In Genesis 31, Jacob provides Leah and Rachel an explanation of where they are going and that the Lord has instructed him to go back to his father’s land.  Twice, the scripture tells us that Laban has cheated Jacob out of his wages 10 times; and verses 7-12 show that Laban had indeed tried – even beyond what we were told about in chapter 30, but the Lord had looked after Jacob so that he prospered greatly anyway.

But Laban’s sons were jealous and they stirred him up to pursue Jacob after they left.  But God put Laban on notice in verse 24 before he confronted him.  Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen her father’s “gods,” and she hides them cleverly in verses 34-35, so that his search for them is fruitless.  It is then, that Jacob tells him exactly what he thinks of the way he has treated him.

The two of them make a covenant that basically is the same as drawing a line in the sand that says – let God judge you if you cross it to come after me or mine.  Laban goes away empty-handed after kissing his daughters and grandchildren.

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Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word.  Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.
/Robert