study 4 – “bethel remembered brings release”. laban’s teraphim

Study 4 – “Bethel remembered brings

release”

How God deals with the Jacob in all of us

“How God deals with

the Jacob in all of us”

Bethel Remembered - Gen. 31V.3 - "And Yahweh said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred: and I will be with thee."

V.5 - "..but the God of my father hath been with me."

V.7 - "..but God suffered him not to hurt me."

V.9 - "Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me."

V.13 - "I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar….now arise get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred." How God deals with the

Jacob in all of us

Laban’s Teraphim“The discoveries at Nuzu SE of Nineveh near modern Kirkuk in 1925-41 have yielded several thousand cuniform tablets illustrating such patriarchal customs as......the teraphim (Gen.31:34). The latter are known to have been household deities, the possession of which implied family leadership. In the case of the married daughter, they assured the husband the right to the property of her father.”


Laban’s Teraphim (cont.)“Since Laban evidently had sons of his own when Jacob left for Canaan, they alone had the right to their father’s gods. Accordingly, Rachel’s stealing the teraphim was a serious offence (Gen.31:19,30,35) aimed at preserving for her husband the chief title to Laban’s estate.”

Unger’s Bible Handbook, pg.75


Final struggle with “the Syrian”Gen. 31:17-42

V. 24 – An angel intervenes! Vv. 25-42 – Caught and interrogated by

an angry and suspicious Laban.

V. 30 - Belittled instead of being harmed.

V. 33 – Note order of search! Index to Laban’s character.

“Laban the Syrian”How God deals with the

Jacob in all of us

Laban’s search for teraphimGen. 31:32-35

Laban

Jacob

Performs a perfunctory search and accepts a lame excuse!

LeahRachelMaid-servants


20 or 40 years in Haran? Does it matter? 40 is the number of probation – Jacob is

in Haran to be purged of “the Syrian”. Was he 57 or 77 on arrival in Haran? The facts - Jacob 15 on death of

Abraham; Ishmael 89; Ishmael died when Jacob 63.

Gen. 28:9 requires Ishmael to be alive when Jacob leaves for Haran. Hence, Jacob and Esau were 57, not 77.


40 Years with LabanGen. 31:38,41

V. 38 - "This twenty years" - Refers to time spent as a 'friend' (son in law) of Laban after serving 14 years for his two wives.

V. 41 - "twenty years in thy house" - i.e. as a servant labouring for wages.

Worked for Rachel 7 years

Worked for Leah 7 years

Sojourned as 'friend' 20 years

Served for cattle 6 years

Total sojourn 40 years


The use of zeh twice“Now the twenty concurrent years of neighbourly assistance, and the disjointed twenty of covenant service, seem both of them distinguished in the history itself. For upon Laban’s pursuit of Jacob he mentions twenty years twice; which two sets of twenty, if really different, make forty. Each mention of the twenty years is introduced with the word zeh, which word, when repeated, is used by way of distinction; as when we say, this and that, the one or the other.”

ClarkeHow God deals with the Jacob in all of us

Why 20 years too short! No children until 8th year – Gen. 29:18. Reuben the eldest would have been 12

on re-entry to the Land of Canaan. Simeon and Levi who murdered the

men of Shechem would have been about 11 and 10.

The earliest that Dinah could have been born was 18 years after Jacob’s arrival in Haran – this would make her 2-3 years old when defiled by Shechem – Gen. 34.


The fear of Isaac - Gen. 31:42,53 “fear” – pachad – dread, terror. Roth. –

“dread”. Abraham was dead - Isaac was still alive. Integrity before God was the issue between

Jacob and Laban – Vv. 36-43.

Ps. 76:11-12 – “Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared (pachad). He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.”How God deals with the

Jacob in all of us

Galeed and MizpahGen. 31:44-52

Galeed signifies “witness heap”. Jegar-sahadutha – Aramaic (Chaldean)

for “witness heap”. Mizpah signifies “watchtower”. Laban’s objective – To draw a line over

which Jacob could not cross with the teraphim (title deeds) to claim Laban’s assets.


Mahanaim - Gen. 32:1-2 Signifies “two camps”. Gen. 28:12-15 – Angels already part of his

camp – “ascending and descending”. Ps. 34:7 – “The angel of the LORD

encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”

Gen. 48:16 - Final realisation after a lifetime of experience – “The Angel which redeemed me from all evil.”

Heb. 2:14 – “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”


Insurance and PrayerGen. 32:6-12

V. 6 – Esau’s ego revealed. V. 7 – Jacob now has “3 camps”. V. 8 – Insurance – Mitigation of loss. Vv. 9-12 – Jacob’s great prayer of

dependence.

Why is it not immediately answered?


The Governing PrincipleJohn 6:28-29

“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”


Yahweh ransomed Jacob from the hand of him that was stronger than he – Jer.

31:11

The stolen blessing abandoned and given back – Gen. 33

Study 5 - Exhortation – “From Jacob to Israel: A

painful journey”

Next study (God willing)


study 4 – “bethel remembered brings release”. laban’s teraphim

Documents