Tag Archives: Genesis 31-32

Daily Bible Study

January 11, 2024 Bible Study — Why Does This Passage Mention That Rachel Stole Laban’s Household Gods?

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 31-32.

My first thought reading this was, “Why did Rachel steal her father’s household gods?”  I spent some time thinking about that and trying to come up with something to write about that question and its answer.  However, as I thought about it some more it struck me that this account of Rachel stealing Laban’s household gods conflicts with the idea that the Book of Genesis was composed in the eighth century BC (or even that it was composed in the ninth or tenth century BC…note that in BC higher number centuries come before lower numbered centuries).  Further, the fact that this passage records that Rachel stole Laban’s household gods suggests that the story being told here reflects actual events.  As we read the story here, its primary message is about how God looked out for Jacob, protected, and blessed him.  Why would someone, who believes that there is only one God, making up a story to tell that message include that his favored wife stole her father’s idols?

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

January 11, 2023 Bible Study — The Process Of Learning That If One Serves God, One Does Not Need Lesser gods

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 31-32.

I wanted to base my writing today around Rachel stealing her father’s household gods.  I really had trouble understanding how it fits into the story here, and I am still not sure that I do.  The first thing I will note is that passages like this one are part of why many scholars claim that the Patriarchs and early Israelites were polytheistic.  However, as I read this, it appears to me that the expressions used here to refer to God differ from those used to refer to Laban’s household gods in a way which indicates a category difference.  That is, the words used suggest that God is a different category of being from Laban’s household gods.  I am unable to say whether that category difference belongs to those who take part in these events (Jacob, Laban, Rachel, etc) or only to those who composed the account (I say “composed” here because I believe these accounts were compiled into something close to what we read here long before they were written down).  If I remember, I will touch on this theme from time to time as it crops up in the passages I read this year.  In this case, I think that Laban believed that God was supreme, but felt that He was too powerful and important to call upon, making it necessary for a mere human like Laban to call upon lesser ‘gods’ (somewhat like the view many Roman Catholics have of God and the official Catholic Saints).  Jacob seems to have had a similar understanding, but with a growing awareness that God will respond to his prayers and requests.  Or, perhaps, they all viewed the “household gods” as beings who could be manipulated and/or coerced into serving the interests of the individual, while God would only serve His interests.  In a way, the account in Genesis of Jacob is about Jacob coming to realize that as he aligned His interests with those of God, God would look out for him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

January 11, 2022 Bible Study — God Speaks Through Events

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 31-32.

Yesterday I wrote about Jacob’s wages from Laban and how he managed to grow his wealth by breeding Laban’s flocks so that the choicest offspring of each generation were those which belonged to Jacob.  When Jacob speaks to Leah and Rachel about leaving Laban, the way he describes his wages from Laban suggest that yesterday’s passage was a simplification of their deal and what happened.  This makes the first explanation I offered for how Jacob’s breeding program worked unlikely, but leaves the second two remain reasonable.  After some years, Jacob reviewed his situation and realized that he had reached the point where conflict with his in-laws was inevitable.  Further, he realized that those who lived in the region owed greater allegiance to his in-laws than to him.  I am sure Jacob’s decision to leave was one which he considered for some time before he became convinced that it was time to go.  It is not clear how God spoke to Jacob telling him to return to Canaan.  Perhaps Jacob heard a voice speaking to him, perhaps some other sign.  Perhaps even, as I suggested a few days ago, he received word from his mother that it was safe to come home.  His preparations when he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men suggests otherwise, although those preparations could have just been an excess of caution.

The night before Laban overtook Jacob, God spoke to him to say nothing either good or bad to Jacob.  I have wondered for some time if perhaps part of that message from God was news that Esau was coming with 400 men.  Laban would have known the bad blood between Esau and Jacob, but would also have realized that they were twin brothers.  He would not have known if Esau was coming to support his brother, or to kill him.  Even if Esau was still murderously angry with Jacob, he might not take kindly to someone else killing his brother.  However, Laban also would not have wanted to risk being pulled into Jacob’s side if Esau attacked him.  Perhaps God spoke to Laban by supernatural means, or perhaps Laban reacted to mundane information in the way in which God desired.  More importantly, God caused Jacob to have ill-will towards Laban which guaranteed that he would never return to Haran for aid.  Laban accused Jacob of stealing his household gods, which was nominally true since Rachel had indeed done so.  But Jacob was unaware that Rachel had done so and was therefore furious when Laban was unable to prove his accusation.  In fact, as I read this, Jacob interpreted this as Laban telling lies to stir up animosity among his relatives towards Jacob.  I think the thing which I get the most out of today’s passage is that God sometimes uses mundane information to speak His message to us and we need to be listening.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

January 11, 2021 Bible Study Making The Decision To Follow God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 31-32.

There are several things in this passage I want to comment on, but I don’t see a connection between them.  So, I am going to start writing about them and see where this goes.  When Jacob decided to leave Laban he called Rachel and Leah to join him in the fields away from Laban’s household.  It was only after they joined him that he told them what he intended.  Yet, Rachel must have had some idea of what he intended.  Otherwise, why did she steal her father’s household gods?  As he explained his decision to leave, Jacob connected the guidance to that which gave him the insight to build his flock…and he credited both of those to God.  Jacob mentions the vow he had made to God at Bethel.  I read this as Jacob telling his wives (and perhaps his children) that this return would commit him, and them, to worshiping God and following His commands.

I find the references to God in the discussion between Laban and Jacob interesting.  Laban first refers to the One who warned him not to harm Jacob as “the God of your father.”  A little further in, Jacob refers to the One who aided him against Laban’s deceit as “the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac.” Then when they took the oath not to make war on each other, Laban called on “he God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father” to witness their oath.  Meanwhile Jacob took the oath in the name of “the Fear of Isaac.”  Both recognized God as having the power to enforce their oath, but neither acknowledged God as their God.

Daily Bible Study

January 11, 2019 Bible Study –Jacob Flees Laban and Bribes Esau

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 31-32.

I have never quite known what to make of the fact that Rachel stole Laban’s idols when she fled from him with Jacob.  Certainly the fact that she took them is an important part of the story.  Perhaps part of the reason they are mentioned is to show why Laban was so angry about Jacob’s departure, but that seems like an unnecessary addition.  As I think about it I come to the conclusion that this is included to show us how even the Patriarch’s struggled with idolatry.  Even though they had the stories passed down from Noah about who God truly was, they still experienced the temptation to worship other gods. And even though they remained a separate people from the people among whom they lived, the temptation to adopt the worship practices of those around them was always there.

When Jacob left his meeting with Laban he sent messengers ahead to let Esau know he was coming home.  However, the messengers discovered that Esau was already coming to meet Jacob with an army of 400 men.  We never learn what prompted Esau to set out with this small army.  Was he coming to attack Jacob as Jacob feared? Or had he heard of Laban’s pursuit of Jacob and was he coming to defend his brother?  In either case, Jacob responded to the perceived threat by turning to God.  It was only after asking God for His protection that Jacob sent out his gifts to Esau.  Here is the lesson for us: Jacob called on God for His protection and aid, but did not then just sit back and wait.  He did what he could to persuade his brother to forgive him for his past sins.  

Daily Bible Study

January 11, 2018 Bible Study — God Fights

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 31-32.

    When Laban’s sons, Jacob’s brothers-in-law, began grumbling about Jacob’s wealth, Jacob decided that it was time to return to the land of Canaan. He was very careful to make sure Laban did not find out that he was leaving until he was gone. He chose a time when Laban was away sheering sheep and he called Rachel and Leah out away from the household servants to inform them. We can see that Jacob was justified both in his decision to leave and in doing so secretly by Laban’s reaction to learning he had left. Laban did not just set out in pursuit of Jacob, he gathered a small army to do so.

    For all of his flaws, Jacob gave God credit for his success, both when he spoke to his wives about his plan to leave Laban and later when he was confronted by Laban. When Laban managed to catch up with Jacob, he pretended like he would have allowed Jacob to just leave if Jacob had told him that he wanted to do so. However, we know that this is not true because Laban cannot resist threatening Jacob even now by telling him that he could destroy him. Laban stated that the only reason he did not do so was because God had appeared to him the night before warning him against doing so. However, Laban is not willing to just let Jacob go, he wants to extract something from him, so he brings up the household idols which Rachel had stolen. (Those idols will come up again later and give us further insight into the thread about why Abraham left his homeland when they do.) It seems to me that, while I believe that God appeared to Laban in a dream to warn him against harming Jacob, when Laban realized how far he had come he began to have doubts about the wisdom of battling Jacob and his men, perhaps even some of the relatives he had gathered had expressed concern over fighting Jacob, who was also related to them.

    I mentioned that the household idols which Rachel had stolen will provide us another insight into why Abraham left his homeland, but there is actually a little bit of a clue in today’s passage as well. When Laban enters into a treaty with Jacob here he calls on the god of their grandfathers, while Jacob calls on the God of his father. The point being that for Laban, God was the god of his grandfather, with whom he had only a passing familiarity, but for Jacob, God was the god of his father, whom he had grown up revering. God is not Laban’s god and while He is not yet Jacob’s god, Jacob is moving in that direction. As Jacob is leaving the camp where he made his treaty with Laban, he meets angels and realizes that God was indeed there when Laban confronted him. Then the night before he meets Esau Jacob wrestled with an angel and became Israel. Israel means either “the one who fights with God” or “the one for whom God fights” (the literal translation is “God fights”, but I think the context makes my two meanings the intended meaning).

Daily Bible Study

January 11, 2017 Bible Study

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 31-32.

    Yesterday, I wrote about the competition and conflict in Jacob’s household between Leah and Rachael. Today, we read about them acting in unity. When Laban and his sons began to feel threatened by Jacob’s success and prosperity, Jacob spoke with his wives about him taking them and returning to Canaan. The passage tells us that Leah and Rachael responded in unity and supported Jacob’s decision. The discussion concerning leaving indicates that despite the earlier conflicts in the household, after years of marriage and many children, peace was achieved. This should serve as an inspiration to all of us. Despite their earlier missteps and somewhat justified resentment, Jacob, Leah, and Rachael were able to come to peace with each other.

    It is clear that when Laban set out after Jacob that he intended to confront Jacob by force. We do not know if Laban intended to kill Jacob and take back what Jacob had earned working for him, or just force Jacob to return with him. It does not matter which, God intervened and warned Laban against such a course of action. It is worth noting that the forces which Laban mustered to pursue Jacob were his relatives, which means they would have been Jacob’s relatives as well. It seems to me that by the time Laban had overtaken Jacob the relatives he had rallied to his cause were beginning to wonder why they should take Laban’s side against Jacob.

    Another thing of note is that when Laban arrived he told Jacob that “the God of your father” has warned him against harming Jacob. Yet, when they made their treaty, Laban called on the God of their mutual ancestors to witness the treaty. Despite acknowledging the power of the God worshiped by his grandfather and by Jacob’s father and grandfather Laban had his own household gods. I think this tells us something about why Abraham had not wanted Isaac to return to the area where Laban lived to live with his wife. I will note that it does not appear to me that Jacob had chosen to dedicate himself to God at this point in his life.

Daily Bible Study

January 11, 2016 Bible Study — Laban vs Jacob

This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”.

DSCN8036

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 31-32.

    Over time, Jacob’s success aroused jealousy from his brothers-in-law. In addition, as Jacob’s wealth increased, Laban became less and less friendly. So, Jacob decided to return to the land of his father and grandfather (the passage tells us that God promised to be with him if he did so). So, Jacob told Rachel and Leah of his plans. They both fully supported his decision. Leah and Rachel expressed no concern over leaving their father. As a matter of fact, they seemed convinced that their father had no concern for their well-being, or that of their sons. Once again, we see it hinted that Laban considered women to be just another asset to be used to increase his wealth.

DSCN8037

    We even see that in Laban’s reaction to Jacob leaving. While the passage does not give us numbers, the description of Laban’s action is very similar to what Abraham did when Lot was taken captive. Laban was not concerned about the well-being of his daughters or grandchildren. He set out to reclaim what he thought was his own. We see this in Laban’s statements after he failed to find his stolen idols. He told Jacob that everything Jacob had was really his, not Jacob’s. It is clear that the only reason Laban did not reclaim what he believed was actually his property was because he did not believe that he could do so.

DSCN8048

    I may be reading too much into this but Jacob and Laban appear to have had different attitudes toward women. Laban viewed them as assets to be used to gain wealth. Jacob viewed his wives as partners to be consulted when he made important life decisions.