Community Class BLog

The hope for The Community Class Blog is to generate discussion and careful thoughts around the biblical text from our Southside Baptist Church Sunday morning Community Class.  I typically read the lesson on Wednesday and journal throughout the week.  My journaling is free flowing thoughts.  What speaks to me?  What others say from Sunday morning Community class resonates?   Also, some random Google search, “what does this mean”?   Contributions and edits from Rev., Dr. Tim Kelley, and Rev. Ethan Asters.    

The Text:  Genesis 31:43-45 The Message

^43-44 Laban defended himself: “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flock is my flock—everything you see is mine. But what can I do about my daughters or for the children they’ve had? So, let’s settle things between us, make a covenant—God will be the witness between us.”

⁴⁵ Jacob took a stone and set it upright as a pillar.

^46-47 Jacob called his family around, “Get stones!” They gathered stones and heaped them up and then ate there beside the pile of stones. Laban named it in Aramaic, Yegar-sahadutha (Witness Monument); Jacob echoed the naming in Hebrew, Galeed (Witness Monument).

^48-50 Laban said, “This monument of stones will be a witness, beginning now, between you and me.” (That’s why it is called Galeed—Witness Monument.) It is also called Mizpah (Watchtower) because Laban said, “God keep watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives when there’s no one around to see you, God will see you and stand witness between us.”

^51-53 Laban continued to Jacob, “This monument of stones and this stone pillar that I have set up is a witness, a witness that I won’t cross this line to hurt you and you won’t cross this line to hurt me. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor (the God of their ancestor) will keep things straight between us.”

^53-55 Jacob promised, swearing by the Fear, the God of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and worshiped, calling in all his family members to the meal. They ate and slept that night on the mountain. Laban got up early the next morning, kissed his grandchildren and his daughters, blessed them, and then set off for home.

My Takeaways

The Bible is filled with stories that sometimes read like a novella, a Shakespearean tragedy, or some twisted, southern gothic family.  Take your pick on the story of Jacob and Laban.  These are flawed people who make bad choices.  We make bad choices that have consequences for our entire life.  Sometimes the bad choices are not ours, but those heaped on us by others.  Either way, it still stings.  

When I read Genesis 31, the question is how did Jacob and Laban get to this contentious point in their relationship?  It didn’t happen overnight.   Yes, this is the same Jacob, AKA “the Heel”.  He came out of the womb trying to control and manipulate.  This is the guy that stole his brother Esau’s birthright and blessing.  

The short version of his relationship with Esau is he had to leave his hometown.  Esau was not happy about how things played out and was going to murder Jacob.   You can read more about that story in Genesis 27.  

Jacob seems to always be running away from something.  Jacob travels to meet his uncle Laban.  Laban is the brother of Jacob’s mother Rebekah.  The hope is that he can find refuge and safety in Laban’s home.  In Genesis 29:14-15, when Laban meets Jacob, he says, “You’re family…my flesh and blood!”  I believe the relationship between Jacob and Laban was initially one of love and respect.  What do families do?  They take care of each other.  

It gets complicated when these two men start manipulating each other.  Both had something each other wanted.  Jacob wanted Rachel, Laban’s daughter.  It was love at first sight with these two.  You can read that story in Genesis 29.  Laban wanted to marry off both of his daughters, Rachel and Leah.  I think he also wanted some cheap labor.  Or as they say, he wanted Jacob to have some sweat equity in the deal. 

Laban says, you can work for seven years and then marry Rachel.  At the end of the seven years, he says nope, this is not how we do it.  You must marry Leah.  Laban uses his daughter Leah as part of his manipulation by putting her in Jacob’s marriage bed.  Ugh, these men need to learn respect for women.  They are not your property.    Jacob wants what he wants, so he agrees to work seven more years and marries Rachel.  You can read more about the Leah and Rachel drama in Genesis 30.

Say what you want about Jacob and Laban, they are dealmakers.  In Genesis 30, stay with me here, Laban promises to give Jacob the “speckled or spotted sheep, dark color lambs, every spotted or speckled goats.”  This is Jacob’s wages.  The thing is Laban removes all the speckled animals for himself.  Jacob gets his revenge by hatching up a complicated scheme that leaves Laban with the feeble animals.  Jacob, “got richer and richer, acquiring huge flocks, lots and lots of servants, not to mention camels and donkeys”  (Genesis 30:43). If you have 20 minutes here is a nerdy YouTube link that explains this better than I can. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm8tSiWh4sE) I love the internet. 

Here we are in Genesis 31, a boiling point with Jacob and Laban.  Jacob has had it.  He takes his family, stuff and runs away to his father’s Isaac’s home.  Laban gets wind and goes after him.  These two have been fighting and scheming with each other for years.  Maybe all the bitterness, resentment and anger had worn them down.  Perhaps they wanted to reconcile and forgive each other .  Or at least tolerate each other.  (Thank you, Henry, for that one).  

Maybe they realized all the scheming and deal making had to stop.  It was harming them, their sons, daughters, and grandchildren.   Maybe they didn’t want to pass all the generational trauma on to their family.  The text doesn’t specifically say they forgave each other.  I think they did.  They offered sacrifice and worshipped.  All the family shared a meal…they all slept on the mountain… and Laban leaves giving his grandchildren and daughters a kiss and a blessing.  

What does this story mean for us?  I leave you with some questions:  Who do we need to forgive and/or reconcile?  What was my part in inflicting harm?  What “false self” (Rohr) do I need to let go of to get to healing and reconciliation?  www.cac_.org/daily-meditations/letting-go-of-the-false-self-2023-08-09/