Genesis 31:18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan
In the holiday season, people are busy traveling and the way they pack says a lot about them. There is a freedom in packing light. Some people are nesters. When they make a one-week trip, they try to take everything. With other people, when you pick them up at the airport, they are packed for an entire week in a plastic bag. Still other people go on vacation with an empty suitcase so they can bring more stuff home.
In Genesis 31, you find Jacob, his family, and herds, leaving Laban, his deceitful father-in-law. Jacob’s U-Haul was stuffed to the rafters. The Bible says, “And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten…for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.” He had a lot of stuff, his wives, cattle, and his children. If you consider the attitudes of the characters, it tells you much about the trajectory of the story.
In verse 1 you find the estimation of Laban’s sons, “And he [Jacob] heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.” They felt they were being done to. As Jacob was leaving the old homestead, he was taking all the stuff that had belonged to their father.
Look at the attitudes of the daughters of Laban, the wives of Jacob. In verse 14 they say, “Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.” Everyone seems to be concerned about stuff, who owned it and who got it.
Laban himself in verse 26 says to Jacob, “What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword.” The daughters seem to think their dad thought them strangers, and Laban says that Jacob taking his own wives with him was like kidnapping them. In verse 43 Laban says, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children and my children and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine.” Everyone is really overwrought by what belongs to them. It is like people trying to settle an estate. Nothing can break a friendship and family quicker than who owns what.
If you consider the words lending connotation to this text, you have words like “stolen.” Even when Laban described Jacob and his family sneaking away, he said, “Stolen away unawares.” It is almost as if he is saying, “Your very absence is a form of stealing.” Jacob was concerned that Laban would come and take what Jacob had by force. In verse 36 Jacob asked, “What is my trespass?” In verse 41 he talked about how Laban had changed his wages ten times. Everyone is concerned about who owns what.
Who owns whom? It is interesting because in verse 9 Jacob is finally coming to the realization that he can scheme all he wants, but God is the owner of everything. Jacob had fooled his dad, stolen from his brother. He had stolen what God would have given, which is the very definition of foolishness. Yet in verse 9 Jacob says, “Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.” He says, “I didn’t take them. God gave them.”
In contrast, in verse 19 you find that Rachel took the idols that were her fathers. So, the true God gave and the false god was taken. You also find a contrast between God’s house and Laban’s house. In verse 13 God says, “I am the God of Bethel,” which means “house of God.” He says, “I am the God of the house of God.” In contrast you find the wives worried about their inheritance. On the one hand, you see things as coming from God’s house, and on the other hand, you see people fighting over what belongs to the father’s house.
My takeaway is that your relationship to possessions and therefore to people is a reflection of your relationship to God. That seems abundantly clear in this narrative. How should you see God, and therefore possessions and people? A couple of reminders are clearly given here. First, God is the owner. The old maxim is that it is better to have a friend who owns a boat than to own a boat yourself. There is some truth to that. I’ve been out on boats with friends who owned the boat. When we got back, they had to clean the boat, pay taxes on the boat, and more, but I just enjoyed the day. I had the benefit without the responsibility of owning.
So many times we own so much that we can’t possibly pack light or have freedom to fly. But we are stewards, and perhaps this is gradually dawning upon Jacob. It was God’s promise and God’s land, and God was giving the family and the herds. God is the owner. What a big difference it makes in my perspective of life when I realize God owns everything and I am His steward. I need to hold lightly what I have because it is not mine. I don’t need to worry if someone gets more than I do because that doesn’t necessarily give them more peace or happiness. Did it with Laban? No. So, God is the owner.
Second, it is good to remember that God is independent. Rachel steals Laban’s gods, but any god you can carry with you is not a god. Any God that will carry you with Him, that is God. A god you can make is an idol; a God who can make you is the Creator. Your relationship to possessions is a reflection of your relationship to God. He is the owner and independent.
Lastly, God is the judge. Even Laban admitted a couple of times that God is the judge. In verse 49 we read, “The LORD watch between me and thee.” Verse 50 says, “God is witness betwixt me and thee.” Verse 53 says, “God…judge betwixt us.” So, God is the judge, not me. When you are in the homes of older people, they are oftentimes somewhat cluttered. It is homey and comforting. There is nothing wrong with this, but the older we get the more we tend to accumulate. Many times this is how our lives are. We can’t pack light. We are weighted down by the things we “own.”
In verse 42 Jacob realizes, “Except the God of my father…had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee.” God sees; God hears; God cares. Ultimately, God wasn’t providing for Jacob so much as He was providing through Jacob. The Messiah would come through this family for people like me and you. God is the God of the universe and has provided a way we can have fellowship with Him through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ whom He sent through the family He had chosen.
So, what is your relationship with people and possessions today? What is your relationship to God?