- Scripture: Genesis 31:17–35
- The Anchor: “Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them.” – Genesis 31:34 (ESV)
Jacob flees from Laban and Laban gets mad and goes after him. Jacob flees in secret when Laban was out shearing the sheep. Before they left, Rachel stole Laban’s false idols (teraphim). While Laban was in pursuit of him, God appeared to him in a dream, saying to not say anything good or bad to Jacob. Laban catches up to Jacob and they talk. Laban asks Jacob why he fled in secret in a kind of guilt-tripping way because he also says that he has the power to harm Jacob. He also asks why Jacob stole his household gods.
Jacob says that he was scared that Laban would take away his wives. He also says that whoever is found with the idols would be killed, without knowing that Rachel had them. Laban searched the tents, but he didn’t find the household gods because Rachel hid them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them.
One clear theme of this section of Genesis is deception, but also God using deception for good. This has got to be like the 100th time that Jacob deceived someone. God told him to go to Bethel, but Jacob was fearful of Laban, so he fled while Laban was away. He trusted his own wisdom instead of the wisdom of God. This probably could have gone better if Jacob talked to Laban and made an agreement. Even though Laban would have tried to deceive Jacob again, further trust in God would have resulted in the best outcome.
Rachel took the teraphim without telling Jacob and she hid them from Laban. She even says that she can’t rise from her camel saddle because she is going through some womanly things. This could have been done for many reasons, but it’s not safe to say for sure. Maybe it was because she personally worshiped them, maybe it was so that her father couldn’t worship them anymore, or maybe it was just to get back at her father for things. It’s not safe to say.
The biggest thing that I took away from this passage is that we are so blessed to have a God that can’t be taken away from us like what happened to Laban. I love Romans 8:38-39, which says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing on this earth can separate us from God and His love. Not even the devil, and not even our sins. I am so thankful of this truth that God is with us every moment of our lives. This is so comforting, but it can also be convicting, because we know that our God watches us at all times. Let us have fear of the Lord as well. I’m now noticing that everything related to God really fits together in ways that I haven’t seen before. Now Genesis ties into Romans, which ties into Proverbs. Our God is so awesome.
Reflection
- Jacob let fear overrule God’s command to go to Bethel, trusting his own wisdom instead of God’s wisdom. When you are under stress, do you look for your own deceptive shortcuts, or do you rely on further trust in God for the best outcome?
- Laban’s gods were so small they could be stolen and hidden under a camel saddle, but Romans 8 reminds us nothing can separate us from God’s love. On quiet rest days or productive school weeks, does knowing God is watching you at all times bring you comfort, or does it convict you to have a healthier fear of the Lord?
Prayer
Lord, thank You that absolutely nothing in all creation—not even the devil or my own sins—can separate me from Your love in Christ Jesus. Forgive me for the times I trust my own wisdom instead of yours. Remind me that You are with me every moment of my life, and teach me to live with a true, reverent fear of You. Amen.