INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
- Let me tell you what it was like to go some place with Pam- and her father
- It was irritating, aggravating and ridiculous
- Not the drive- but the I've got to go to bathroom first ritual
- Don't get me wrong-
- If you're leaving on a long trip- it makes sense to go to the bathroom first
- But they'd go through this routine before we went to her aunt's house- who lived less than four miles away!
- Maybe it's me- but when you take twenty minutes to get ready to take a 5 minute trip
- That's a little bit extreme
- For crying out loud- just go already!
BIBLICAL BACKGROUND
- I suspect Jacob would have understood those feelings
- He'd spent twenty years living in a foreign land
- In that time he'd married both of Labia's daughters- and fathered 12 children
- During most of that time he'd worked for his father-in-law for slave wages
- Finally he cut a deal with Labia’s: Let me have all the streaked or dark-colored lambs and goats from your herds to build flocks of my own
- Since relatively few animals were involved- Labia’s quickly agreed to the arrangement
- But then something odd started happening:
- All the female lambs and goats began to give birth to streaked or dark colored offspring
- God's power was at work- and Jacob became rich in the process
- Which made Labia's sons extremely jealous
- Jacob's gotten rich at our father's expense
- It made them so angry they were ready to kill him
- So God told Jacob it was time to leave Paddan Aram- and return to his ancestral homeland
- Because Jacob knew Labia’s would never let him leave without a struggle
- He began his journey under the cover of darkness
- See Jacob also knew that once Labia’s- and his sons- found out what had happened they would come looking for him
- It was important to travel fast and light
- I can hear Jacob urging his family: For crying out loud- let's go already! We've got to make some time!
- But with all his wives and concubines and children and flocks in tow
- The going was going to be SLOOW!
- Jacob knew it was just a matter of time before Labia’s would overtake him
LABAN CATCHES JACOB
- We'll pick up the story in Genesis 31:22-23
- It's approximately 350 miles from Paddan Aram to Gilead
- Do the math
- To make it in ten days
- Jacob would have had to average 35 miles a day...on foot!
- That's impossible. It can't be done
- At the maximum rate shepherds can push their flocks- 2 or 3 miles a day
- It would have taken at least six months for Jacob to reach Gilead
- Does this mean the Bible made a mistake in saying it took Jacob ten days to reach Gilead? Absolutely not!
- The Word of God is perfect in every way
- It is holy, infallible and inerrant
- But- sometimes the Bible uses numbers differently than we do. For instance...
- When we read that it took Jacob 10 days to reach Gilead- we think it means ten, twenty-four hour days
- But that's not the way the ancient Hebrews understood numbers
- To them- numbers weren't that exact
- Instead they frequently symbolized something else
- In Jewish thought.../ To the Hebrew people...
- The number 7 always represents perfection or completeness
- How many days did it take God to create the Universe? Six days
- What happened on the seventh day?
- God rested
- Why? Because His creation was perfect- complete in every way
- The number ‘10' represented any large number.
- It would be like saying: I've done that a million times
- You don't literally mean 1,000,000- you mean you've done it many, many times
- I'll give you an example of how numbers are used this way. Read the way Christ is described in Revelation 5:6
- This doesn't literally mean the Resurrected Jesus had seven horns and seven eyes
- Once you know that in Jewish thought:
- Horns are a symbol of power.
- And eyes are a symbol of knowledge
- You understand that Revelation 5:6 is saying that Christ is perfect in power and perfect in knowledge- just like God!
- So when Genesis 31:22-23 tells us-
- It took Jacob 10 days to reach Gilead it simply means it took a long time
- And when it says it took Labia’s seven days it means he completed his pursuit of Jacob when he reached Gilead
- Now- at this point you might be thinking: How am I supposed to know all this stuff when I read the Bible?
- You've got to attend Sunday School- you've got to study- you've got to ask questions- you've got to dig
- It's not easy-
- But it's INCREDIBLY rewarding
- Plus- it's something God expects you to do
- Labia’s didn't worship God
- He was a pagan
- He believed in idols and so-called house-gods
- But here the one true and living God found a way to get his attention
- Not only was Labia’s to refrain from harming Jacob
- He was warned to not even speak harshly to him
- Here Labia’s plays the wounded father card
- You ran off with my daughters and grandchildren. I didn't even have a chance to kiss them good-bye.
- Why didn't you let me know? I would've thrown you a HUGE going-away party.
- Which was a total crock
- Labia's past actions proved he would have NEVER let Jacob leave like that
- You don't spend several months chasing someone down if all you intend to do is give them a good-by kiss
- So much for the wounded father routine
- Labia’s has admitted his plans were to capture or kill Jacob
- The ONLY reason he's come in peace is because of God's direct intervention
- Labia’s at least acknowledges the legitimacy of Jacob's desire
- You want to go home
- I can understand that...
- What had happened was that prior to Jacob's escape Rachel had stolen her father's house gods
- They were small carved idols covered in jewels
- Now we don't know how devout Labia’s was
- He could've been serious in his worship of these pagan symbols
- Or they could have just been valuable trinkets
- But regardless-
- He knew they'd been stolen
- And he wanted them back
"But why did you steal my gods?"
RACHEL'S DECEIT
- I don't want you to miss the significance of what Jacob just said: I was afraid
- Now remember-
- On numerous occasions God had promised Jacob He would bless and protect him wherever he went
- When He told Jacob to return to Gilead, God assured him He would be with him every step of the way
- But here Jacob is admitting to blinding, paralyzing fear
- It was a fear born of doubt
- Despite-
- All the things God had done for him in the past
- God's promise to be with him in the future
- Jacob wasn't sure God would be found faithful this time
- You know- some Christians believe that doubt is the antithesis of faith
- That if you have enough faith you'll never have any doubt
- That if you doubt- it's proof that you don't have enough faith
- When Betsy Roberts was diagnosed with advanced bone cancer
- A well-meaning friend told her that-
- If she had faith- and never had a moment of doubt
- God would be obligated to heal her
- Which was a problem because Betsy's cancer continued to spread-
- And it made her question her trust in God
- She once told me: "There's something wrong with my faith. That's why I'm not getting any better"
- In other words:
- Not only was Betsy dealing with the agony of bone cancer
- She was beating herself up spiritually
- Never forget one thing: Doubt is not a sin!
- In fact- doubt is a natural by-product of living a life of faith
- If you're a person of faith- you WILL struggle with periods of doubt
- Look at Jacob
- He had the faith to follow God wherever he lead
- But when it came time to face his father-in-law he was wracked with doubt and fear
- Obviously Jacob didn't know Rachel had stolen her father's idols
- Unwittingly he'd placed her life in danger
- And ‘Yes'- Labia’s would've probably killed his daughter if he discovered she'd stolen his property
- With that- Labia’s begins an exhaustive search of the camp
- He finds nothing in the tents of Jacob, Leah and the concubines
- Finally he gets to Rachel's tent
- There's no way to know why Rachel stole Labia's idols
- Some people suggest she took them because she still believed they were real- that they had some sort of power
- But the Bible says she was sitting on them
- In the ancient Middle East sitting on something was a sign of contempt and disbelief
- The fact is:
- Rachel had decided to put her trust in Yahweh-God- she didn't believe in these idols
- She took them because-
- They were valuable
- And for some reason- she believed they were rightfully hers
- It's possible Rachel was telling the truth about her menstrual cycle
- But it's hard to tell
- Unlike her sister- Rachel wasn't above twisting the facts to get her way
- In any event- it worked
- Labia’s didn't find his idols
- ...And Jacob was furious
JACOB'S FURY
- All the pent-up anger and resentment Jacob had harbored for twenty years came flooding out
- Interesting- Jacob never mentions anything about the circumstances surrounding his marriages to Leah and Rachel
- Remember- Labia’s had tricked Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel- the one he really wanted
- But evidently Jacob had come to peace with that
- Jacob's speech could be called The Shepherd's Lament
- Being a shepherd was dangerous, dirty, grueling, spirit-sapping work
- Labor Jacob had faithfully performed for nearly twenty years
- He was tired
- And he was ANGRY!
- You know- Jacob's fury illustrates an important principle about having a successful Christian marriage
- I call Avoiding The Trap Of Little Things
- Let me explain
- Marriages are rarely threatened by the big things
- Big things demand your immediate attention
- And generally- they have a clear solution
- If your child falls and gashes her forehead you don't have an argument about what you ought to do
- You sweep her up in your arms and rush to the hospital
- It's the little stuff that gets you
- The stuff that makes you say: It's not that big a deal. It's not really that important
- So you pack it away and try to ignore it
- The problem is that eventually- like Jacob- you get too much stuff in there
- And eventually something will happen that causes EVERYTHING to come flooding out in a tidal wave of bitterness and accusation
- The point I'm trying to make it that when it comes to marriage- and life in general:
- Take care of the little stuff as it happens
- And let the big stuff take care of itself
- The con man has come a LONG way
- The old Jacob looked for every chance to play an angle- to make a quick buck
- But now he affirms that God- and God alone- is responsible for all the blessings that have come into his life
THE WITNESS BETWEEN US
- None of this is true
- Jacob's family- and his wealth
- Weren't gained at Labia's expense
- They were gifts given to Him by God
- What Labia’s is trying to do is save face in front of his sons and kinsmen
- Remember- he's lead a posse on a 350 mile wild-goose chase
- And now he's trying to find a way to save face
- So he makes a gracious-sounding proposal
- A covenant is an agreement- or a sacred promise- between two parties
- In the Bible there are two kinds of covenants
- Covenants between
- God and human beings
- Two- or more- people
- When it comes to covenants between God and human beings
- There was no bargaining- no negotiating
- God.../ The person...
- Set the terms- or conditions- of the covenant
- Must either accept or reject God's offer
- God's gift of salvation is the ultimate covenant He makes in the Bible
- It says that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
- You will be saved through the blood Jesus shed on the Cross of Calvary
- Now you can do one of two things with this covenant:
- You can.../ Or you can...:
- Accept Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord- and be saved
- Reject Christ as your Savior and be eternally lost
- It's that simple:
- Take it- or leave it
- But be sure you understand that this is God's final offer
- Now the covenant Labia’s has proposed is an example of one drawn up between two people
- In this case- because the covenant is between equals
- The terms can be negotiated the same way you might negotiate the terms of a contract today
- In this case- the covenant involved two things. Read what it says in verses 50-52
- Jacob's covenant responsibilities were to:
- Refrain from taking any more wives (I can't image he would WANT any more)
- And to lovingly protect and care for Rachel and Leah- which he'd already been doing for more than 20 years
- In return Labia’s promises to leave Jacob alone
- The pillar they would erect would serve as a boundary separating the two
- Jacob.../ And Labia’s...
- Would be safe from Labia’s in Gilead
- Would be safe from Jacob in Paddan Aram
- Now- notice what Labia’s says in verse 52
- This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness
- The idea here is that the pillar would serve as a visible reminder of the covenant between Jacob and Labia’s
- We do that to this day
- What's the most common covenant people make to one another? The covenant of marriage!
- And what serves as the visible reminder of the marriage covenant? The wedding ring!
CONCLUSION
- Getting back to Jacob and Labia’s- read what it says in the 53rd verse
- Labia's point is that when it came to keeping the terms of the covenant Jacob-
- Wouldn't be answering to him- he'd be 350 miles away in Paddan Aram
- Rather- Jacob would be accountable to God
- Folks- that's something we ALL need to remember
- Someday you'll stand before your Heavenly Father and make an account for the way you lived your life
- Read what it says in 2 Corinthians 5:10
- Please understand: This has nothing to do with salvation
- If you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord
- You're saved- and nothing will ever change that fact
- But God will ask you to give an answer for the way you lived your life
- Did you worship and serve Me faithfully?
- Did you share Jesus with others?
- Did you minister to others in the name of Jesus?
- Did you step out on faith when I asked you to do something?
- Did you live a life that was characterized by a forgiving spirit and genuine Christian love?
- Did others see Jesus in you?
- I want you to close your eyes for just a moment
- If you were standing before God today- giving an account for your life
- How would you answer those questions:
- Did you worship and serve Me faithfully?
- Did you share Jesus with others?
- Did you minister to others in the name of Jesus?
- Did you step out on faith when I asked you to do something?
- Did you live a life that was characterized by a forgiving spirit and genuine Christian love?
- Did others see Jesus in you?
- If you can't give the kind of answer that would be pleasing to God
- Maybe it's time to let Him make some major changes in your life
- Let us pray
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