prostitution and slavery.  Also this enabled a much faster expansion of humanity fulfilling God’s command to be fruitful and increase in number in  

Genesis 9:7. 

I guess we have to remember that we all have free choice and we don’t always make good decisions.  Maybe God only allowed polygamy to solve a problem, but it was not ideal.  Then when Jesus came, He made new provisions to protect women and raised their standing in society.  The New Testament speaks of the relationship between husbands and wives and reaffirms God’s plan in Genesis that marriage is to be between one man and one woman.  God restored marriage to His original intent. 

As for all the children in the Old Testament, Children are a blessing from God.  They are a gift from Him.  The Bible says that they are a reward.  Because of this, God cares about them and how they are raised and nurtured.

Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church.  Although the church isn’t always lovely, God loves her anyway.  Thank God for that.  A husband’s job is to love his wife with the view of her becoming all that God wants her to be.  It’s the same for a wife to her husband.  We should always show Christ-like love toward each family member.

Principle:  Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church.

Jacob was a good servant to Laban.  He respected his authority even when Laban was deceitful and unfair.  Jacob obeyed his rules and worked 14 years for Rachel and Leah.  There is a lesson for us in this story.  We as Christians are to be honest and should always work hard and obey the rules of those in charge even when they are not watching.  We are to work as if working for the Lord.  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” – Col. 3:23.

Genesis 30:25-43 – Jacob’s Wealth

Jacob wanted to leave Laban and return home, but Laban persuaded him to wait.  Laban offered to pay Jacob for his work, but Jacob turned the tables on Laban.  He out-coned him by staying and offering to tend his flocks and removing the weakest for himself.  Laban agreed.  Jacob wasn’t being dishonest, but he was looking out for himself.  Laban continued to cheat Jacob, but God made Jacob wealthy.

God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants and that’s what He was doing.  Jacob was a good steward with what God had given him.  Through Jacob’s wisdom in taking care of the flocks, his flock grew large and he became prosperous with many maidservants, menservants, camels and donkeys.

Are you being a good steward with the wealth God has given you?

How are you squandering the prosperity God gives you?

Genesis 31 – Jacob Flees Laban

Finally God told Jacob to leave Laban and return to Canaan.  Jacob had stayed with Laban for a total of 2o years and he knew it wouldn’t be easy to leave.  If he told Laban he was leaving, Laban may have not let him take his wives with him or Laban may have talked him into staying like he had done in the past.  So out of fear, Jacob and his family left without telling Laban. 

Laban represents the world.  He’s crafty and tosses around spiritual language as if he believes in the Lord.  He is a hypocrite.  He was not the kind of guy that you say goodbye to.  He was a con artist.

Laban may have been a con artist, but so were Jacob and Rachel.  Rachael stole her father’s idols when she left.  Why would she do that?  Maybe she still mixed idolatry with her worship of the Lord.  Or maybe she was trying to secure an inheritance from her father that she was worried about in verse 14.  She was acting just like the world by trying to take the world’s security blanket along on the trip.  Jacob should have been more honorable when he left by stating his intentions and letting Laban say goodbye to his relatives.  He should have trusted God to protect him; instead he left by fear and deception.  He lacked confidence in God and His promise and relied more on his own wisdom and ability.

Three days later Laban heard Jacob had left.  He chased Jacob and caught up with him.  In spite of Rachel’s theft and Jacob’s schemes, God graciously protected them.  God intervened and warned Laban in a dream to not force Jacob to return.  Laban knew he could not win against God and that God would protect Jacob.  Laban and Jacob made a covenant together that they would stay apart and that their sons would not fight each other.  Laban knew that making a treaty with Jacob would protect him in the future because someday Jacob would be greater than him.

God had already told Jacob that He would be with him, but Jacob wasn’t totally trusting God.  He was attempting to trust by leaving the world of Laban and heading home.  He feared Laban, but now he would face his fear of Esau. 

Many Christians today never break away from the world.  They try to have to best of both worlds like Rachel.  They keep their stash of idols to pull out in case God doesn’t work.  They are following self, not Jesus.  A true follower of Christ breaks from the world, denies self daily and follows Jesus because He is the true and living God.

Principle:  God protects His people as they seek to live separately from the world.

Who are you like?

Laban – You use God to help you prosper, but if He doesn’t seem to be working you try something else.

Rachel – You know the true God, but you’re still carrying your idols.

Jacob – You’re seeking to obey God and trying to get away from the ways of the world.  You need to keep growing in God’s direction and not go back to your old ways.  You have the joy knowing that God is protecting you everywhere you go.

Join me here next week for the next chapter in Genesis.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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