Does God Permit the World to Hate His People to Save Them From Falling into the Death Traps of the World?

I have been following a chronological Bible study set forth by Skip Andrews.  In the last post, in Genesis chapter 45, Joseph had just revealed himself to his brothers, and the brothers had returned to their father Jacob and had given him the news that Joseph was still alive.  Before continuing with the story of Joseph and his family in Genesis 46, Mr. Andrews inserted a few verses from 1 Chronicles, chapter 2, that continue a previously started genealogy of the sons of Judah who were probably born during the time of the famine in the land when Joseph ruled in Egypt.

(1 Chronicles 2:5) The sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul. (6) And the sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five of them in all.

We learned in an earlier study that the firstborn sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah, and then Tamar bore him Pharez and Zerah.  Here we learn about the sons of Pharez and Zerah.

(7) And the son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing.

The best I can understand is that Carmi was the son on Zimri, Zerah's son.  Joshua 7:1 gives a little more detail about the ancestry of this son of Carmi who was the troubler of Israel, who "took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel."  The original meaning of the word translated as "accursed" was more like "banned" or "set aside" and here referred to things set aside and dedicated to God.  He apparently took things that were dedicated to God.

(8) And the son of Ethan was Azariah.

Continuing with another of Zerah's sons, we have the son of Ethan.

And now back to Genesis:

(Genesis 46:1) And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Jacob, or Israel, Joseph's father, upon hearing the news that Joseph was alive and in Egypt, began his journey to his son, but first stopped at Beersheba to offer sacrifices to God.  Beersheba was a place that had been consecrated to God by Abraham, where God had appeared to Abraham and Isaac.  It apparently was at least somewhat on the way to Egypt, but I am sure Jacob wanted to make a point of stopping to honor and thank God for His blessing in bringing his son back to him, and providing a way out of their certain death from starvation.

(2) And God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” (3) And he said, I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. (4) I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

God appeared to Jacob in his dreams at night.  He told him not to fear going to Egypt, for He would be with him.  Jacob had determined to see Joseph before he died, but he may have had fear because of his advanced age, but God gave him confirmation that He would indeed be with him on this journey and He would bring him back again.  Jacob may or may not have realized exactly what this meant, as he would not make a journey back to his home himself, but rather his bones would be brought back to rest with those of his fathers.  At any rate, Jacob surely felt assurance that God was with him on this journey.  Additionally, and probably more importantly, God was confirming that even in Egypt, His covenant would be fulfilled that from Jacob (Israel) would come a great nation.  I have to admit I had to defer to the more learned Biblical scholars to determine the meaning of the last part of verse 4.  I remembered that Jacob's eyes were dim or blind in his old age, and thought this had something to do with praying for his blind eyes.  However, there is a consensus that this referred to Joseph shutting his father's eyes when he died, meaning he would be with him until that time, and that his most dear son would be the one to perform this last tender act for him.

(5) And Jacob rose up from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. (6) And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his descendants with him. (7) His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

Jacob and his family must have camped at Beersheba after sacrificing to God before their journey to Joseph in Egypt, as that is where he had his visions of the night, and from where he now departed.  Jacob, with his sons and all his descendants who had been living there in the land of Canaan, went in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for the journey, along with all their cattle and goods, and came to Egypt.

(8) And these were the names of the children of Israel, who came to Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. (9) And the sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Phallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

A list of the sons of Jacob is begun with the names of their sons.  Reuben was his firstborn son.

(10) And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

Simeon was Jacob's second born son, and he probably had the first five sons by his wife, and then either remarried or the Canaanite woman was his concubine.

(11) And the sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (12) And the sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Pharez, and Zerah, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.

The first two sons of Judah, Er and Onan, died in Canaan and therefore did not go with Jacob to Egypt, but are mentioned as the sons of Judah here.

(13) And the sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. (14) And the sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. (15) These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah; all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three.

The six sons of Leah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, were grouped together, and they were the ones born in Padan Aram, but not their sons.  Additionally, Leah bore Dinah in Padan Aram, but at first glance, Dinah doesn't appear to be counted among the "souls" borne by Leah to Jacob.  If you count the six sons and their sons and their sons, when applicable, it totals 33.  That would mean that the souls of his sons and daughters would have to mean of his sons and daughters-in-law.  Another school of thought, and probably the correct one, is that Er and Onan were not counted because they were not here anymore; Dinah is most certainly counted as she was expressly mentioned; and Jacob is included in the number who came to Egypt as verse 8 does specifically mention "Jacob and his sons".

(16) And the sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. (17) And the sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah were Heber, and Malchiel. (18) These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob, sixteen souls.

Next the sons of Leah's maid, Zilpah, are grouped together, Gad and Asher, with their sons and daughters.  The fact that these souls including their sister Serah make sixteen, I believe proves that Dinah was counted above, along with Jacob, and that Er and Onan were eliminated because they did not go to Egypt.

(19) The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. (20) And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.  (21) And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. (22) These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; all the souls were fourteen.

Rachel's sons, Joseph and Benjamin, and their sons are grouped together next.  Rachel is called Jacob's wife, whereas Leah was not.  Rachel was the wife Jacob always wanted and the desire of his heart.  He was tricked into taking Leah as his wife, but as far as he was concerned, Rachel was his one true wife.  Joseph's sons are said to have been born in Egypt, to distinguish them from the children coming to Egypt with Jacob.  It is interesting that Benjamin would have so many children by this time.  He is often described as a "lad" and thought of as attached to his father, rather than a man grown old enough to have had so many children by this time.  Biblical scholar Albert Barnes gave a good account of the ages of Jacob and his children when they came to Egypt:

"Jacob himself was 130 years of age (Gen. 47:9). Joseph was in his thirtieth year when he stood before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams and receive his commission as governor-general of Egypt, (Gen. 41:46). At the end of the second year of the famine nine full years were added to his life. He was therefore, we may suppose, 39 years old when Jacob arrived in Egypt, and born when his father was 91. As we conceive that he was born in the fifteenth year of Jacob’s sojourn in Padan-aram, and Reuben in the eighth, we infer that Reuben was at the time of the descent into Egypt seven years older than Joseph, or 46, Simon 45, Levi 44, Judah 43, Dan about 43, Naphtali about 42, Gad about 42, Asher about 41, Issakar about 41, Zebulun about 40, Dinah about 39, Benjamin about 26."

It is hard to believe that Benjamin could have had ten sons by the time he was 26!  Biblical scholar Dr. John Gill supposed that Benjamin was actually 32 by this time.  Since Mr. Barnes did not specifically say how he calculated Benjamin to be only 26, I can't really say one way or another.  Although some scholars believe some of these children of Benjamin were born after he was in Egypt, that is not in keeping with the pattern of only numbering the souls who went to Egypt.  Dr. Gill felt it was not likely that Benjamin had more than one wife, but at 32, it is possible that he could have had ten sons by this time, especially if any sets of twins were included.

(23) And the son of Dan was Hushim. (24) And the sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. (25) These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob; all the souls were seven.

Finally, the sons of Rachel's maid Bilhah are mentioned in the final group, two sons and five grandsons for a total of seven souls.

(26) All the souls who came with Jacob into Egypt, who came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six souls in all.

The number of his descendants who came with Jacob to Egypt, excluding the wives who were not actually his flesh and blood, were 66.  This number includes the totals from each group before mentioned--32 from Leah's children (excluding Er and Onan who had died, and this time not counting Jacob, as only the ones who came "with Jacob" are counted), 16 souls from Leah's maid Zilpah, 11 souls from Rachel (Joseph and his sons are not counted because they were already in Egypt), and 7 from Bilhah.

(27) And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were seventy.

Now Joseph and his sons are counted, and including Jacob, there were 70 souls from the house of Jacob who were in Egypt.

(28) And he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to direct him to Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to show him the way and perhaps to inform Joseph of his father's coming so that a place might be already prepared for him when he got there.  Goshen is said to have been the first part of Egypt nearest to Canaan.

(29) And Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. (30) And Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”

Jacob had just made it inside Egypt, and as Judah had been sent before him to Joseph, Joseph now went to Goshen to meet his father.  The trip was a long hard one for an old man and with more youthful Judah and Joseph going and coming back to him, he was able to see his Joseph sooner, which was obviously his heart's desire.  Now that he had seen that his Joseph was still alive, he was ready to die.  It was not that he was impatient to die, but he could now be content to die, having seen his beloved son alive once again.

(31) And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and show Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. (32) And the men are shepherds, for their trade has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’"

Joseph told his brothers and all of his father's household that he planned to let Pharaoh know that his brothers and all of his father's house had come to him from the land of Canaan.  The word translated as "show", rather than physically showing his family to Pharaoh, meant more like "show forth" or "make known".  He would also let him know that his brothers were shepherds, reinforcing the fact that they fed livestock, and that they had brought all their flocks and herds with them.  We touched on the subject before that Egyptians did not associate with shepherds, but Joseph planned to be honest and upfront with Pharaoh, and he was obviously not ashamed of his family and what they did for a living.

(33) "And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you and shall say, ‘What is your occupation?’ (34) That you shall say, ‘Your servants’ trade has been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

Joseph instructed his brothers to be honest with Pharaoh when he asked about their occupation, and to let him know that it was all they had ever known, and that it had been what their fathers before them had done.  Joseph explained that by being honest upfront, they could be allowed to dwell in Goshen, which was just inside Egypt and under the reign of Pharaoh, but set apart from the Egyptians who would find the Hebrew shepherds disgusting to live among.  Joseph himself declared that "every shepherd (was) an abomination to the Egyptians".  Once again, some of the reasons for this might have been because in the Egyptians' experience, shepherds were usually lawless bandits and/or associated with the King-shepherds who had ravaged their country, and also perhaps because Hebrews ate and sacrificed animals that the Egyptians found sacred. Being allowed to dwell in Goshen would give Joseph's family the freedom to live and worship as they wished apart from the paganism of the Egyptians.  I really liked a quote I found from the 1599 Geneva Bible Translation Notes, "God permits the world to hate His own, so they will forsake the filth of the world, and cling to Him."  We are told many times in the Bible that the world would hate God's people, and it might appear that it was just their cross to bear.  However, when you see it as God's merciful act to protect them from falling into the traps of Satan and the world, it is a beautiful sentiment from a loving God!

Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, took the idea of God permitting the world to hate His own people and applied it directly to the story of Joseph and his family winding up in Egypt.  He quoted Bishop Warburton (1698–1779), in his Divine Legation of Moses, who, in essence, said that God purposely brought His people to Egypt for a time.  He had promised them the land of Canaan, but they kept intermarrying with the Canaanites and picking up their idolatrous practices.  God, in His infinite wisdom, brought them to this little corner of Egypt, where they could live apart from the Egyptians, and because the Egyptians found them to be an abomination, they would keep separate from them.  If they had gone to any other country, they may have been absorbed into "Gentilism", as Bishop Warburton put it, but God mercifully put them in Egypt.  This is why I love studying the Biblical scholars of old!  They often give me insights I've never had.  Once again, my little human mind had never seen so grand a plot perpetuated by God.  About as far as I had ever seen was that God brought good out of what Joseph's brothers had meant for evil, and God's people were saved from starvation.  It is awesome to think of the grander plan to move them to this little corner of Egypt to protect them from the "filth of the world" and to keep them close to Him, which is definitely for their ultimate good, and a marvelous act of love and mercy!

I have to bring that thought into the present time and think of how Christians are beginning to be "persecuted" for their beliefs in this country.  I use quotation marks because I know that we have no idea what real persecution is!  But it's coming.  I've honestly said before that it should be worn as a badge of honor when liberals hate conservative Christians for their beliefs, but to view hatred and persecution as a good thing that keeps us from falling into the death traps of the Godless world sort of blows the mind.  It's not a good thing perpetuated by God, but God allows it to keep us separate and clinging to Him.  Think of the people who call themselves Christians who have convinced themselves that God would endorse same sex marriage because he wants people to love one another.  Think of the people who call themselves Christians who have convinced themselves that it is okay to kill innocent babies in the womb because it is an act of love and mercy to do away with the unwanted burden on the family and society and "save" the baby from a terrible unloved life!  If God allows His true followers to be hated and separated for their beliefs because in His infinite wisdom, He knows they might otherwise fall into the "filth of the world", I say it is blessed to be hated by the world.  Isn't that what Jesus Christ said?

“Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:11-12

I think of the people in this United States of America who have had freedom people in other parts of the world only dream about.  They are pretty much free to say and think whatever they will, and they have become comfortable with a worldview that has pushed God out of their schools and the public square, and with an insane view that you must not use God as the rule by which you live and make laws, even though He is the very creator of moral law.  As if you could actually separate God from it!  What makes a thing right or wrong--some high and mighty panel's opinion?  Does that really make murdering an innocent unborn baby moral?  "Enlightened" Americans and even some who call themselves Christians have become wise in their own eyes and believe they know better than God, or else they have twisted His word to pretend that what they are doing is okay with Him.  Paul pegged this behavior precisely in Romans, chapter 1, verses 18-32:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves,
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile affections, for even their women changed the natural use for what is against nature.
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful;
Who knowing the judgment of God, that those who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them who do them.

Basically, people know in their hearts what is right and wrong, because God put it there; they can plainly see His creation all around them and understand His eternal power, so that they are without excuse!  But they didn't glorify God nor were they thankful to Him, but became wise in their own eyes.  They thought they were so wise, but God said they became fools!  They changed the truth about God and made Him into something they could corrupt.  They began to worship His created things more than Him.  Therefore God turned His back to them--after all, is that not what they wanted?--and that is when same sexes burned in their lust for one another.  They chose not to acknowledge God, even though they knew better, so God let them do their own thing, which was filled with all sorts of evils.  They knew what they did was worthy of death, but they did it anyway, and they took pleasure in others who did the same.  Perhaps that explains a whole generation who stands up for the "rights" to do things against God.  Perhaps that explains politicians and media who may not do all these things themselves, but promote the "rights" of others to do the things that are against God.

I can't understand how people cannot see!  They choose not to see.  If only they would look to God for the truth!  I guess that is why my blog has become a Bible study.  Rather than my ranting against the Godless insanity in our country, I wish people could just turn to God's word for the truth.  That is my greatest wish for anyone:  just read your Bible and God will reveal His truth to you.

I get chilled to the bone when I think of our country's ruling party voting God out of their platform.  Oh, they got so much negative press that we were told they voted Him back in; I am sure that the Almighty Holy God of the universe felt privileged!  If you watched that actual vote on C-Span and didn't merely listen to the liberal-leaning media, you would have seen that the Democrat party representatives did not want God back in their platform.  The man taking the vote asked for the "ayes" and "nays" and realized the nays had it, so he took the vote again.  You see, it was already predetermined that they would vote God back into their platform, but the voters weren't cooperating.  He took the vote three times, and then threw up his hands and walked away from the platform.  It was obvious that the Democrats did not want God as part of their platform.  How could they, when you think about it.  They want a platform that kills babies and promotes homosexuality, something God called an abomination!  They want any reference to Him removed from the public square, so why would they leave His name in their platform?  Anyway, they eventually passed the amended platform putting God back in it, pretending the ayes had it, and when they announced it passed, you could hear the boos and hissing!  It was really chilling!  And these are the people leading our country right now.  And the people, some calling themselves Christians, have actually convinced themselves that it doesn't matter!  "Republicans never do anything about abortion anyway", I have heard.  "Both parties have their good points and bad points, and you just do the best you can", I've heard.  Will you explain to me how on earth one can truly believe that immoral Godless people, by their own admission, can be trusted to have the country's best interests at heart?!  And yet people have become comfortable and content with compromising their views about God, believing it does not matter, believing they can still be Christians while accepting and doing what the world does.  Would it not be better to be hated and separated for eternal salvation rather than be slowly lulled into a sleep of eternal death and separation from God?  It reminds me of the lyrics from Casting Crowns:

United States of America,
Looks like another silent night,
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children;

And while we're lying in the dark,
There's a shout heard cross the eastern sky,
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night, in the night.

America, what will we miss
While we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay?

America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King?
Will we be sleeping?
Will we be sleeping?

United States of America,
Looks like another silent night.

Maybe a little persecution and separation would be just the thing to wake up God's people and make them take a stand.  Although I believe a bad time is coming in this country, as God often does, I believe He will use it for good to awaken His people, and that will be a blessing in disguise if they awaken to eternal salvation in Him, rather than die with the world forever apart from Him.  God, in His mercy, is giving us another chance to come to Him, to cling to Him, rather than go the way of the unrighteous world as described by Paul in Romans 1.  I pray that people will open their eyes and take that chance!

Laban's Final Deceit and Jacob's Flight From Haran

In my chronological Bible study, it is now time to get back to Jacob.

(1 Chronicles 2:1) These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun,

The last study recapped the life and descendants of Esau, and now I am going back to Esau's brother, Jacob, who will later be known as Israel.

(2) Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

All twelve sons of Jacob are listed in this passage in 1 Chronicles 2, although not all of them have been born yet in my study in Genesis.

(3) The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah; these three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and He slew him.

All I'm going to say about this passage is to question what it is doing here in this place in a chronological study!  As I have already begun a chronologically ordered study by Skip Andrews, I won't try to change course now, but I am pretty sure I will get back to the sons of Judah in Genesis, so I will not bother to study this now.  Now back to Genesis:

(Genesis 30:25) And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country."

In the study before the last one that was the recap of the life and descendants of Esau, Rachel had just borne a son, Joseph.  Apparently, Jacob's second seven years' servitude for Rachel (Gen. 29) had now expired.  Jacob asked Rachel and Leah's father, Laban, to let him go now to his own place in his own country.

(26) "Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you."

Jacob continued asking Laban to release him from service and to let him take his wives and children and go away from him, for Laban knew that he had fulfilled his service well.

(27) And Laban said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, stay, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake." (28) And he said, "Name me your wages, and I will give it."

Laban was not so eager to see Jacob go.  He could see that the Lord blessed Jacob, and he was therefore blessed because of Jacob.  He pleaded with Jacob to stay and offered to pay him whatever he wanted.

(29) And he said to him, "You know how I have served you and how your cattle was with me. (30) For it was little what you had before I came, and it is now increased to a great amount, and the LORD has blessed you since my coming; and now, when shall I provide for my own house also?"

Jacob expounded on the fact that the Lord had indeed blessed Laban since Jacob's coming, pointing out that he had little before Jacob came and he now had a great deal, but Jacob felt it was high time that he provide for his own family now.

(31) And he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything; if you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: (32) I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown ones among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. (33) So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, will be considered stolen, if it is with me."

Laban persisted in wanting Jacob to name his fee for staying on with him.  Jacob devised a plan.  He would agree to take care of Laban's flocks, if he would allow Jacob to take the speckled and spotted ones (and brown sheep) and let him keep and take care of those for himself.  In this way, he could begin to increase and provide for his own family, as he cared for Laban's flocks.  It would be evident by the coloring which were of Laban's flocks and which were of Jacob's.

(34) And Laban said, "Oh, that it were according to your word!"

Laban thought that sounded like an excellent idea and agreed to it.

(35) And he removed that day the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. (36) And he set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

Laban SAID that he agreed to it, but then he removed all the streaked, speckled, and spotted (and brown sheep), and gave them to his own sons, and I am assuming set three days' journey between these and the rest of his flocks that Jacob would feed.  I don't see how he could set three days' journey between his flocks and Jacob's flocks if Jacob was to tend to them all himself, so I believe the meaning is that the ones he took out of his flocks he set three days' journey away from the rest so that Jacob would not find them.

(37) And Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the hazel and chestnut trees, and peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. (38) And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. (39) And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle streaked, speckled, and spotted.

By stripping away parts of the barks of the rods, Jacob made striped rods that he set before the flocks in the troughs and supposedly that made them conceive striped and streaked and speckled young.  It sounds odd and even seems like witchery until I get to the next chapter when Jacob tells his wives of Laban's deceit and God's plan to prosper Jacob in spite of it.  I have to believe that God probably told Jacob in a dream or vision to do this.

(40) And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban's flock.

As the flocks began to conceive streaked and speckled young, Jacob separated the flocks and positioned the solid colored of Laban's flocks facing toward the streaked and spotted, and in the same way looking at the striped rods would bring forth streaked young, so would looking at the streaked flocks.  Jacob kept his growing flocks separated from Laban's flocks.

(41) And it came to pass, whenever the stronger cattle conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. (42) But when the cattle were feeble, he did not put them in, so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's. (43) And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob began to pick and choose the livestock he wanted to reproduce as streaked so that his flocks became stronger and thus were Laban's made weaker.  In this way, Jacob prospered exceedingly, and of course, it had to be by God's blessing, as there was no real magic in striped sticks.

(Genesis 31:1) And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and of that which was our father's he has gotten all this glory." (2) And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. (3) And the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you."

Jacob began to hear the grumblings of Laban's sons that he had taken away all that was their father's to become great, and Laban began to treat him differently, as well.  It was then that the Lord told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers and that He would be with him.

(4) And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock, (5) And said to them, "I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me."

Jacob called his wives out to the field of his flocks to tell them of the situation with their father.

(6) "And you know that with all my power I have served your father. (7) And your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me."

Jacob told his wives that he had served their father well, as they would well know, but that their father had deceived him and changed his wages more than once.  I don't think "ten" was meant literally, but it seemed to Jacob Laban was constantly changing what he had told him he would pay him.  Laban had deceived Jacob into 14 years' service instead of the seven Jacob had first agreed to for Rachel.  When Laban told Jacob he could have all the spotted and speckled of the flock, he then took those from the flocks and hid them three days' journey from Jacob.  As Jacob continued telling his wives of Laban's deceit and fraud, it sounds like there may have been more agreements than the reader of these accounts may have known, so maybe "ten" was a literal number after all.  As Jacob related these events to his wives, he told them that regardless of what Laban had tried to do to hurt him, God did not allow it.

(8) "If he said thus, 'The speckled shall be your wages', then all the cattle bore speckled; and if he said thus, 'The streaked shall be your wages', then all the cattle bore streaked. (9) Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father and given them to me."

Here it does seem like there may have been more agreements and changes to their agreements than we knew, but whatever Laban tried to do, Jacob recognized that it was God working in Jacob's favor against Laban's deceit, and it was in that way that Jacob had taken the flocks from Laban, from honest agreements on his part, not from any theft.

(10) "And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were streaked, speckled, and spotted. (11) And the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here am I.' (12) And He said, 'Lift up your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the cattle are streaked, speckled, and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban does to you. (13) I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me; now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.'"

Indeed, Jacob had seen in a dream or vision that God had made the flocks streaked, speckled, and spotted, because He saw Laban's deceitful acts and plans.  He declared He was the same God who had appeared to Jacob at the place he called Bethel where he had had the dream of the ladder and where he had erected the stone and made the vow to God.  God now told Jacob to leave this land and return to the land of his family, and this Jacob relayed to his wives.

(14) And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? (15) Are we not counted by him as strangers? For he has sold us, and has quite devoured also our money. (16) For all the riches which God has taken from our father, that is ours and our children's; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it."

Rachel and Leah could see that they had been treated as things by their father, and that he had never intended to give them any inheritance.  Anything he made from his deals with Jacob, he had apparently kept and spent on himself.  The wives of Jacob felt that anything God had allowed their husband to take from their father they should have had coming as an inheritance anyway, so they were in full agreement that whatever God had told Jacob, they should do.

(17) Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; (18) And he carried away all his cattle and all his goods which he had gotten, his acquired cattle which he had gotten in Padan Aram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

Jacob took his family and all his acquired possessions and headed back to Canaan, the land of his father Isaac.

(19) And Laban went to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.

Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and this would have been an ideal time to steal away unbeknownst to him, but Rachel had taken some things that were her father's.  What they were exactly is pretty much a mystery, and any one of many Biblical scholars' guesses.  The original word for "images" here is "teraphim" which seems to mean, gathered from its mentions in other parts of the Bible, some sort of image or idol used in a household shrine or for worship.  There are three uses of "teraphim" in Judges and one in Hosea where the words "teraphim" and "image" are both used in the same sentence, so merely "image" doesn't appear to be its full meaning, so that sort of puts the quietus on the suggestion by some that these were just family images, like portraits of sorts, of family members that Rachel wanted for her own.  Indeed, the other uses of the word in scripture make it sound like it was a sort of superstitious talisman, perhaps used in sorcery.  Some suggest that Rachel stole them so that her father would not be able to consult them to know where they had gone, but I wouldn't think that after so many years with Jacob, Rachel would give any credence to such false idols.  She certainly doesn't treat them with respect as will be pointed out in a later scripture.  Based on what Rachel and Leah had said in verses 14-16 above, I think it is more likely that even if Laban considered them idols of worship with perhaps some power, Rachel may have stolen them simply because they may have had some value and she felt she was entitled to some inheritance.  That doesn't make it right to take something of her father's, but it does explain why she might want these idols.

(20) And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he fled. (21) So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up and crossed the river, and headed toward the mount Gilead.

It does seem that for the time being, Jacob had stolen away with all his family and his possessions, unbeknownst to Laban, and had gotten a good distance away.

(22) And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. (23) And he took his brethren with him and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

Since it was three days before Laban knew Jacob was gone, it would seem he was tending his flocks that he originally separated and kept three days' journey from Jacob.  Otherwise, I would think he would have discovered Jacob was no longer tending his flocks as he may have felt they still had an agreement for Jacob to do.  When Laban found out Jacob and his family were gone, he pursued him with his brethren, which may have been his actual brothers, or may have been other relations or maybe just friends and/or neighbors.  Because Jacob had a three day head start, it took Laban seven days to catch up, but he eventually did.

(24) And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, "Take heed that you not speak to Jacob either good or bad."

Probaby this vision of God came to Laban right before he actually overtook Jacob.  God warned Laban not to speak good or bad, probably meaning to keep the speech generic with no promises of good if he were to stay or no accusations of bad because of the stolen images, for examples.

(25) Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.

It does appear that it was after the dream that Laban actually reached Jacob.  Jacob and his family were already in tents on the mount, and now Laban and his brethren pitched tents there, too.

(26) And Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? (27) Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me, that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with timbrel and with harp?"

Up to this point, Laban had been careful to say neither good nor bad, but simply asked Jacob why he felt the need to steal away secretly like a thief in the night.  Based on previous experiences, I don't believe Laban would have readily let them go and with celebration to boot, but he at least pretended that might have been his intention if Jacob had not stolen away secretly.

(28) "And have not allowed me to kiss my sons and my daughters. You have now done foolishly in so doing. (29) It is in the power of my hand to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed that you not speak to Jacob either good or bad.' (30) And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, yet why have you stolen my gods?"

Laban got a little close to speaking bad when he told Jacob he had acted foolishly and that it was within his right to do harm to Jacob, but he told Jacob of his dream of God telling him not to speak either good or bad to Jacob, so he returned to a generic comment and another question--why did he steal his gods?  Rather than "teraphim", the stolen items were called "elohiym" or "gods" by Laban, indicating he probably did use them for some sort of worship.

(31) And Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force. (32) With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live; before our brethren, discern what is yours with me and take it with you." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

Jacob answered the first questions about why he had stolen away secretly.  He was afraid that Laban would not let them go and might take his daughters from him by force, perhaps changing his wages yet again.  As far as the stolen gods, Jacob had no idea that Rachel had taken them and was so confident that Laban would not find them with him or his company, that he told Laban to kill whoever had taken his gods and to take whatever he considered his.

(33) And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maids' tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered into Rachel's tent. (34) Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat on them. And Laban searched all the tent but did not find them.

Laban looked diligently for his gods or images in the tents of Jacob, Leah, the maids, and now searched Rachel's tent.  Rachel was in her tent and had hidden the images in what sounds like the camel's saddle and sat upon the saddle.  Rachel's act of sitting upon "gods" would seem to be one of disrepect if she had any reverence for these false gods; that is why I don't think she revered them as idols of worship, but probably just for their monetary value, or maybe she just felt it was within her right to take something her father valued because he had taken away any inheritance from her, and maybe she didn't really value them at all.

(35) And she said to her father, "Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before you, for the custom of women is upon me." And he searched but did not find the images.

I always thought this was rather amusing.  Just in case Laban would decide to look under Rachel, she told her father she was having her period!  Laban searched everywhere else, and of course, did not find the images.

(36) And Jacob was angry and argued with Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me? (37) Although you have searched all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both."

By now, Jacob was angry with Laban's intrusion and his apparent (to Jacob) false accusations.  He challenged Laban to put before them all his personal property he had found among Jacob's group and let their brethren judge between them.

(38) "These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. (39) That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you, I bore the loss of it; you required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. (40) There I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. (41) Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your cattle, and you have changed my wages ten times."

Jacob did not hold back and told Laban how he had served him for 20 years.  He told him how he had treated him more than fairly, absorbing any losses himself.  Day in and day out, no matter what the weather, and for as long as it took, even if he lost sleep, Jacob had served Laban well.  He pointed out that Laban had not treated Jacob as fairly, but had changed his wages ten times, whether that is literal or figurative, I don't really know.

(42) "Had not the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, been with me, surely you would have sent me away now empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."

Jacob continued his tirade to Laban.  He finished by saying if it hadn't been for God and the reverence and fear for Him that he undountedly learned from his father Isaac, that he knew Laban would have sent him away empty-handed.  It was God who had seen how Laban treated him as he described to Laban above, and it was God who rebuked Laban in the dream because of it.

(43) And Laban answered and said to Jacob, "These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that you see is mine; and what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?"

Laban didn't deny anything Jacob said, but he pointed out that these were his daughters and grandchildren, and his flocks, or at least young that came from his very flocks.  He saw all these as his own and would not do anything to hurt any of them.

(44) "Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me." (45) And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. (46) And Jacob said to his brethren, "Gather stones"; and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. (47) And Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

Laban asked that they come to a peaceful agreement, and Jacob set up a stone as a pillar to serve as a sign of their agreement.  They heaped stones around or beside it and then ate there at the heap.  Laban called the place Jegar Sahadutha, which literally meant "heap of the testimony" or "witness heap" in his Syrian language.  Jacob called the place Galeed, which literally meant the same, but was in his Hebrew language.

(48) And Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore its name was called Galeed, (49) And Mizpah, for he said, "The LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.

Laban proclaimed that the heap would serve as a witness to their covenant.  It was called Galeed by Jacob, as already cited, but it was also called Mizpah, which literally meant "watchtower", because the Lord would watch over them when they were absent from one another and see to it that they adhered to their covenant.

(50) If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters; no man is with us, see, God is witness between you and me."

As a "for instance", Laban declared that if Jacob ever did anything to harm his daughters or if he took new wives, although no man might be there to see, God would see and would be a witness.  Laban appears to show a kindness and affection for his daughters, although up to this point, he had treated them more like property.

(51) And Laban said to Jacob, "Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. (52) This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. (53) The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

Actually, Jacob was the one who placed the pillar, but I suppose Laban was in agreement that it be set, and he and his brethren helped to pile the heap.  The heap wasn't really meant to be a boundary between them, but the meaning was that they would do no harm to one another.  It appears that Laban may have sworn by more than one god, the true God of Abraham, and the false gods of Terah.  I guess he thought he was covering all his bases, unless he realized the God of Abraham was the God of all, but regardless, Jacob swore by the one true God feared and revered by his father, Isaac.

(54) Then Jacob offered sacrifice on the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they ate bread and stayed all night on the mount. (55) And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them; and Laban departed and returned to his place.

Jacob offered a sacrifice and it appears that Laban and his company stayed with Jacob's on the mount all night, and then Laban departed the next morning, after kissing and blessing his daughters and his granchildren.  The same Laban who had tracked them down, and by his own admission in so many words, probably had the intention of doing them harm, now kissed and blessed them and departed from them in peace, after his dream from God.