Gen. 31:24-37
“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.” God had stirred Jacob’s heart to return to the land of his fathers and He would not permit Laban to interfere any longer. How encouraging to the child of God to be reminded that He will be with His own every step of the heavenward journey!
Overtaking the company in Mount Gilead, Laban confronted his son-in-law. “What hast thou done,” he demanded, “that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives...” Furthermore, he said that had he known of their departure, he would have sent them away “with mirth, and with songs” suited to the occasion, and with his well wishes. Yet it is doubtful that such would have been the case. It is more likely that Laban would have dismissed Jacob without either his wives or possessions. Perhaps it was in his heart to do this when he found them on Mount Gilead, yet he had to confess: “It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, sang, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.”
There was, however, a charge expressed by Laban to Jacob: “wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?” Laban valued those gods; they were his “form of religion.” What a snare idolatry has been to those who acknowledged the living God from early days on down to our times. Now idolatry has largely spread over most of Christendom. As children of God we are faithfully warned by the Apostle (1 John 5:21): “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” — let nothing come in between you and Christ, to displace Him from the heart.
Though it does not appear that Jacob himself had taken up with idolatry, yet how happy would it have been if his testimony in that household during those 20 years had been such that Laban and his family had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,” as those at Thessalonica did many years later. How sad that his beloved Rachel should play false to God and deceive her father in tang those vile images. Surely she was not in the good of those blessings that God had promised to Jacob.
Jacob had no suspicion that his loved wife had taken the idols. He had been careful to take nothing of Laban’s with him and was therefore indignant saying: “with whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live.” Had he known that Rachel was guilty he would not have said this.
While Laban made a search through the tents of Jacob and Leah, Rachel hastened and having hidden the images in the camel’s harness of her own tent she seated herself on them. When her father entered, she made a pretense of sickness and excused herself from rising. Laban, deceived by his daughter, continued his unsuccessful search, until finally Jacob’s anger was stirred and he spoke out: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge betwixt us both.” Laban could produce nothing to prove his claim of theft.
ML-11/06/1966