“Genesis 30:25-30”

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

“Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.' But Laban said to him, 'If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.” He continued, 'Name me your wages, and I will give it.' But he said to him, 'You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me. For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?'”

---End of Scripture verses---

“Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country.” (verse 25) “Jacob has now conscientiously discharged all his obligations to Laban. This coincides with the extraordinary birth of Joseph to his beloved Rachel. God's promise of numerous offspring has been abundantly fulfilled, and another turning point in Jacob's life has been reached. In accordance with the divine blessing at Bethel (28:15), the patriarch must ow prepare to return home.” (Nahum Sarna)

“Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart...” (verse 26) “By the terms of the original contract with Laban...Jacob's status was that of an indentured servant paying off a debt, in this case the bride-price for his employer's two daughters.” (Nahum Sarna) Jacob now officially asks Laban to release him from his “service” so that he can return home to Canaan with the family that was rightfully his. At this point he would have been leaving “empty-handed” (Genesis 31:42), since Laban had afforded him no generosity for the provision of his sizable household. The language suggests that maybe Jacob had expected at least a small share of the plentiful proceeds that his diligent “service” had generated through the providence of God. If he actually thought that Laban would respond in a magnanimous way, Jacob was barking up the wrong tree.

“But Laban said to him, 'If now it pleases you, stay with me'...” (verse 27) Laban was not about to part that readily and easily with his live-in cash cow of a son-in-law. Since Laban could not demand that Jacob stay, he resorted to the art of persuasion. “If now it pleases you,” or “If I have found favor in your sight” don't even think about leaving. For the life of me, I don't know how in the world Jacob could have viewed any of Laban's deception in a positive enough light to be convinced that staying was a good idea. But then again, Jacob did not posses the financial footing to depart at the time, and he knew it. It would not be for the love of his in-laws, but to secure provision for his own family, that Jacob would agree to tough it out for a few more years.

“I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.” (verse 27) Okay so this hits much closer to the heart and truth of the matter. Laban had “divined” or “seen the signs” that the blessings the Lord had showered down upon Jacob and soaked Laban with good fortune in the process. It was not that Laban cared one whit about Jacob's or even his daughter's financial freedom. His sole intention was to milk this cow for all that it was worth, and of course, in Laban's greedy eyes, every man had his price. “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” The sky is the limit, just tell me what I need to give you to make you stay. “This he craftily said, not choosing to propose anything himself, but leaving it to Jacob, knowing very well the honesty and modesty of Jacob, that he would mention less wages than he could have the face to offer him.” (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

“But he said to him, 'You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me. For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?'” Instead of answering the question directly and making his demands, Jacob laid a little groundwork first and made a strong case for his conditions. He reminded his hustler of a father-in-law that, not only had the Lord blessed him on account of Jacob, but that he was the determining factor for the preponderance of Laban's prosperity. The Lord had blessed Laban and his family at Jacob's every turn, and now it was time for Jacob to provide for his own household as well.

Please read Genesis 30:31-36 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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