Main idea: Fight for undivided worship. The LORD is your only protector.
Application
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Right now, we're turning our attention to God's word. We're in Genesis, 3117 returning home. Part two, please stand with me for the reading of God's word. It's a long reading, so if you need to sit down, it's just fine. I might like to sit down and a long reading, but we're going to read this passage, Jacob, you're brand new with us. Jacob is an utterly unlikely person to found a nation, but he's God's person, by God's grace, and if it were not for God's covenant, keeping promises, no one would make it safely home, home to heaven. As we go through it, I want you to notice the words stole and tricked, like they're going to be kind of the repeated words here. The word tricked I'll read tricked is literally to steal the heart from or steal away. And you're going to see what God does in keeping his promise to get Jacob back to his homeland. So let's read God's word, 3117 through the end of the chapter. So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Padan Aram to go to the land of Canaan to his father. Isaac Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods. And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he intended to flee. He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead. When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, he took his he took his kinsman with him, and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. But God came to Laban, the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban, with his kinsmen, pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, what have you done that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword. Why did you flee secretly and trick me and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with mirth and song, with tambourine and lyre, and why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell. Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad, and now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house. But why did you steal my gods? Jacob answered, said to Laban, because I was afraid for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live the presence of your kinsmen. Point out what I have that is yours and take it now. Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them, so Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two female servants. But he did not find them, and he went out of Leah's tent and entered Rachel's. Now, Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel's saddle and sat upon them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. And she said to her father, let not MY LORD be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me. So see shirt. So he searched, but he did not find the household gods. Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, what is my offense? What is my sin? That you have hotly pursued me, for you have felt through all my goods, what you have found of all your household gods, what have you found? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen that they may decide between us two, these 20 years, I have been with you, your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried and I have not eaten the ram of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself from my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or. Stolen by night. There was there I was by day. The heat consumed me and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These 20 years I have been in your house. I served your for I served 14 years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages 10 times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night. Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, the daughters are my daughters. The children are my children. The flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these daughters or for their children, whom they have born? Come now, let us make a covenant between you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me. So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar, and Jacob said to his kinsmen, Gather Stones. And they took stones and made a heap, and they are there by the heap. Laban called it jegar, Sahu, Dathan, or whatever you think it's called. But Jacob called it galid. Laban said this heap is a witness between you and me today. Therefore he named it galid And Mizpah. For He said, The Lord watched between you and me when we are out of one another's sight, if you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives beside my daughters, although no one is with us, see God as witness between you and me. Then Laban said to Jacob, see this heap and the pillar which I have set between you and me. This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me to do harm, the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judges between us. So Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac, and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country. Early in the morning, Laban arose, kissed his children and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home. This is the word of the Lord our God. We thank you. Praise You, Father. You are good. You are a provider. You are a protector. We are seeing it in the life of Jacob, and we need to keep seeing it. There are assorted trials and difficulties. We have a number of our saints who are sick or suffering, and we do pray. We pray for Alicia and her family dealing with brain cancer. We pray for Doug hannenberg and his recovery from his treatment for Stacy and her recovery from her cancer treatment, we pray for Nathaniel, who had a procedure to help her breathe better. On Friday, we ask that you would be with them. And there's a long list of people who are going through daily difficulties where it's just hard to get through the next week or month, but you are our helper and our strength and our rock. And I pray that they would we look forward to the coming Christmas events, the women's dessert and our Christmas celebrations, which are often great opportunities to bring friends, neighbors, people who don't yet know You. And I pray that that there would be a spiritual hunger built into our city that you would answer it with the faithful preaching of the gospel. I think of Trinity Church in the valley, or I think of south side on the South Hill. I think of first church just right up the hill from us, on Maple that you would help them faithfully proclaim the gospel, and that this would be a time and a season that your people would be giving the real hope of the gospel everywhere they can. We ask all this in Christ's name. Amen, you may be seated. One of our saints came to me in between services last week. She had only been a Christian for a few years. When she got married, she's been married four decades plus now she was trusting Jesus with her whole heart before she met her spouse, they got married, and a few years into marriage, she started to realize that she was trusting her husband for things she used to trust the Lord for. She isn't the only spouse to put too much trust in the other. It doesn't take very long to find that we often find ourselves. Else with divided worship. As we're looking at this passage, there's three kinds of people.
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There's Laban who acknowledges Jacob's God as real, but just one of many to worship. He was a polygamist, polygamist he might have been that he was a polytheist before he remains one, even though he acknowledges Jacob's God as a real God. Second is Rachel, who trusts Jacob God primarily, but has stolen her father's gods, perhaps as a backup backup gods, just in case the other one doesn't come through. Then there's Jacob, who is now putting his trust in the one true God and Yahweh alone, and we find how God protects him. Last week, we looked at him providing God, providing for Jacob. Now we see him protecting Jacob, but this illustrates a point, undivided trust in the Lord is difficult to start with, and it's difficult to maintain. Remember, the Bible is an exile and return story. Mankind sinned in the beginning, they chose Satan and his lies, and are now exiled into the world dominated by evil forces for self, worshiping purposes. But the storyline of the Bible is that God, in His grace, is delivering a people from their sin, from the world's bondage to a home in heaven with Him, and he's doing all that through Jesus, satan and the world do not want you to make it into eternity with God without a fight. They are going to fight, and what you rely on for safety, what you rely on for security as you journey toward heaven is going to be a good indicator of where your worship is. You might trust Jesus for heaven, but you might trust something else to get through next week. Big Idea this morning, as we look at the three characters, we look at what God's doing is there. There is a fight for undivided worship. God is your true protector. On your way home, the greatest battles you're going to face are those that compete for your worship and cause you to set aside God as you go through life, you might acknowledge Jesus as the key to heaven, but your home or your apartment is the safe place so you don't have to face your social anxieties. You might acknowledge Jesus as the key to heaven, but a video game, a drink, a drug, a food of choice is your daily escape when the stresses of life increase, you might acknowledge Jesus as key to heaven, but Jesus' approval factors little into your daily rhythms. Rather, it's the approval of a spouse, friends, co workers, that drive you back pocket. Gods got something in my back pocket. I know Jesus is going to get me to heaven, but what's going to get me through to next week? If you're not careful, they're going to lead to destruction. You might acknowledge Jesus as the Savior from your sins, but snow tires, savings, retirement plans or he's going to get you through winter back pocket gods. So God gives good things to get us through life and enjoy life. He gives us good things. I like to use the word picked it up from somewhere, functional saviors. Functional saviors, the good things that God gives us becomes the things we worship. They always let us down. They always let us down, and if you're not careful, they'll lead you to destruction. So we we need to look at this passage with Rachel in it and Laban in it, and we need to fight for an undivided heart. God is your true protector on your way home, we're going to take this apart. We're going to watch for the divided worship as we look at what happens with Rachel, we're going to look at trusting God's protection, not your own schemes. God is ultimately the protector for Jacob. We're going to trust God for justice. Jacob had received injustice, and we're going to see that by the end, there needs to be a clear line that you have to break between the words. World and its safety and security and God and the safety and security that he does. So let's start with this first one. How do you keep an undivided heart? Number one, watch for divided worship. We got to watch for it. Jacob didn't know what Rachel was doing. He didn't think he needed to. We need to. You. Remember Genesis is a book of firsts. Here's the first example of God's people relying on idolatry. Here's here's how we have to think of it. In 3116 just the verse ahead Leah, Rachel and Jacob had all agreed together that it was time to leave, and the sisters make as really significant statement whatever God has said to you do, Rachel said that we're going to trust that God said to go and we're going to go. We're going with you. Jacob packed for the journey. All that was his just, just so it's really clear, Jacob hasn't stolen anything. Moses wants us to notice. It's really all his things. Verse 17, his sons, his wives. Verse 18, his livestock, his property. He that he gained, the livestock in his possession, that he acquired. This is all these are all Jacob's things. It's time to gather them. Time to go. Laban had gone to shear his sheep. The sheep. Remember, Laban had set the flocks three days' journey away, and sheep shearing could take days, if not weeks, depending on how big the flocks are. Perfect opportunity. Perfect opportunity. It's time to go. Now, notice there's a pair of stealing here. First, Rachel's stealing. Rachel stole her father's household gods. When you read that, it's like, no, Rachel, it's a bad idea. No, how. Like, how's you read this? You think, how's this going to turn out? I mean, now we know the story, but the fact that Laban had household gods reminds us how pervasive the human connection is to idolatry. Remember Romans, one says that mankind, everywhere, every person, exchanges the worship of the one true God for things that are created. After being told that Jacob, and especially Jacob's God, was the source of laban's blessing, you'd think Laban would convert Jacob. It's your god that's blessed all of us. You'd think Laban would believe only in the one true God, but Laban has his household gods. Remember, people have no problem with believing many gods at once in a secular age, it's hard to imagine. Or is it, Rachel stole them and kept them until Jacob would require all of his people to bury them at Shechem. It's an interesting tension to the story. Here's something really helpful, the new city catechism. A lot of our kids use this. A lot of parents use this with kids defines idolatry. Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security. Hear that hope, happiness, significance and security, the back pocket gods, the things that we keep like just in case. The thing with God doesn't work out for this next week are the things that give me hope, happiness, significance and security. Now the text does not tell us what Rachel's motives were. So everything that it could be a speculation. However we could say it would be, we could illustrate the kind of idolatry she might have gone through. One Revenge. Revenge. Revenge is trusting in her own power for justice, and she might have wanted revenge for what her father did on her wedding night. You you stole from me on my wedding night you gave my sister. She could have been harboring bitterness. What's her? What's the what's the over inflated thing? What's the idol justice? She's got to have justice. Do you harbor vengeful thoughts? She could have simply wanted to spite her father, punish him. She it perhaps another is the backup plan. Remember, that's how the gods in the ancient Near East worked. It's why, when Christianity goes to a
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polytheistic culture, they often accept Jesus. He can destroy satan, or he's going to give them eternal life, but they keep all of their functional gods, because these are the things that get them through. That certainly could have been the case here. I mean, it could have simply been greed. Remember, Jacob was rich, but she could have wanted precious stones or metal or things herself. That's what these little these little idols are, if they're going to fit in a camel sack, they're going to be small. Often. They're made of precious metals or precious stones, or they're Bejeweled. She might have just been greedy and and maybe these were her backup plan for fertility, for prosperity, for protection. Perhaps these were the kind of idols that were connected to the ancestors and gave you good health. It's interesting, if you think about ancient idolatry, there's an idol behind the idol, because this is the thing that gives me what I really want? The idol behind the idol is me and mine. Idolatry is a good way to have self worship. There could be others. You might talk about them in your groups as you talk about, what could she be going we don't know, so I don't want to overstate it, but I'm just saying, if you were to put yourself in yourself in her shoes, you could come up with a long list of reasons why she might have wanted to steal those household gods, and they're illustrative of things that we want to worship. So as I told you, the first stole is what she stole, the household gods. Then Jacob steals away verse 28 it's very close, and Jacob tricked Laban, the Aramean literally stole away his heart. But the King James renders it better, he stole away by not telling him that he intended to flee. I mean, here's the ironic twist, Jacob the deceiver rightfully steals away. God had told him to go. This is a really good time to go. I don't trust uncle Laban. We're going to try to get a head start. So he makes his way away. Rachel steals laban's gods, and stealing the idols will almost cost her her life. Jacob didn't know it. Jacob didn't know it, but Moses readers knew it. We know it. Spouses and parents need to be vigilant, because it's not their own idolatry that they need to deal with. They need to deal with the idolatry of their spouse or their children. It's a lesson learned for all the moms and dads, husbands and wives about the idolatry that can go on at home. Later, Israel would constantly return to idolatry. They're getting Genesis on their way into the promised land, and they have already had two major bouts with idolatry that cost many lives. Israel goes to the promised land and is constantly dealing with idolatry throughout its whole history. And you think, Well, that was just Israel. Well, the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, the key issue that John is dealing with is idolatry, and he's warning Christians. Five of the seven letters written in chapters two and three of revelation deal with some form or other of idolatry. And the most precarious, the most pernicious, the most difficult one was the idolatry of sound doctrine. They fought and defended sound doctrine, but had lost their love for God. We're safe if we have the right doctrine. I don't know if I care if I even have God. That's what was going on. It's difficult situation, so we need to put a watch on our hearts for divided worship. What's the cure? It's here in the passage. Really, trust in God's protection, not your own schemes. Trust in God's protection, not your own schemes. Jacob's scheme is totally understandable. When's the best time to get out with all the flocks. Well, when Laban is three days away, I can get a head start. Jacob drives the family and herds as fast as he can manage across the Euphrates. They get to Gilead, the northeast corner of Israel. When it was told Laban. Him on the third day that Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him. His his horsemen and his soldiers could make way faster progress than all the flocks and herds. How fast can you drive flocks and herds? I don't know, but you can ride a horse pretty quick. You can run pretty fast. He followed him closely, hot pursuit. Here's the point. Even with a 10 day Head Start, Jacob couldn't outrun Laban, but God promised to be with Jacob. Remember, from before he even left Israel on the Mount of Bethel, he says, I will be with you. And our last section that we just read last week, I will be with you. God promised to intervene for Jacob, and God did so. Verse 24 God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. Interesting. You read that, and you say, but Laban says a lot bad. What does this mean? It's a Hebrew way of saying, don't even threaten him. It's like us saying, Don't lift a finger against him. Don't do anything. He came an angel. However, this dream happened that came to him. It was such a powerful revelation that he knew God was speaking. Laban eventually overtakes Jacob. Verse 25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban hit with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead pitched tents. On laban's part, was a kind of technical phrase, meaning you're setting up camp to enter battle. Although he can't touch him, he is coming in with full force and threatening. Laban said to Jacob, what have you done that you have tricked me, stolen my heart away, stolen away and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword, like you're acting like you're guilty. We start to see his anger, his manipulation and self deception boil over, stolen my heart away. Why did you flee secretly and trick me again? Stole steal away. You didn't tell me, and then he goes into i i wanted the best for you, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs and tambourine and lyre. Why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? I've been thinking what character I would love to see do this. I think Denzel Washington would make a great Laban like figure talking out of both sides of his mouth, he could act that one out really well. You have done foolishly. It is in my power to harm you. This sounds like a guy who wants to send you off with mirth and songs clear manipulation. He had gladly sought to reduce his own daughters and grandsons to servitude and property poverty, but he did not love them, but he did love possessing them. Laban loves control and success and prosperity, and this made him rich. But the God of your father spoke to me last night. There was an intervention. Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. Now notice he acknowledges God's intervention, which you find really interesting in a passage where he walks away still not trusting Yahweh, the world may acknowledge what God does for us, what God does for you sometimes, what even God does for them, but still not have singular allegiance. Laban was going to be happy to go back to his gods. He says, now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father's house. But why did you steal my gods? Which is ironic, isn't it? What kind of gods were they? What could they do? Could they prevent from being being stolen?
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Jacob answered and said to Laban, because I was afraid, and he's forthright. Right straightforward for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force, and I was right here you've brought your kinsmen, pitched your tents, ready to do battle. God's protecting me Do anyone with whom you're you find your gods shall not live. Household gods were very precious for lots of reasons. It was often thought these little gods were like the speaker with which you could talk to the divine. They had great, great power. Maybe he thought that lots of reasons, anyone with whom you find your God shall not live in the presence of your kinsmen. Point out what I have that is yours, and take it. And you're reading that, and we're he's saying it, but we know what. He doesn't know. Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. Oh no, here, the tension rises, and what one of the things that Jacob has learned was integrity with possessions. So the scene is really intense. Laban makes a frantic search of the tents, because these would be little gods that would be able to fit in a camel satchel. Laban goes to every storage pot, every bag, every leather, good, anything that he can get to. He goes from every tent. He goes to Leah's and then to Rachel's. Rachel's, of course, is the climactic end she has the gods.
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And she says, Sorry, my lord, I can't give it up. The way of women has come upon me, and it
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works. Laban believed her. Why would he believe her? Because sitting on somebody's gods, while in the way of women, would have been so sacrilegious, it would be unthinkable, unthinkable.
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Nobody would dare do this.
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There's a two way lesson here. God had protected Jacob through the intervention of the angel of the Lord. Those who put their trust in the one true God have the one true God's protection. This whole situation by God's sovereign design, worked out in a way. The false gods that Rachel clung to were so powerless. Here's the second God, God intervened so God preserved just because God's graces, but the false gods that Rachel clung to were so powerless that they couldn't even muster a protest in their desecration. They could do nothing to defend their own honor. If there was really supernatural ability in these gods, this was the time to defend their honor and they can do nothing. I mean, it would have been a laughing matter. Israelites would have looked at this and almost howled in laughter that worked crazy like, what kind of Gods wouldn't defend their honor? See they're false gods. What's not a laughing matter is Rachel's trust. I mean, here's the reality, some craftsman took some wood and carved it, or took some stone and chiseled it, took some metal and cast it, probably put some kind of jewels on it. They made it. These little gods are made by men and carried by men and women. They are utterly powerless. They're powerless, they're portable. They're dependent on people to get them from place to place. You back pocket gods are no gods. What you're using as a backup, what you got in your back pocket to bail you out of the next bit of trouble is no God at all. You. Americans are likely to trust government, they're likely to trust military, they're likely to trust political party, they're likely to trust wealth, they're likely to trust prestige, they're likely to trust their own good works, all which are those forms of at least heart, idolatry and it. Listen to some of these thinking of trusting a government, trusting the military. This is from Isaiah 31 because Israel was not trusting the one true God. They went to Egypt for help. Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots, because they are many and in horsemen, because they are very strong. Here, Israel was going to trust a foreign government, Egypt. They were going to trust their military. And he makes this contrast, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord. There's a good key. What do you do when it seems like the national issues are too terrifying, the political issues are terrifying, the governmental issues are distressing or aggravating? Consult the Lord. Look to the Holy One of Israel. It's not say there is not proper involvement in all kinds of things. But ultimately, the trust is not in government, not in military, but it's in the Lord. What about wealth? The Apostle Paul says this in First Timothy, 617, as for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty that is proud, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. You have a good God, a good father who gives you things to enjoy. Don't set your hope on the riches that get them set your hope on God. Paul speaks in Philippians three about his prestige as a Jew. He had excelled all the young men he was. He was the rising star of phariseeism in Israel. He was the super Jew who had obeyed all the laws, trusting in his prestige, trusting in his obedience as a law keeper. He writes this in Philippians 37 but whatever gain I had, I counted as laws for the sake of Christ, see all the idols behind the righteous rule, keeping put Paul on a conveyor belt to hell, and he was going to miss Jesus. It's all lost for the sake of Christ, trusting God to deliver who delivered Jacob? It was God's supernatural intervention that delivered Jacob. It wasn't his scheme to get a 10 day Head Start wasn't a bad idea, but ultimately, God is the one who saved him, and he recognizes that. Third, so you're trusting, trusting a God for God for His protection. Third, rely on God's justice. Rely on God's justice. Jacob come a long way in his faith. He lays into Laban. Lays into him. He says he berates him. Jacob became angry and berated Laban. He was righteously angry. Jacob said to Laban, what is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me. So he lays out his case. I mean, look at the case. These 20 years I've been with you, your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried. You know it? I know it. I was the source of the God used me and blessed me, therefore blessed you. I have not eaten the Rams of your flock. I didn't take those as my meals. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself from my hand. You required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. O Laban, I have had things stolen, lions, hyenas, wild dogs, all of the predators, wolves, I have had sheep and cattle and goats killed, drug away, and I have never come to you. Who's the thief? Who's the thief? You're the thief. I worked 20 years, worked hard, lost sleep, burned in the sun, froze in the frost. You changed my wages 10 times. Who's the thief? You. In verse 42 the theological center of the whole passage, if the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night. He speaks of God in three ways. He's personal God of my father. That means he's my God too. You think of the Creator of heaven and earth, the sovereign who set up all of this earth and its geological systems, who put us in the middle of a orbit, put us in orbit around a sun, and put our our solar system in the Milky Way, and you think of the massive size God who is over all of the universe, all of the stars we sang, that He knows them by name. This one is personal. He is close. He has come to me. He's the God of my father. He's the God of Abraham, which refers the fact that he's the promise keeping God. Many promises are given to Abraham and his offspring, including protection and blessing. He's a promise keeping God. And then he says the fear of Isaac, which is new to the story. First time we've seen fear of Isaac, Isaac had a reverence and awe. That's what fear is, reverence and awe. He is a God worthy of reverent worship. And here is the solution to Rachel's problem. She's sitting on the saddle, hiding the idols, but the God that her husband is speaking of in very loud tones, remember, he's berating him. Who are the little gods she has in her satchel? Who is the real God over all of the universe. He is the one that should spark awe and reverence and fear and love, the fear of Isaac,
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the picks for the songs this morning, if you want to know what to do tomorrow, about how to get through your anxieties and angers and difficulties and whatever you've got going on tomorrow, like, how am I gonna get through next week? Just go back to the playlist. Put those songs on your Spotify, or wherever you get your music. Our God is indescribable. This is the one who is personal and keeps his promises. This is the one to trust. This is who you can trust for justice. When someone wrongly accuses you, trust Him for justice. Trust Him for provision, trust Him for protection. Trust Him for justice if you're having a hard time with bitterness and injustices in your life, you can trust God to work it all out in his time. Leads us to number four, make a clear separation from the world. If you're in a watch for divided loyalties in your heart, for divided worship. And you're going to need to keep coming back to a separation. And there's a separation made here. It's put in terms of a covenant. Put in terms of a covenant. Laban insists on a covenant in his case. In Jacob's case, it's a form of a non aggression pact. You're not going to cross this heap of stones to do me harm. I'm not going to cross this heap of stones to do you you harm. We're going to make a covenant. And it's it's really useful when we come across the scenes about covenants, because covenants in the Old Testament were solemn promises from one party to another party that involved oaths and the witness of God to punish if somebody failed. We don't use that covenant language. The covenants in my neighborhood like because I'm part of an HOA, they're not really that much. They're not really a big deal. These covenants were a big deal. They make a sacrifice. And Laban wants it. Laban wants a covenant. I mean, just think about from laban's point of view, he's concerned that Jacob could one day return and be even more powerful if God protected him. Now imagine how dangerous he could be when his 12 grandsons grow into tribes and nations with armies. I. He is concerned about the power of Jacob's God, but he does not convert. He wants separation. Jacob willingly agrees, yes, we should do this. The last thing Jacob wants is another day with this scoundrel, good separation. I A Laban can't stop thinking like a polytheist, though, notice the language he says, The God of Nahor, the God of Abraham and Terah, their father, verse 53 God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father, Judge. Between us, the word judge is in the plural meaning. As far as Laban is concerned, there's three gods at play, and for Laban, he could have 20 to pick from. Much of the world is still worships many gods. They have one that they're especially devoted to, but then the rest are theirs. And so he cites the God of Nahor, the God of Abraham and Terah, their father, only, Abraham had the one true God. Now proving that point, when Jacob refers to the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac. Back in 42 had not been on my side. That phrase had not been on my side as in the singular three references to one God. Jacob, or Laban has three gods. He still doesn't give up his idolatry. Jacob sets up a heap of stones as a witness. God has stood by him. So we have two distinct peoples emerge, the Arameans And Laban and Jacob, the father of Israel. Jacob, we would serve God alone. Remember, when Jacob left Israel, he built a pillar on the Mount of Bethel and swore allegiance to one true God. When he came back, he would swear that allegiance again. And here is another pillar. Jacob swears only by the fear of his father Isaac, worship of the one true God. Fear, awe, reverence. God had brought him back and preserved his life and provided an abundance so that he could start a nation I
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there's a little sticking point still isn't there. You have a rock in your shoe, so to speak. What about Rachel? Did she get away with this? Well, in God's sovereign purposes, he protected her.
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No, she, she somebody would need to pay. Let's step back with this question, why is the God of the Bible, Father, Son and Spirit, the only one to place our trust for provision and protection. Why is he? Because he is the creator of heaven and earth. He is the one who has offered his son. He is the one who establishes and ordains all of life and activity, and he is and does save and preserve his people. Why would we want to draw near to him now? Why? Because if he is the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth, then getting us out of our next jam or preserving our life from the cross of death into heaven is easy for him. Laban's gods are fakes. They can't even defend their own honor. The fact that Rachel was actually guilty of theft leaves us with this problem. Yeah, God defended Jacob because Jacob was his chosen, but not because Jacob or his household were righteous. If we think of the big picture, Laban is the first of these oppressor types for Israel, Pharaoh is going to be much greater. And of course, they're all indicative that oppressing over all humanity, the god of this world, Satan seeks to destroy what he can.
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There is a sacrifice here. Yes, there is a covenant. We are pointed forward, aren't we, because this problem isn't resolved here. Yes, Rachel will give up her false gods when they enter the Promised Land. Jacob goes to all of his servants, to all of his family. Hey, I know a lot of you have these little gods. It's time now to put them aside and they bury them and they enter into the promised land. But she seems to get away with it. Or does she see Jesus? God Himself, creator of heaven and earth, enters human existence through Mary. He was really righteous. He was really sinless. He never lied, no deceit. Was ever found in his mouth. He was wrongly tried. He was wrongly accused, he was wrongly murdered. He
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it and his death is the sacrifice that brought about the New Covenant, the forgiveness of sins. Remember, as this passage ends, Rachel is still guilty, Jacob is still a sinner, but it's through the work of Christ that we are justified. Listen to how Romans 324, through 26 puts it and put Jacob and Rachel and Leah into the into this as an illustration. Christians are justified by his grace is a gift. This is Romans, 324, through the redemption that is in Christ, Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins, Rachel's sins, Leah's sins, divine forbearance, pass them over to deal with at another time, it was to show His righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. The first thing all, Jacobs, all Rachel's need is the righteousness of Christ. And God acts on the behalf of his own through Jesus Christ, friend, if you're here and you think something by your own effort, is going to appease a holy God at Judgment Day, you're going to find that faith utterly fail. You need to turn to Jesus Christ. You can plot and scheme how to get through next week and ignore the God who loves you and care for you, or you could turn to the God who loves and cares for you now and experience His intervention tomorrow to next week to eternity, the God who offers you salvation in Jesus Christ offers not only The blood of Jesus for your forgiveness, but a resurrection that's applied in new life, His Holy Spirit, which sustains you, grows you and keeps you all the way in to home with Jesus, all the way to heaven with him. How do you get from here to home by continually putting your trust in Jesus. What if you have already failed with your false gods? What if you're Rachel and you've had back pocket gods? Do you have one who has given Himself as a sacrifice, once and for all, if you trust Him, all your sins are forgiven. They're all paid for. He is the one that is your protection from yourself and from the hostility around you, I see that Jesus has saved me from my sins. Are you telling me that Jesus will get me every day home? Yes. How do you do that, first is a daily awe. Jesus didn't make it complicated. It's just still a war every day, getting through today. He calls you to hear from Him in His word you're not a great reader. Listen, I've been loving Max McLean's reading of the King James. Read it. I watch it. Listen to it. It's great. You might be a reader, but you have to reset. You have all kinds of things you're going to want to rely back on. And somewhere in your day, you need to hear from God, hear His grace, hear his glory, see his awe, be humbled again and trust Him. Peter calls it casting your cares upon the Lord, for he cares for you. Yes, harm can be done to you in a variety of ways in this world but Jesus is your daily protection. I think of the second half of that where he says, Man does not live by bread alone, when Satan tempted him to turn a rock into bread, he says, Jesus says, Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So it is our life. This is how you're going to deal with your daily temptations to idolatry, and then he gives them the avenue. What do you say to God, who is awesome? Well, the daily Lord's prayer. And we go back to these things all the time, but they're a war to go back to starting with hallowed be your name, and treating God with the holy reverence that he has all the way from Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive me my sins. I forgive those who sin against me. There's your problem with justice. Allow it to go to God. Deliver me from temptation. Deliver me from the evil one. What do you do every day? You have to transfer your cares, and there's all kinds of things in life, from snow tires to savings accounts that God provides to get through the week so you can make a safe trip over the past to see your granddaughter at Thanksgiving. Oh, that's just me. I might need snow tires for the past. They're God's provision, but God is the one to trust. A lot of things are prudent. God gives them, but they can also be idolatry. If I have all these things in order, I'll be safe. I'll be secure. Internally, we're exposed to temptations divide our affections, and externally, we have an adversary hot after us, much worse than Laban. The devil prowls around like a roaring lion to seek whom he can devour. God is the one we put our trust in, if you have a peculiar go to idol, a thing that you put your trust in. If you have a go to back pocket God, you have a small group with people who can pray for you and give you truth to think about the songs in the scripture we read today alone would be medicine for your soul. Now let's turn our attention to the Lord's Supper, which is the greater covenant. Let me pray, Father. We look at a story with Rachel and Laban and Jacob, such human interactions, we all see ways that we can do these kinds of things, even if we haven't done any particular one, we are reminded of your grace and your power to get us through our own temptations and hostility by our world, and we plead them now we're going to come and celebrate the Lord's Supper, which is the covenant that you made with us, to show us how we are kept by you. I pray that You would help us have the fruitful conversations of those things that are easily our reliance and that we would day by day, trust you Christ's name.
Dr. Dan Jarms is lead pastor at Faith Bible Church in Spokane Washington, as well as associate dean at The Master's Seminary in Spokane. He has been married for over 30 years to Linda, and has three adult children. He earned his B.A. in English at the Master’s College, B.Ed. at Eastern Washington University, M.Div and D.Min in Expository Preaching at The Master’s Seminary. His other interests include NCAA basketball, woodworking, and art.
View Resources by Dan Jarms
Main idea: God’s grace should increasingly prompt you to live better with others, and worship Him. Let God’s Grace Affect Your Relationships with Others (1-11)Let God’s Grace Affect Your Relationship with Him (12-20)...
As we continue reading through Genesis, we see God’s grace and faithfulness to keep HIs promises to Jacob and his family. We see people like Jacob and Judah learning to fear God and to obey Him through many sins and failures. We begin with the J...