†. Gen 32:1 . . Early in the morning, Laban kissed his sons and
daughters and bade them good-by; then Laban left on his journey
homeward.
Apparently nobody wanted to kiss Laban back, nor bid him a good-bye.
The old boy didn't altogether lack at least some affection for his family. But
he surely realized they must have come to deeply resent him by now; and
he was probably beginning to regret some of his actions. But Laban still
couldn't bring himself to apologize either to Jacob or to his family. That
would have been just too humiliating, especially in front of all his kin; him
being their patriarch and all.
No further mention is made of Laban nor his sons in the Bible. He has the
distinction of being one of Scripture's most outstanding examples of a
worldly, covetous man; grossly infected with an acute case of unbridled
avarice, and completely void of genuine faith in the one true god. He knew
about Yhvh, and he was certainly given a thorough enough witness up at his
ranch, and in his dreams. He had seen the reality of Yhvh in Jacob's life,
along with the power of Yhvh in His blessings and protections of Jacob all
those years. Laban himself had, as a consequence of associating with Jacob,
enjoyed Yhvh's providence, and became wealthy on account of having
Yhvh's man working for him on his ranch.
Nevertheless, like a true dyed-in-the-wool capitalist, Laban stuck with
idolatry and covetousness, seeking material gain for himself to the exclusion
of all other considerations. Rather than seeking to follow only Yhvh, and gain
the light of life, he merely envied, and resented, the blessings that God
bestowed upon his son-in-law. Laban finally ended up with neither light nor
blessings. Thus, Jacob and his community remained in fellowship with The
Light, while Laban returned to the darkness of paganism, greed, plunder,
profit, and depredation.
†. Gen 32:2 . . Jacob went on his way, and angels of God
encountered him.
Since the angels had nothing to say to Jacob, they obviously weren't there
as messengers. I believe the angels came for an "effect". Here's what I
mean.
Jacob's primary concern during his trip back to Canaan wasn't really his
father-in-law's pursuit. His real concern was the inevitable confrontation with
his brother Esau. The appearance of those angels very likely boosted Jacob's
courage, and assured him God was still in the area and still looking out for
his safety and making good on the promise He made at Gen 28:15.
Today, in our time, it's very unlikely to see angels. But the messages we
hear in church or in synagogue can do the job of boosting courage just the
same if we but hear those messages through an ear of faith. Here's a good
example.
In the third chapter of Isaiah, God predicted, through preaching, that terrible
things were in store for Jerusalem. I mean really terrible things that would
give you a bad case of butterflies in your stomach. You can imagine the
effect that had on those who heeded what the prophet was saying. Well, God
didn't want the righteous worrying themselves about it so this is what He
said to them; through the preacher:
†. Isa 3:10 . . Hail the just man, for he shall fare well; he shall eat the fruit
of his works.
God wanted the righteous to know that although they would have to live
through all those horrible judgments, they would come out okay in the long
run. Well, Jacob can't escape his brother, but he is going to come through it
okay. So what can we get out of that? Well, if you know a crisis is coming
up, don't run from it. Bite the bullet and pray about it: be quite candid, and
tell God that you're frightened. Maybe He will find a way to encourage you
so it won't be as bad as you think.
Webster's defines "courage" as: mental or moral strength to venture,
persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
There's nothing inherently wrong with being scared. It's how we deal with
fear that matters. There are those who are completely fearless. We often
count them as brave and courageous. But no, they are neither brave nor
courageous; because fearless people don't know fear: it's as if their
amygdalae are malfunctioning. It's easy to face danger when you're not
scared. It takes courage to face it when you're frightened. Well, Jacob was
very nervous about meeting with his brother. His next adventure would take
courage; and the appearance of those angels must have gone a long way
towards beefing up his resolve to see it through.
†. Gen 32:3 . .When he saw them, Jacob said: This is God's camp. So
he named that place Mahanaim.
The word "Mahanaim" is from Machanayim (makh-an-ah'-yim) which means:
double camp and/or two camps. One camp was Jacob's and the other was
God's. Man and God, in friendly proximity, united in a common purpose. Too
cool.
Cont.
/
daughters and bade them good-by; then Laban left on his journey
homeward.
Apparently nobody wanted to kiss Laban back, nor bid him a good-bye.
The old boy didn't altogether lack at least some affection for his family. But
he surely realized they must have come to deeply resent him by now; and
he was probably beginning to regret some of his actions. But Laban still
couldn't bring himself to apologize either to Jacob or to his family. That
would have been just too humiliating, especially in front of all his kin; him
being their patriarch and all.
No further mention is made of Laban nor his sons in the Bible. He has the
distinction of being one of Scripture's most outstanding examples of a
worldly, covetous man; grossly infected with an acute case of unbridled
avarice, and completely void of genuine faith in the one true god. He knew
about Yhvh, and he was certainly given a thorough enough witness up at his
ranch, and in his dreams. He had seen the reality of Yhvh in Jacob's life,
along with the power of Yhvh in His blessings and protections of Jacob all
those years. Laban himself had, as a consequence of associating with Jacob,
enjoyed Yhvh's providence, and became wealthy on account of having
Yhvh's man working for him on his ranch.
Nevertheless, like a true dyed-in-the-wool capitalist, Laban stuck with
idolatry and covetousness, seeking material gain for himself to the exclusion
of all other considerations. Rather than seeking to follow only Yhvh, and gain
the light of life, he merely envied, and resented, the blessings that God
bestowed upon his son-in-law. Laban finally ended up with neither light nor
blessings. Thus, Jacob and his community remained in fellowship with The
Light, while Laban returned to the darkness of paganism, greed, plunder,
profit, and depredation.
†. Gen 32:2 . . Jacob went on his way, and angels of God
encountered him.
Since the angels had nothing to say to Jacob, they obviously weren't there
as messengers. I believe the angels came for an "effect". Here's what I
mean.
Jacob's primary concern during his trip back to Canaan wasn't really his
father-in-law's pursuit. His real concern was the inevitable confrontation with
his brother Esau. The appearance of those angels very likely boosted Jacob's
courage, and assured him God was still in the area and still looking out for
his safety and making good on the promise He made at Gen 28:15.
Today, in our time, it's very unlikely to see angels. But the messages we
hear in church or in synagogue can do the job of boosting courage just the
same if we but hear those messages through an ear of faith. Here's a good
example.
In the third chapter of Isaiah, God predicted, through preaching, that terrible
things were in store for Jerusalem. I mean really terrible things that would
give you a bad case of butterflies in your stomach. You can imagine the
effect that had on those who heeded what the prophet was saying. Well, God
didn't want the righteous worrying themselves about it so this is what He
said to them; through the preacher:
†. Isa 3:10 . . Hail the just man, for he shall fare well; he shall eat the fruit
of his works.
God wanted the righteous to know that although they would have to live
through all those horrible judgments, they would come out okay in the long
run. Well, Jacob can't escape his brother, but he is going to come through it
okay. So what can we get out of that? Well, if you know a crisis is coming
up, don't run from it. Bite the bullet and pray about it: be quite candid, and
tell God that you're frightened. Maybe He will find a way to encourage you
so it won't be as bad as you think.
Webster's defines "courage" as: mental or moral strength to venture,
persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
There's nothing inherently wrong with being scared. It's how we deal with
fear that matters. There are those who are completely fearless. We often
count them as brave and courageous. But no, they are neither brave nor
courageous; because fearless people don't know fear: it's as if their
amygdalae are malfunctioning. It's easy to face danger when you're not
scared. It takes courage to face it when you're frightened. Well, Jacob was
very nervous about meeting with his brother. His next adventure would take
courage; and the appearance of those angels must have gone a long way
towards beefing up his resolve to see it through.
†. Gen 32:3 . .When he saw them, Jacob said: This is God's camp. So
he named that place Mahanaim.
The word "Mahanaim" is from Machanayim (makh-an-ah'-yim) which means:
double camp and/or two camps. One camp was Jacob's and the other was
God's. Man and God, in friendly proximity, united in a common purpose. Too
cool.
Cont.
/
