Genesis 31:25 - Meaning and Application

We have here the dispute, and, if we may say so, the stirring up of tension between Laban and Jacob at their meeting on the mountain later called Gilead (Genesis 31:25). The first thing we see is Laban’s strong accusation against Jacob.

He charges Jacob, first, as a runaway who had wrongly left his service. To make Jacob look guilty, Laban says Jacob was acting out of kindness toward his daughters, Leah and Rachel, and would have sent them away with honor if he had been consulted (Genesis 31:27-28). He paints a picture of a proper farewell, with kisses for his grandchildren, and, by the foolish custom of that land, with music and dancing, such as a tambourine and harp. This was very different from the way Rebekah had been sent from the same family more than 120 years earlier, with prayer and blessing (Genesis 24:60).

That contrast shows how much true religion had faded in Laban’s household. Still, he pretends that he meant nothing but good. It is common for wicked people, when their evil plans fail, to claim they meant only kindness. When they cannot do the harm they wanted, they are reluctant to admit they ever planned it. People may be fooled by that, but God is not.

Laban also hints that Jacob had evil motives in leaving secretly (Genesis 31:26). He says Jacob took his wives away like captives. Those who mean harm are often quick to twist innocent actions into something bad. Malice likes to magnify faults and give them the worst possible meaning. The people they target are then accused of evil intentions, even when their actions were harmless.

Laban then boasts about his own strength (Genesis 31:29). He says, “It is in my power to hurt you.” He acts as if he has both the right and the power to punish Jacob or take back what he lost. Wicked people often pride themselves on their power to do harm, while a power to do good matters far more. Those who do nothing to make themselves lovable often want to be feared instead.

Yet Laban also admits that God restrained him. He tells Jacob about the warning God gave him in a dream the night before, “Do not speak to Jacob, either good or bad” (Genesis 31:24, 29). This is a credit to God’s protection of Jacob, and it also shows that God can put a chain on wicked men and make them confess it. In some sense, Laban seems to respect that warning. Though he was a bad man, he did not dare attack one whom he could see was under heaven’s special care.

A great deal of evil would be stopped if people listened to the warnings their own consciences give them in the night, and paid attention to God’s voice in them.

Second, Laban accuses Jacob of theft, saying, “Why have you stolen my gods?” (Genesis 31:30). Instead of admitting that he had treated Jacob badly enough to drive him away, he blames Jacob’s leaving on a childish longing for his father’s house. Then he adds this charge about his idols. How foolish to call those objects gods when they could be stolen! How could they protect him if they could not resist thieves or even discover them? Blessed are those who have the Lord as their God, because no one can steal him away. People may steal our goods, but they cannot steal our God.

Here Laban wrongly charges Jacob with things he knew nothing about. That is a common sorrow for innocent people who are under pressure and mistreatment.

Jacob then gives his answer, and he does it calmly and respectfully. Even when we trust God with our case, we are not forbidden to speak for ourselves with gentleness and reverence. First, Jacob explains why he left without telling Laban (Genesis 31:31). He was afraid Laban would use force to take back his daughters, and then Jacob would be kept in service by his love for them. If a man is dishonest in small matters, it is natural to suspect he may be dishonest in larger ones too (Luke 16:10). If Laban had deceived Jacob about his wages, there was reason to fear he might also try to seize his wives and separate those whom God had joined together. What may not be feared from people who have no real honesty?

Second, Jacob denies the charge of stealing Laban’s gods (Genesis 31:32). He says plainly that he did not take them, and he did not even know they were missing. He was not attached to them, so he would not have taken them. Still, his earlier words, “Whoever has your gods, let him not live,” may have been spoken too quickly and without care. He may have later felt some pain when Rachel, who had taken them, died unexpectedly in childbirth. However right we think we are, it is best to avoid curses and rash vows, since they may fall heavier than we expect.

Then Laban searches carefully for his gods (Genesis 31:33-35). He does this partly because he hates Jacob and wants a reason to quarrel with him. He also does it because he loves his idols and does not want to lose them. We are not told that he searched Jacob’s flocks for stolen animals, but he did search through his household goods for stolen gods. He was like Micah, who cried out, “You have taken away my gods, and what have I left?” (Judges 18:24).

Were the worshipers of false gods really that devoted to them? Did they follow them with such eagerness? Then should not we be even more earnest in seeking the true God? When we have, through our own sin, lost sight of him, we should carefully ask, “Where is God my Maker?” or, “Oh, that I knew where I might find him!” (Job 23:3). Laban searched, but he did not find his gods. His inquiry ended in shame and disappointment. But our God is not like that. He can be found by those who seek him, and he gives himself as a rich reward to those who do.