Wayfinding Bible - Flipbook - Page 55
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Genesis 31
OBSERVATION POINT
According to the customs and laws of the region,
whoever held the household gods had rights to land
and possessions. A father passed these gods on to
a son as one would sign over the deed to a property.
Jacob believed he was entitled to the possessions
he had acquired while working for his father-inlaw. Rachel, by taking the idols, felt assured that
her father could not take it all back.
your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce
speckled young. And when he changed his
mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be
your wages,’ then the whole flock produced
striped young. 9 In this way, God has taken your
father’s animals and given them to me.
10
“One time during the mating season, I had a
dream and saw that the male goats mating with
the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 11 Then in my dream, the angel of God said
to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
12
“The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will
see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your
flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated
you. 13 I am the God who appeared to you at
Bethel,* the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get
ready and leave this country and return to the
land of your birth.’”
14
Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine
with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s
wealth anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to
those of foreign women. And after he sold us,
he wasted the money you paid him for us. 16 All
the wealth God has given you from our father
legally belongs to us and our children. So go
ahead and do whatever God has told you.”
17
So Jacob put his wives and children on
camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock in front
of him. He packed all the belongings he had
acquired in Paddan-aram and set out for the
land of Canaan, where his father, I saac, lived.
19
At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole
her father’s household idols and took them
with her. 20 Jacob outwitted Laban the Ara
mean, for they set out secretly and never told
Laban they were leaving. 21 So Jacob took all
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EXPLORATION POINT
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God spoke to us as clearly
as he did to Jacob? Even so, Jacob had additional
indications that things weren’t going well: Laban’s
attitude toward him had changed, and his brothersin-law were complaining about him and calling him
a thief. These alone would be good reasons to get
out of the area. God sometimes speaks directly,
sometimes indirectly. When you’re uncertain about
your next step or a major decision, listen for God
and look for other signs that God might be using to
communicate with you.
his possessions with him and crossed the Eu
phrates River,* heading for the hill country of
Gilead.
LABAN PURSUES JACOB
Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob
had fled. 23 So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up
with Jacob seven days later in the hill country
of Gilead. 24 But the previous night God had
appeared to Laban the Aram
ean in a dream
and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob
alone!”
25
Laban caught up with Jacob as he was
camped in the hill country of Gilea
d, and he
set up his camp not far from Jacob’s. 26 “What
do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban
demanded. “How dare you drag my daughters
away like prisoners of war? 27 Why did you
slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me?
And why didn’t you say you wanted to leave?
I would have given you a farewell feast, with
singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps. 28 Why d
idn’t you let me kiss
my daughters and grandchildren and tell them
good-bye? You have acted very foolishly! 29 I
could destroy you, but the God of your father
appeared to me last night and warned me,
‘Leave Jacob alone!’ 30 I can understand your
feeling that you must go, and your intense
longing for your father’s home. But why have
you stolen my gods?”
31
“I rushed away because I was afraid,”
Jacob answered. “I thought you would take
your daughters from me by force. 32 But as for
your gods, see if you can find them, and let
the person who has taken them die! And if you
22
31:13 As in Greek version and an Aramaic Targum; Hebrew reads the
God of Bethel. 31:21 Hebrew the river.
