GENESIS 30
As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination thatthe Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wages, and I will give it.” 29 Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31 He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: 32 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. 33 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” 34 Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” 35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. 36 And he set a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban’s flock. – Genesis 30:25-36
GENESIS 30 LABAN’S COVETOUSNESS
In Genesis 25, Jacob was 77 when he got his birthright and left for Paddan-
Aram. He was tricked by Laban for 14 years to serve him. He was about 91 when he married Leah and Rachel and the following years, bore their sons and daughter. When he asked Laban’s permission to go back to his family of origin, he must be close to one hundred years old. He saw how important it was to provide for his own family so he asked Laban to let him go and go back to his own family. Laban’s covetousness was stirred by the fact that Jacob will leave him as he had been very prosperous those years that Jacob served him. Jacob only wanted the speckled sheep and goat as his wage. Even this, Laban cheated Jacob and manipulated removing those sheep and goat, exposing Laban’s greed.
REFLECTION
- Contrast the traits of Jacob and Laban in this account.
