Sunday, November 1, 2020

Sunday School class taught today at Lake Marburg Baptist Church - Genesis 30:14- 31:35

 


Genesis 30:14 ¶  And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes. 15  And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes. 16  And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. 17  And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. 18  And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar. 19  And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. 20  And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun. 21  And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22  And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23  And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 24  And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.

In these passages we have been shown a great example of God’s permissive will. We have seen events occur that God did not specifically command or ordain but we see the actions and reactions of human beings and how God wove their free will into His will that a people should be formed whom He would enter in at a singular point in history as the Son of God, God in the flesh, who was and is Jesus Christ.

Mandrakes were, according to some authors, thought to be useful for stimulating fertility as well as for having an aphrodisiac quality. This was a purely humanistic and superstitious belief which, like others of man then and now, God simply ignores. Here, we are told of the argument between Rachel and Leah regarding mandrakes. Yet, it is only when God chooses to acknowledge or hearken unto Leah that she conceives. God cares not a whit for your rabbit’s foot, whether you think wearing your socks inside out is lucky, or for any other lucky charm you carry from your heathen ancestors. His will shall be done regardless of such accouterments. Do not mistake the mention of something in the Bible for God’s approval or for any power on its part. It merely reveals the incomplete and imperfect understanding of the Bible’s characters, similar to our own in many cases.

God heard Leah and gave her Issachar, meaning that God has paid Leah. He is sort of like her payment for giving up the mandrakes, in her thinking. She then gave birth to Zebulun, named so because God had lifted her up and given her a plentiful dowry with which to bless her husband.

Finally, she gave birth to a daughter named Dinah. Although it is not evident from the text Dinah’s name has a similar meaning to Dan’s in it being judgment.

Rachel is not forgotten. We’ve seen this use of the word remembered before, if you recall, in comments on 8:1.

And God remembered Rachel does not say, in this context, that God forgot about her but that God revisited her, brought her back into play, turned His attention to her. In pre-1611 dictionaries something remembered was something worthy to be mentioned, thought about, or spoken of, not as it is often today, something I had forgotten but has now come to mind.

Joseph’s name means that Jehovah, which is what LORD is with all capitals, has added, which is evident by the context.

Genesis 30:25 ¶  And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. 26  Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. 27  And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. 28  And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. 29  And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. 30  For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? 31  And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: 32  I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. 33  So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. 34  And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. 35  And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36  And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

30:37 ¶  And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38  And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39  And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40  And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle. 41  And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42  But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43  And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

Jacob wants to take his family and leave Laban, returning to his own country. Laban acknowledges that Jacob has been a wise steward of Laban’s flocks and has made Laban prosperous. He says, tell me what you want and I’ll pay you. Jacob reinforces that under his direction and by his work God has blessed Laban through Jacob which is what Laban admitted. Now, it is time for Jacob to acquire wealth of his own.

It is interesting to note in history how the Jew, living in the countries of the Gentiles, has made Gentiles rich and prosperous by their skills at handling money and commerce. It is also interesting how, like Laban, the Gentiles have, more often than not, resented the Jews, rather than thanked them, as we shall soon see of Laban.

We don’t learn until the next chapter that God has arranged for this method of Jacob acquiring wealth and it is not some arcane and ancient form of sheepherding. It is pointless to try to explain the events regarding the sheep without believing in God’s miraculous involvement in Jacob’s life.

Genesis chapter 31

Genesis 31:1 ¶  And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory. 2  And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. 3  And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. 4  And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5  And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. 6  And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7  And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 8  If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. 9  Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10  And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. 11  And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. 12  And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13  I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. 14  And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15  Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. 16  For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

Jacob’s cousins, Laban’s sons, are envious of Jacob’s success. Laban himself is showing signs of being hostile to Jacob from his own envy. Many commissioned salespersons can relate a story of a manager who resented their success even though the salesperson was making the manager money. It is one of those strange things about business where a boss can resent an employee’s success even when that success puts money in his own pocket. I’ve witnessed it myself at a small single-lot mobile/modular home dealership in the late 1980s.

God told Jacob to go home to where he was from and that God would be with him. Jacob called Rachel and Leah together and reminded them about how their father had changed his wages so many times and yet God had made Jacob successful and blessed him with wealth. He told them how God had appeared to him and said that He had seen how Laban had treated him and told Jacob to go back from where he came. God reminded Jacob that He was the God of Bethel where Jacob had the dream of the ladder to heaven. Most importantly, Jacob understood that God was responsible for the condition of the sheep and was behind what happened.

The Bible teaches us that God often uses people and methods to express His will which go beyond natural explanations but involve natural means. It is an important aspect of God’s will, using human agency while being responsible for the effort Himself. For instance, in Exodus 17 Israel is victorious if Moses’ hands are held up and they begin to lose if his hands are lowered. So, his arms are held up by rocks to keep them up. But, we know that it was God who gave the victory. Why not just have them win without Moses’ even being there? Simply because the action invested authority in God’s man and God working with human efforts that would be impotent without Him God moves His will forward. Neither Jacob putting sticks in water troughs nor Moses holding up his hands have any power to accomplish anything without God’s direct will being involved. This teaches us not to wait for a miracle passively but to pray and get busy, praying that God will work through you, if what you want to do is His will. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wait for God’s direction, revealing His direct and perfect will, and inspiration, giving understanding, but it just shows that God may use your efforts, no matter how weak and irrelevant they may seem, to accomplish His purpose.

The treatment the doctor applies to your sickness heals you but the Bible teaches that it is God who does the healing, only often as not, through human agency and effort. A family hurt is soothed because you went and apologized to a family member and although God did the soothing He used your willingness to act favorably in the matter to accomplish the calming. Understand, though, that the doctor’s effort without God’s will or your words of regret would have no effect without God. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that it was all you or the doctor’s great skill alone. And although God can heal without a doctor and can level out family difficulties without your apology He more often than not will use them both to perform His will.

Rachel and Leah both agree that Laban, their father, had not been exactly upright in his dealings. He had taken their money by cheating their husband. The wealth that Jacob had gotten from Laban was theirs and their children’s. In the end they were willing for Jacob to do whatever God led him to do.

Proverbs 13:22 ¶  A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

Genesis 31:17 ¶  Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; 18  And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19  And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s. 20  And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. 21  So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead. 22  And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. 23  And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead. 24  And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

In the last passage we saw that God had kept Laban from doing Jacob harm.

7  And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.

We also saw in Abraham and Isaac’s lives how God had protected them from the power of others to do them harm. Jacob and his family are going to make their escape from Laban on camels, a common conveyance in those days. He drove the sheep he had won for himself and carried all of his goods with him. His intention was to return to Isaac in the land of Canaan. Laban, not aware that his daughters and son-in-law had taken off went to shear his own sheep and did not know for three days that Jacob left. He took off after Jacob’s party with plenty of backup. Laban’s force overtook Jacob’s party at Mount Gilead. But, God came to Laban in a dream, as He had come to Abimelech reported back in chapter 20, and warned him not to harm Jacob. In fact, just leave him alone.

Rachel had stolen Laban’s household gods, little figurines used for worship in this world. See comments on 4:16-18. Remember that there were gods a family worshipped and a god the community worshipped if they lived in a city. Each family had their own gods which represented the worship of ancestors. Living under the government of the family with the father as head and priest, the chief domestic divinities were formed from this ancestor worship for protection and success. They were intensely personal to the family and their theft would have been regarded as a great sin against the father of the family. It is also important to note that after the Flood when these gods were formed it was also possible to believe in a more powerful god, a unifying entity, such as a Zeus or a Baal or even Jehovah God, the LORD of the Bible, creator of all things, as well as your household images.[1] This is what happened and this is part of what Jehovah God was undoing by bringing men back from this idolatry after the Flood based in part on the added worship of mighty… men of renown, the giants from whom one can suppose that the famous gods of the ancient world were formed, and ancestors like Noah and Shem.

So, you can see that Rachel had committed a grievous wrong in that world.



Genesis 31:25 ¶  Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. 26  And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword? 27  Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? 28  And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. 29  It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 30  And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? 31  And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. 32  With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. 33  And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34  Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. 35  And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.

Having caught up with Jacob, Laban confronts him. Laban accuses Jacob of running off with HIS daughters like captives taken in war. He makes it sound like he would have been okay with their leaving and would have thrown them a party. A tabret is a musical instrument. See the context? The same word is translated in some places as a timbrel. This is like a tambourine today. Jacob has denied Laban the privilege of kissing his children and grandchildren goodbye, Laban complains. Then, while he admits that he has the power to hurt Jacob, presumably to kill him, take his goods, and return his daughters and grandchildren to his control, that the God of Jacob’s father warned him not to do so, as we have seen.

In verse 30, Laban brings up the accusation that Jacob has stolen his household gods, the images that Rachel had stolen as per verse 19. These gods, these idols, as I noted before, were particular to Laban’s family worship and their theft was a great wrong done to him, in the context of the culture of the ancient world. This is how degenerate the ancient world had become since the time of Noah, worship perhaps brought with his wife or children from the pre-Flood world, perhaps.

Jacob replies, justifying his actions based on his fear of Laban, and acknowledging the severity of the crime of stealing Laban’s household gods and not knowing that it was Rachel who stole them, and promises that whomever stole them will die.

He tells Laban that anything he finds that belongs to him, to take it. Laban does a search but cannot find the images. Rachel has hidden them in the equipment on which she sits, which belongs on her camel. She is sitting on that in the tent. She makes the excuse that she cannot get up because she is in her monthly period. This excuse is accepted and, of course, no one would have suspected that one of Laban’s daughters stole the family images. A woman in the ancient world, when married, left her family worship and that would mean the family images, as well. She was to embrace fully the religion of her husband’s family although she had no part in its inheritance except through her eldest son. Rachel, like many Christians today, cannot let go of the idols in which they place their trust.

It is interesting to note how God does not often punish his people as they deserve as He moves them along in His will. For instance, here the idolatry involved in household gods, clearly against everything that is pronounced in God’s ministry of reconciling mankind to Himself and creating a peculiar, special people for Himself, does not result in Rachel’s immediate destruction. Again, in other places where although we know that God’s plan was for one man and one woman to unite in matrimony for life men create a culture where multiple wives flourish and concubines are not uncommon. And yet, God focuses on His plan and not always on our sin as we think He should. Human beings are an unstable substance to work with but God’s ultimate will cannot be thwarted. We should not want to sin but we should be grateful for His mercy in not giving us what our sin deserves. See Job 11:6 when Zophar unjustly accuses Job of sin and Psalm 103:6-18.



[1] Numa Denis Fustel De Coulanges, The Ancient City: A Study of the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1874, repr. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2006), 123.

 

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