39 PROTECTION

Laban and his relatives overtake Jacob, his family and livestock at Gilead. “Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too” (25). What can we learn from their heated conversation, the charges and defenses?

Laban considers Jacob a renegade, a rebellious runaway, that had unfairly deserted his service. To represent Jacob as a criminal, Laban will have those gathered believe he intended to do kindness to his daughters, that he would have dismissed them with all the marks of love and honor that could be, that he would have made a solemn business of it, would have kissed his little grandchildren (and, incidentally, that was likely all he would have given them), and, according to a shallow custom of the country, would have sent them away with only dancing, nothing of any real meaningful substance or serious thought. “Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels and harps? You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing” (27&28).

We can readily contrast Laban’s supposed festivities with Rebekah’s farewell by the same family 120 years earlier. That farewell was filled with with prayers and blessings as described in Genesis 24:60, “And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, ‘Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.’” It is much more important to be good than to feel good. Mere sport, merriment and a party are trivial and shallow compared to acknowledging and seeking God. These are marks of a far superior value system. Have a joyous party, but do not neglect the more important issues. Laban pretends they would have been treated with respect at parting, but his previous attitude and behavior show that that was only pretense. Can we allow God to show us that actions seek more loudly than words? Let us show our sincerity with good actions and behavior, and, also, let us look for it in others. If others’ nice sounding words are not matched by sincerely good behavior, don’t be taken in by someone’s flattery.

It can happen that bad men, when they are unable to fulfill their evil projects, pretend they intended nothing but what was fair and kind. When they cannot do the wrong they intended, they do not admit they ever intended to do it. When they have not done what they should have done they make the  excuse, that they would have done it. Men may be deceived by this, but God cannot. Whose favor do we seek?

Laban likewise suggests that Jacob had a bad motive and desire in stealing away as though Jacob had taken away what was rightfully Laban’s as captives. Verse 26 says, “Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘What have you done? You’ve deceived me, and you’ve carried off my daughters like captives in war.’” Some people who intend to do evil to another have the creative yet sinful ability to put forward the worst interpretation of what others do innocently. 

Laban next boasts of his own supposed power. “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’” (29. He supposes that he had both right and strength on his side. Only one of these was true. He may have had the strength, but he was not right in his intention or God would not have had to rebuke him. God stopped him, so the result is that he dared not use that strength. We will never know if he could have done effective damage to Jacob’ household because they did eventually make a non-aggression agreement. Bad people commonly value themselves by their inflated perception of their power to do hurt, whereas a humble possession of the power to do good is much more valuable. We can choose to make ourselves valuable by increasing our ability to help others or we can choose to make ourselves feared.

Laban, to his credit, does admit that God restrained him and, though it produces much to the benefit and comfort of Jacob, he cannot avoid telling him the caution God had given him the night before in a dream. I see many lessons here. (1) We need to be discerning. Discerning of spirits is a gift of the Spirit. Even though a bad man, Laban is glad to say something good about himself. As bad as he was, he dared not injure one whom he saw to be in God’s particular care. We may look upon this as an instance of some conscientious regard felt by Laban for God’s personal warning to him. A great deal of problems would be prevented if people would but listen to warnings God gives them in the night, speaking to them through their consciences and warning them of wrong before the evil deed is done which they could then avoid. Even we Christian leaders can learn to listen to what God says to us in the night. If the selfish Laban can hear from God and become more cautious, certainly we can.

Laban does not admit that he had given Jacob any reason to want to escape, but rather says Jacob wanted to return to his father. “Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?” Returning to a godly father from serving an ungodly uncle is not a bad idea. Pity the person who does not have a godly father to whom they may return. And we all have a wonderful heavenly father to whom we can turn, or return, or flee any time we want.

Pity the poor Laban who confesses that he has helpless gods who cannot defend themselves. To have gods like that is already foolish, but to claim them for his own is even more so. “. . . why did you steal my gods?” Laban’s gods not only could not protect anyone, they could not even take care of themselves. Could Laban expect protection from gods that could neither resist nor discover their invaders? Happy are those who have the Lord for their God, for they have a God that cannot be stolen. Enemies may steal our goods, but not our God. 

Jacob defends himself. “Jacob answered Laban, ‘I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.’” Jacob clears himself by giving the true reason why he went away unknown to Laban. He feared lest Laban would take away his daughters by force. This was based on Jacob’s twenty years of experience with Laban. Jacob was wise to leave. Jacob thought logically. If Laban had been unjust, why would he not continue to be unjust? If Laban deceived Jacob in his wages, why not his wives?

As to the charge of stealing Laban’s gods, he pleads not guilty. “‘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” (32). Jacob not only did not take them himself, he did not want them and did not know they had been taken. He was, however, unwise to speak so rashly as to pronounce Rachel’s death sentence, because she died at the entrance to Bethlehem. “. . . if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live.”

Laban conducted a diligent yet unproductive search for his gods, partly out of hatred for Jacob and partly out of love for his gods. We do not find that he searched Jacob’s flocks and herds for stolen animals; but he searched Jacob’s furniture for stolen gods. Take a lesson from Laban. If we happen to lose sight of our God, we should be as eager to find Him as Laban was to find his. If He justly departs from us, how carefully should we ask as Job did in Job 23:3, “If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling!” Laban, after all his searches, could not find his gods and was baffled, but our God will not only be found by those that seek Him, but seekers will find Him their bountiful rewarder. He is the Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

We find in this story a valuable lesson regarding the comfort of a good conscience. This was Jacob’s rejoicing, that when Laban accused him, his own conscience acquitted him, and witnessed for him that he had been in all things willing and careful to live honestly. The writer of Hebrews makes this claim too. “Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way” (Hebrews 13:18). People that in any employment have dealt faithfully, even if that is not acknowledged by men, still they will find great confort in their own hearts. They know that God knows. He is the audience of One for Whom we perform, the single Judge before Whom we live and the only One whose opinions or evaluation of our lives really matters. At times this is very important.

We can learn here of the character of a good servant, and particularly of a faithful shepherd. Jacob had approved himself to be such a one. He was very careful, so that, through his oversight or neglect, the ewes did not cast their young. His godly honesty also gained a blessing on his master’s animals that were under his hands. Team members should take no less care of what they are entrusted with for their leaders than if they were entitled to it as their own. Jacob was very honest, and took none of that for his own eating which was not allowed him. He contented himself with common food, and did not feast on the rams of the flock. God’s workers must not be dainty in their food, nor covet what is forbidden them, but in that, and other instances, show loyalty to the shared vision. Jacob was a worker. “This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes” (40). He stuck to his business in all weathers and bore both heat and cold with consistent patience. Men and women on our leadership teams that intend to make something of it, must resolve to endure hardness. Jacob is here an example to ministers; they also are shepherds, of whom it is required that they be true to their trust and willing to suffer inconvenience in the fulfillment of their calling.

Laban had been a hard master to Jacob. Here is a lesson for Christian leaders today as we try to behave very differently from Laban. Those are poor leaders who demand from team members that they would make good anything damaged by no fault of theirs. Laban had resources to make thing go well for Jacob, but he did not use those resources wisely or generously. He was selfish. Jacob himself had to pay for things that he should not have had to pay for.  If there has been irresponsible or careless neglect, that might make a difference, but even then the leader should be lenient and kindly teach responsibility or what should have been done. It is unjust to punish above the proportion of the fault.

The final lesson here is about God’s gracious care for Jacob. “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” (42). God was aware of the wrong done to Jacob, and repaid the very person Laban would otherwise have sent away empty. God rebuked Laban and protected Jacob.

He will do that for you too. God is the Hero and Champion of the oppressed. His servants who are wronged and yet not ruined, cast down and yet not destroyed, may depend on our faithful God, even as we acknowledge Him in His preservations and give Him the glory for it. Lead by example.