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Submitted by opeyemi.emmanuel on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 7:04pm

Genesis 31

GENESIS 31

Jacob Flees From Laban

Submitted by opeyemi.emmanuel on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 5:06pm

Genesis 31

GENESIS 31

Jacob Flees From Laban

Submitted by Clare.Elevique on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 4:04pm
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God's Mercy And Deliverance

God's mercy and deliverance has come through for me once again.

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A Time of Change

Tue, 11/01/2011
Genesis Chapters 31 to 32

GENESIS 31

Jacob Flees From Laban

Commentary

Jacob had been dwelling in Padan Aram and had become rich with a large family, servants and property.  One day as he was minding his own business, he overhears a conversation, which could have sounded like this:

Laban’s son 1:    I don’t even know what is wrong with this Jacob.  Who does he think he is? 
                         And where did he get all this wealth? Is he not our father’s servant?
Laban’s son 2:    First he comes in, takes our sisters, then our fathers sheep.
Laban’s son 3:    Have you noticed that our fathers flock has been decreasing and his increasing?
Laban’s son 2:    And he now has more servants than we have.
Laban’s son 1:    Can’t father see that he is stealing from him?
Laban’s son 2:    We must do something about this.  Lets go tell father.

Sometimes we are allowed to hear or see what the opposition is up to.  Just as Jacob was allowed to hear Laban’s sons and observe Laban’s countenance, we are also shown the warning signs through feedback, dreams and observations as God’s mercy so desires.  The question is what do we do about it?

We can borrow a leaf from Jacob’s book:

  1. Jacob went to God and received instructions on what to do.  
  2. He calls only Rachel and Leah (his key stakeholders), and reveals his plan. 
        He was careful not to reveal it to just anyone, it was on a need to know basis. 
        Notice he did not include Zilpah and Bilhah.
  3. He carefully plots his escape waiting for the right moment.
  4. He implemented his plan.


Often when change is about to happen, there is a shaking, which is not always pleasant.  The good thing for us believers is that we can go to the only wise God for direction and instruction and we have a cast iron guarantee that the God who answers prayers will answer. We then have to do our part being as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).

God is with you through change
Jacob thought he had escaped Laban but suddenly he was confronted and outnumbered by his people.  But through it all, God was with him even as to prevent Laban from touching Jacob and also from Rachel losing her life because of the oath Jacob swore regarding the stolen idol.  

As Jacob scaled the first hurdle, he knew a greater challenge lay ahead.  He must face up to his past.  The consequences of his actions in the past were about to catch up with him and he was unsure of the outcome.  He prepared his strategy, made his plans, but also he prayed – a prayer worth studying.

Chapter 32 starts with God and ends with God with Jacob and his problems sandwiched in between.  God sent his Angels to Jacob, a sign and confirmation of what he said to him in Genesis 31:3 and as an answer to prayer, God sent an Angel (Hosea 12:4) to him at the point of change.
The second encounter with the Angel reveals a few things about the character of Jacob; he is tenacious, he will not take no for an answer and even at a time of desperate need, he is willing to contend with God.  But the encounter also reveals a few things about God.

Because of His great love, God was willing to wrestle all night even though He has the power to crush Jacob in an instant. But when the time came, with one touch he supernaturally brought Jacob to the point of submission but He did not leave without making the change permanent.  The Angel arrived in the evening in the midst of Jacobs troubles and by morning Jacob was a new man with a new identity.  The Hebrew root word for evening means chaos and for morning means order. God arrived at a time of Jacob’s chaos and by morning order was restored.

For us, we can be comforted by the truth that God is constant and if we submit, turning and leaning on Him in prayer, being persistent and contending with God in prayer during our troubles, God will certainly show up in the midst of our chaos and restore order to our lives.

Bunmi Olubode

EXODUS 15:26

26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”

Sinmisola

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