January 11th

Genesis 30:25-31:55

We observed the struggle between Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban. Notice that the pattern of deception in Jacob’s family continued from yesterday’s reading? It seems that Laban tried every trick in the book to keep Jacob from succeeding, but God blessed Jacob nevertheless.

Furthermore, as Laban deceived Jacob, Jacob deceived Laban, and Rachel even got in on the action and deceived her father, by stealing his household idols. No doubt, this was a highly dysfunctional family, one of many that we will come across this year. However, the story ended on a positive note, as Jacob and Laban made a covenant of peace and laid their grievances to rest.

I want to go back and consider Laban’s reaction to losing his household idols. It seemed, when he pursued Jacob, that he was not angry that everyone left without saying goodbye; he was angry about losing his gods. He pursued Jacob not as a beloved kinsman but as a criminal. Then, Laban gave, what I think, is an embarrassing performance, as he frantically inspected all of Jacob’s belongings, in search of his most prized possessions. He seemed to be a man who was helpless without his idols. What a pitiful picture!

The predominant thought today was thankfulness for the fact that our God cannot be stolen, and our faith in Him is not misplaced but very secure.

Daily Reflection

Have you ever frantically looked for something that was misplaced or lost? What was it and how did you feel when you found it? Or how did you feel when you didn’t find it? Perhaps you felt like Laban.