Take Two: Genesis 31, Proverbs 22

As I read on about the tales of Jacob, it reminds me of a "sit com" of sorts. Certainly, Jacob is living up to his name (which means deceiver/supplanter).

Jacob, after hearing that the sons of Laban are murmuring against him for taking Laban's flocks, has a dream where God instructs him to go to the land of his "fathers" (Gen 31:1-3). Jacob needed to "slip out" in order to leave with the flocks he had acquired. To go to Laban would surely have led to an encounter and to Jacob being mistreated (as with the marriage covenant to Rachel and with his wages, etc). Jacob enlisted the help of his wives (Leah and Rachel) and told them of the dream (Gen 31:11-13).

Rachel and Leah accept Jacob's vision and also note their own misgivings with their father. He had sold them to Jacob (for 7 years of service each) and had squandered their dowry. They willingly conspire with Jacob to leave in a culturally inappropriate way (Gen 31:14-16).

It is interesting to me that his daughters accepted "the deceiver's" dream story as true, and it becomes the reason that they agree to leave.

In Gen 31:17-21, Jacob sets out with his family to leave. They get a 3 day head start before Laban learns of their actions and sets out after them. Rachel, before leaving, stole all of Laban's household idols. This becomes a point of contention and will surface again.

Laban is "fit to be tied." As he is setting out after Jacob, God speaks to him in a dream and warns him to not "overstep his authority" (This is the meaning of the figure of speech "good or bad" according to Ken Matthews in the NAC Commentary, 523).

When Laban overtakes Jacob he asserts the charge that Jacob had stolen his daughters by the sword (Gen 31:26). Laban asserted that he would have thrown a going away party had Jacob come to him (Gen 31:27-28). Laban goes on in his charge to assert that he could harm Jacob if he wished but God had intervened on his (Jacob's) behalf. The final point of dispute is the stealing of the gods from Laban's home...something that Jacob has no knowledge of (Gen 31:30-32).

Laban searched the tents for his gods but did not find them, because Rachel had placed them in her saddle and then told her father (as she sat on the saddle) that she could not get up since "the manner of women is upon her." Certainly now...her father would not search the saddle. (Perhaps Rachel has become adept at deception herself.)

When the search yielded no results, Jacob lodges his complaint (Gen 31:36-42).

Laban proposed the peace covenant. Laban swears that God will witness if Jacob mistreats his daughters...and Jacob draws a line of boundary between the two men and swears that neither will cross it for harm (Gen 31:43-55). The covenant was sealed, and the next day, Laban left.

When you spend a few years in church, you start thinking that all of the stories of the Bible character are pretty "sanitized." One of the things I like about the OT is the people are presented to us "warts and all" (as my old professor would say). Jacob had issues. Rachel had issues. Laban had issues. Leah...her too. Yet, God showed grace and mercy toward them all. These characters encourage me, since I too have issues...and God's mercies are new every morning (Lam 3:22-23).

Proverbs 22:28 is the takeaway today. In this verse we see a couple of implications for us. First, we need to know that boundaries are set for reasons. In times past, certain limits, doctrines, beliefs, and practices were put in place for a reason. We should not tear them down without fully understanding why...and then only if they are placed there in error. Second, we are not to move the boundaries. We are to live within the boundaries that are set by our fathers. They serve to protect and guide us. Third, since the boundaries are set by our fathers, and it is mentioned here, then abiding within the boundaries yields blessing (this is the theme of Proverbs).

In the midst of our journey (personally and corporately) we all have a context of reference. It is natural to speak out against those boundaries we inherited from our fathers (often times because we don't fully grasp why they are there). It is spiritual to recognize the wisdom of the boundaries and to live within them. I am not speaking of the cultural boundaries (music, dress, "don't go into the water within 30 minutes of eating"), but of the doctrinal boundaries (the nature and will of God, the nature of discipleship, the nature of the church, the responsibility of parents, etc). I KNOW this may seem a bit random but God is working in me on a few things and I just needed to write them out. Grace,