Genesis 31:4 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Genesis 31:4

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Jacob calls his wives out to where he is working in the field probably to conceal from Laban and his sons what he plans to do next, and to have a private discussion. He does not yet know whether Leah and Rachel will be willing to come with him, for it is only during this conversation that they decide and make clear that they are prepared to leave their father’s house. He explains why he is making this move now: there has been a change in Laban’s attitude to him, and the former friendliness has gone and is not going to return. Jacob knows that there was little sincerity in Laban even in the past, but if he is now no longer bothering even to appear reasonable, then there will be little further restraint on his vindictiveness. It will not be long before he decides to act, and given his unpleasant character, Jacob knows it is not safe to remain. We can deal with those who oppose us and relate to them at a certain level while their pretence is not punctured, but once their real character is exposed, the gloves are off.Jacob protests his honesty in all his service to Laban, and he is speaking the truth. God has during these twenty years caused him to encounter someone who is more than a match for himself. Although he has repented and turned from deceit he still has lessons to learn through having to deal with such a man. He is using a figure of speech when he says that Laban has changed his wages ten times, and is not expecting his wives to count the occasions. Laban has shown that he cannot be trusted. He is quite happy to hold others to an agreement while he thinks he is getting the advantage, but when it starts to work against his interests he abandons it. Laban has been ready to chop and change and to double cross Jacob, who is no longer willing to resort to the same tactics himself, but God has been with his servant, and every time Laban cheated Jacob, God intervened. It is obvious that Jacob is saying that this intervention was divine, and that the reason all the strongest of the livestock have come into Jacob’s possession was nothing to do with the any natural cause. Laban was plotting that Jacob would end up with nothing, and so constantly tried to agree terms that he felt would disadvantage Jacob, but it did not work. If Laban said that Jacob would get the speckled cattle – because he thought that would never happen – then all the cattle bore speckled. If on the other hand he assigned the ringstraked cattle to Jacob, then to Laban’s frustration that is what they all bore. He could not win, because God was working supernaturally to prosper Jacob. Jacob no longer needed to depend on his own cunning because God was with him.Some have problems with the dream as if it gives a different explanation for Jacob’s success to that given in the previous chapter, but that is to misunderstand what he is saying. Jacob is explaining God’s communication to him in a dream. This explains what he did with sticks when the animals were breeding. He was responding to the dream. There was nothing unethical about this. If what Jacob had really done was to make use of some animal breeding technique, then we might be entitled to say that he was acting with cunning, but no such technique existed then or ever since. If however, the effect relied entirely on God’s supernatural working so that the animals bore the marking that assigned them to Jacob, then Jacob was doing nothing he should not; God can give the earth to whom he wishes. As for his taking Laban’s flocks and herds by this means, that was something he was entitled to do. Yes he was taking away Laban’s animals by a means that God had shown him, and it was the will of God that he should be enriched at Laban’s expense. He had the plan revealed to him before the deal was struck. This is the only coherent explanation – he received the vision before the arrangement with Laban was made. Jacob tells his wives that God has been with him and protected him. He is keen to give God the glory. It is God who has given him Laban’s flocks and herds which is the substance of the quarrel that the sons have with him. Now the Lord has told him to return to his own land and he is going to obey. Will they be willing to come with him?

Application

We must hold onto our honesty even though others have no intention of doing so. We must give no good cause for the Lord to be slandered on our account. Above all we must not resort to the practices of those around us. For the sake of our testimony we continue to be upright when others are scheming against us, however bad they are and however much they resort to lies.

Jacob was given something to do. This foreshadows the church of Christ. Now it isn't the sons being brought in, it's the sheep and the goats and the cattle. They represent the people of God – the holdings of Jacob and the Israelites – and they are being bred. Jacob has something to do at breeding time to prepare this rigmarole for the sheep. Either God will miraculously use that, or he will work aside from it, but it's a picture of human instrumentality. Jacob is going to obey God. He may mutter to himself, ‘Well, I've been a shepherd all my life, and I'm now over 90, and I've never seen anybody do this. I've never done it myself either, but God says, do it, and I will do it meticulously.’ God says to us, ‘I will build my church. I will bring in the elect. You will preach the gospel. You will witness.’ We speak loosely and we say there's power in the gospel; there's power in the word.’ Not really. The power is entirely that of the Holy Spirit. But we are to do it; we are commanded to persuade sinners. And God says,’ As you do so, I will work in the heart, and I will use your words. If I did not work, your message would be fruitless, but I will work in the heart. So we then say today, ‘If God is going to save his elect, he will do it without us.’ We are commanded, just as Jacob was commanded. What he did prefigures the work of the church of Jesus Christ. And God caused it to be successful, and so Jacob is able to leave.

He doesn't trust Laban. He slips away by night and God is with him. How could Jacob, with his holdings, which were now enormous, and all his family and his servants and hands, how could he travel so far back towards his land that it took Laban and his fighting men – possibly mounted – seven days to catch up with them? God was surely with that massive band of flocks and herds as they made their way. God keeps his promises. He dealt very firmly with Jacob. He blessed and honoured his godliness. He increased his sons and formed the tribes. That prefigures the structure and the plan and the work of the New Testament church.

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Genesis 31:4 Commentary and Bible Study