MONDAY 09 August 2021 “Moving” (Genesis 31)

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Good Monday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

How many times have you packed up everything and moved from where you have been living to a new area? What emotions rose up in you as you just now remembered those moves? Moving can be traumatic can’t it? We’ve been walking the journey of life with a man named Jacob for a few days and today let’s step into a relocation crisis that he experienced. You’ll recall he’s been living in the region of Haran for almost 20 years. He came as a single man running from his deceitful past. He has married and built a very large family and very successful business of sheep, goats and other breeding animals. But tension has been rising between Jacob and his father-in-law Laban. It was time to move. Think back for a moment. What were some of the contributing factors to your last move or your most emotional, traumatic move? What lessons did you learn in that process of relocation, my friends?

In Genesis 31, the record says: “Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been. Then the LORD said to Jacob, ‘Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” (Gen. 31:3) Sometimes relocation is motivated by new opportunities somewhere else, sometimes it’s tension or problems where you are. For Jacob it was the latter. Similarly to how tension had grown between Lot & Abraham as their flocks and herds of animals grew very large, so the same is happening with Jacob and his father-in-law Laban. Jacob calls a family meeting with his wives, the sisters Leah and Rachel, daughters of Laban. What he says to them is significant: “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed Laban to harm me… the angel of God said to me in a dream ‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.” (Gen. 31:4-13) Seems to me resentment had been growing for some time, and relationships were near a breaking point.

As I read through Genesis 30 it appears what we really have is two men, Jacob and Laban, both of whom are deceitful and have developed ways to manipulate the breeding of their flocks to produce the results they felt would benefit them. They were both suspicious of the other, they made accusations of deceitfulness toward the other, and they were both discovering it’s almost impossible to find truth in a band of liars and thieves. They were family, but these family relationships had deteriorated to total lack of trust and frequent disagreement. Now pause right here a moment friends… consider your family, and ask yourself: how do family relationships unravel to this point? And what should you do when you reach this point?

The record says Jacob received a fresh word from God, and Jacob knew it was absolutely time to pack up his very large family, all their animals and belongings, and begin a slow move to a new place. May I ask you… how many of your relocations have been confirmed by a word from God? Maybe it was a dream or vision for you, maybe it was some Scripture you read, maybe it was in a worship or prayer experience when you sensed the clear leading of the Holy Spirit? I’ve had all of those.

I have found when God finally speaks a clear word directing my major life decisions, especially relocation, it energizes me and my family, and it sure minimizes all the normal trauma of packing up, leaving, and relocating to a new place. In fact, this very chapter 31 of Genesis is a Scripture God used once to very clearly direct my wife and me to leave a place and people we loved, and move more than 1000 miles to make our home in a new place. This is one of the great miracles of living with the Holy Spirit of God alive in you as you live the adventure of following Jesus everyday! Are you living that today my friends?

Jacob’s two wives responded in amazing agreement. They too had felt the tension and sensed their relationship with their father had been changing. Their advice to Jacob was “…do whatever God has told you.” (Gen. 31:16) Wives all over the world, may I ask you something? Have you discovered that your encouragement of your husband, to follow God and be all the man God has designed him to be, is a very powerful influence in your husband’s life?

There was NOTHING Leah and Rachel could have said that would have encouraged Jacob more, or given him more courage to begin the process of packing and moving his family! Conversely, things you wives might say or do which distract your husband from God, or undermine his efforts to know God and be a God honoring man… those words are very powerful and can be very destructive in your husband’s life! Wives, be careful with your words!! The record says: “Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.” (Gen. 31:17)

The decision was made, and there is no description in the record of any formal farewell or big festival. It seems they anticipated it might be confrontational so they simply packed up and started moving. Come on, join me as we watch this parade. I doubt any of us can really imagine this. Taking down all their tents, packing all their belongings for this, the first major move they had experienced together, and knowing they had almost 400 miles ahead of them… oh my, can you imagine the work involved in this? I would think this was a caravan of at least 20 or more camels heavily ladened. Jacob, several servants and all his sons old enough would have each been leading a large flock of sheep or goats…hundreds of animals. They could only move as fast as the slowest of the animals could move, so I doubt they could cover more than 8-10 miles in a day!

It appears Jacob chose a strategic time for this move. The record says “When Laban had gone out to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. Jacob deceived Laban by not telling him he was leaving. So he fled with all he had, crossing the River, he headed for the hill country of Gilead.” (Gen. 31:19-21) Sheep shearing is a big ordeal and must be done at a particular time for the good of the sheep. Laban had large flocks and this process would take many days and have Laban way out in the pastureland, far from his home tents. Clearly Jacob, Leah and Rachel were fearful of what Laban might do if he knew of their plan to leave. What does that tell us of the atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion which permeated the relationships of all these people? Oh my what a commentary that the word ‘stole’ and ‘deceived’ are used in that one sentence describing Jacob’s family’s departure from Laban! In deception, shame and fear Jacob had arrived in Haran about 20 years before, and in deception, shame and fear he leaves Haran, along with a huge caravan of people and animals.

I want to pause right here my friends and simply urge us to watch and ponder the scene, and then think back to times when you and I have left where we had been living, moving to a new place. With what attitudes did we leave? How did we say good bye to our jobs, our friends, our schools, our churches, our communities. What reputations did we leave behind? How did we prepare for moving to a new place, making new friends, entering new schools and work and finding a new church? What were our motivations for moving, our attitudes?

And what do you suppose Jacob and his wives told their children about what was happening here and especially the WHY of this move and WHY no big farewell party, and WHY not even a chance to say goodbye to Laban. Remember, Laban was grandfather to all these children! What did you learn about relocation when as a child your family had to move? As we ponder all this, is the Holy Spirit of God saying anything to you and me about how we’ve moved in the past and what we’ve left behind? Anyone we need to write or call to resolve any unfinished business? What can we teach our kids and grandkids about how to go through this major process of moving with integrity, honesty, openness and doing it all in a God honoring way? They will face it many times, won’t they? I leave you today pondering, reflecting especially if you are facing relocation anytime soon. What is God saying to all of us about this very traumatic life experience of relocation?

Today’s Scripture is Genesis 31.

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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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