Gen. 31:24-3724And 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. 25Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. 26And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword? 27Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp? 28And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. 29It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 30And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? 31And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. 32With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. 33And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. 35And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images. 36And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? 37Whereas 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. (Genesis 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 5:2121Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (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