Truthfulness

DEVOTION

GENESIS

TRUTHFULNESS

Gen 31:25-35

25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You've deceived me, and you've carried off my daughters like captives in war. 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? 28 You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-by. You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.' 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?" 31 Jacob answered Laban, "I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods. 33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah's tent, he entered Rachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing. 35 Rachel said to her father, "Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I'm having my period." So he searched but could not find the household gods.

NIV

Jacob has taken off and Laban had now caught up with him and both have their encampments in the same area. It appears from the narrative Laban has brought a rather large group of relatives with him as he tells Jacob he has the power to do harm to him. Jacob has his eleven sons, plus manservants so he is not without any arms of his own, but Laban’s clan must have the superior numbers.  Nevertheless he informs Jacob he has no intent to do any harm because the God of Jacob’s father spoke to him about this matter. Yet he is still upset about the manner in which Jacob left, without even informing him of leaving. Jacob retorts with the fact that Laban has never acted in an honest way with him and suspected he would once again do some underhanded action taking back his daughters. There appears to be no love lost between these men. After twenty years of labor for Laban’s benefit, Jacob simply does not trust him. Laban does not trust Jacob either. This matter about his household gods is really at the heart of his tracking down Jacob. Sure he uses the excuse of not being about to say goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren, but in reality it is about his gods. If it was about his family he would not have searched everyone’s tent, and belongings. With Rachel also deceiving her father here we have a whole lot of people not being truthful with each other and not trusting each other. We are going to find they eventually comes to terms and agree to keep away from each other. But even in that we will see a sad ending to family relationships. What is it about this family? Why can’t they be like normal families, loving and trusting, believing in each other, behaving with goodness and kindness toward each other? Maybe we need to learn that lesson. Maybe we need to see we need more loving and trusting in our family. Maybe we need more believing in each other, less judgmental attitudes, less friction, more kindness and gentleness. The more we see how these Old Testament families behaved, the more we see how we should not behave. Is this the whole reason God had all this recorded for us? Yet it also reveals his character, his faithfulness to his word, his promise, his covenant with these men, even in their weaknesses. Certainly we are not perfect in all our relationships within our whole family with all its extendedness. Yet God is always perfect in his relationship with us. It is about truthfulness instead of deceptiveness.