Title Toward home (Genesis 31:1-16)
Contents
Genesis Exposition 59
Toward home (Genesis 31:1-16)
The summary of Genesis 31 is as follows. After serving Laban for 14 years for his wives, Jacob got Leah and Rachel, got married, and promised another 6 years, and worked in Laban's house. However, unlike before, Laban's attitude was different while he was toiling for his own wages. This is because, unlike then, all of God's blessings belonged to Jacob. In the end, Jacob decides to return to his hometown and takes action.
Laban, who thinks that his sheep have been taken away, pursues and obstructs Jacob and his companions on their way to their hometown, but that doesn't work. Jacob and Laban make a new covenant and confirm their separation as a foregone fact. Today's verse in particular tells about the reason Jacob decided to go home, how God blessed Jacob, who was a slave, and the agreement with his wives who decided to leave his father's house. Today, we will share the grace of God through the Bible.
resolve
There comes a time when people have to make many decisions during their lifetime. Today's Bible tells us about Jacob's decision to return to his hometown. Good decisions are good and bad decisions are bad. Why did Jacob decide to return home? You can think of it in two ways.
First, because of the jealousy of Laban's family. (verses 1 and 2). "Jacob heard that Laban's sons had said, "Jacob has taken away all that our father had, and this is why we have been rejected because of our father's possessions." And when Jacob saw Laban's countenance, it was not the same toward himself as it was before." 14 years ago All the blessings Jacob received while taking care of Laban's flock were Laban's property. So there was no problem at the time.
But now the problem is different. Because the blessings received from God's blessings do not go to Laban, but only to Jacob, Laban's sons are jealous about this. Laban's sons claim to have stolen their father's property. It was according to the covenant already made between Laban and Jacob that the patterned thing belonged to Jacob. However, from Laban's point of view, it is dissatisfying that Jacob's possessions only increased and his own did not.
Laban's complexion changed. Laban, who liked that God had blessed him and made him rich, does not rejoice over the blessing that he did not own. Seeing his relatives jealous of Jacob's increased possessions, the proverb comes to mind: "When your cousin buys land, your stomach hurts." Then and now, money is an issue. You should try not to become a saint who hates people or loses faith because of money.
The second reason is the command of God. (3) "Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, to your people, and I will be with you." . In fact, he made them leave the environment and gave them the final order. God also creates a bad environment and teaches God's people what to do afterwards. It is very similar to the situation at the time of the Exodus.
blessing
Jacob was rejected. How could he be so rich? The text reports in detail. Although Jacob used the branches of willow, apricot, and sycamore trees, Jacob was not blessed because the method was so good. Jacob became rich because God blessed him. Because Jacob had a vision while sleeping on a stone pillow, if there is a person who sleeps on a stone pillow to see a vision, it is not the right form of faith. The same is true. It is not a matter of method, it is a matter of whether God works or not.
Jacob is blessed by God's work. (Verse 5) Jacob's confession, "Nevertheless, the God of my Father was with me" proves this. (Verse 9) The confession, "So God took your father's beast and gave it to me" is a more direct confession. I confess that the patterned flocks and goats were not created by Jacob's means, but according to God's work.
(11, 12) “In a dream an angel of God said to me, “Jacob, here I am.” He said to them, “Lift up your eyes, and behold, all the rams of the flock, all rams with blotches and spots. I have seen all that Laban did to you.” God blessed Laban when he saw that he had a bad look on Jacob.
Of course, it is the content of the dream that you tell your wives. This is the dream I had already in (Chapter 30) before renewing my contract with Laban for 6 years. This dream prompted Jacob to ask Laban for patterned cattle. But in verse 13, God appears again in a dream and commands Jacob. This time, it is telling them to leave Laban's house and go to their hometown, their birthplace. Looking back, we can see that Jacob acted only on God's command. It is only natural that Jacob, who acted in obedience to God's commands, would receive blessings.
Dear saints, the saints who are God's people today will be a source of blessings like Jacob if they become people moved by God.
unite
Jacob senses that he can no longer live in Laban's house and discusses it with his wives. Considering the position of the head of the family at that time, it is okay to make a decision and start alone, but Jacob discusses it with his wives (verse 4). Discussing important matters of the family with the family should be imitated by the families of the saints today. In particular, it is very impressive to share how and how much God has blessed his family.
Families must always share God's grace and blessings in the Word, and as a result, follow the Word of God to carry out family affairs. We must learn this from Jacob's family. Jacob tells his wives that Laban is not the same as before, and that he did not pay his wages ten times even though he worked wholeheartedly. I am already declaring my breakup with Laban from the bottom of my heart. So, make sure your wives agree with you. So, in the end, the wives also get their consent. (14) "Rachel and Leah answered him, "Do we have any portion or inheritance in our father's house?"
(verses 15, 16) more explicitly shows that the wives turned from the father's side to the side of Jacob. "Father sold us and ate all our money, so does not our father regard us as strangers? The riches that God took from our father belong to us and our children. Now do all that God has told you." It's just that the wives aren't on Jacob's side. It is too human to understand that Jacob's persuasion alone did so. From the words, “Now do all that God has told you,” we can see that the wives, like their husband Jacob, decided to obey God’s commands. Wives obey their husbands in God's command.
You should not curse at the wives who turned the fields to their fathers and turned to their husbands. It should not be overlooked that the decision was made after knowing his father's injustice. It was not a simple matter of being a father or a husband, but a decision of whether to be on the side of God or man. They chose God's side.
Dear saints,
The trials that Jacob faced during the six-year contract were difficult. However, that situation is also an environment created by God. He creates an environment where he has no choice but to leave Laban's house and commands him to head home. Blessings are also the grace of God. It is God's will that wives obey their husbands. After all, there is nothing that is not God's work and guidance. Our members should always understand and obey God's will and live in the blessings of the Lord. Hallelujah!