August 19, 2007

The Way Home
 Gen 31:1-55 

I remember the feeling that began to grow in me as we finished packing up the old chevy wagon with all the earthly goods we had accumulated in 3 years of marriage. After a difficult servitude with complex task masters, I was leaving Georgia. With me my wife and 2 children, plus Tyler in the oven, and a cousin we’d brought along. I had $100.00 in my pocket (I’d had to sell my camera to get that as those we were leaving would not help us out ) and that hot August afternoon we headed out HOME. I was mildly excited as we drove mile after mile and despite the nagging worry that we had not enough money, I was going home. Home where I belonged.

The circumstances were somewhat similar as we left, my wife’s parents were not at all favorable to my taking their daughter away and that was also on my mind because such things bother me. And as I read this scripture, about Jacob after so many years being allowed to finally go home, it struck a chord in me. I knew, I knew how he felt and I knew the anger he felt at Laban for his treatment of him and I knew how very very much he just wanted to go home.

Jacob had served well in Laban’s service. It seemed that very time he started to prosper in one venture, Laban would knock that out from under him. Then as he began to prosper in another venture, Laban would again change his wage structure. But God always provided and Jacob was fast becoming a more wealthy  man than Uncle Laban. It had been 6 years since he had negotiated with His uncle for wages and ten times had had them changed.

Jacob stopped and pondered the logistics of the journey he had made nearly alone as a younger man with no family to to look after. It was nearly three hundred miles from Haran to the mountains of Gilead beyond the Jordan. But it seemed that the psychological journey that grew out of his own timidness was even greater.  His deception of Esau had to be reckoned with, and though he had earned his own prosperity, his reasons for leaving home had not gone away. He remembered all too well that it was Esau's threat of death that had sent him running away from home.

But now conditions here had become unbearable. The cousins were constantly glaring at him and accusing him of getting his wealth at their dad’s expense. Constantly increasing in their anger toward him. As if it were his fault that GOd had prospered him. So , as difficult as it seemed, Jacob was finally almost convinced that it was time to go home. Jacob struggled in himself and agonized for days and weeks over his decision. It would be a lot easier if God would just appear and tell him what to do. How to know the will of God, How to decide what The one who is, this nameless I AM God wanted.

He mused in himself hmmm, first he had to consider the desire to go home. It was strong in him. He knew he had been a patient man, hadn’t working 14 years for his wife proved that beyond all doubt? Those years had seemed like a minute because of his love for that lady...but he also knew that Padan Aram was not his home and that he belonged in the land that God had given to his grandpa and to his dad, and finally to him. It seemed that after Joseph was born that the desire to go home had been growing. He had tried 6 years ago to  move away but Laban had offered him a deal to stay on longer.

So desire to do this was there.Also he knew that his circumstances were pressing him harder and harder every day. During the last 6 years no matter what Laban had done to limit his earnings, God had turned upside down.

God had   made his earnings flourish. That’s why the boys were so jealous. They forgot somehow that they had been made far more wealthy because of Jacob than they ever had been before, all they could see is that his wealth was fast passing Laban’s, he was becoming  a bigger man than Laban. Laban had been wearing a perpetual scowl lately and those boys were becoming unbearable, yes that was another indication that his time was up.

Jacob had decided to sleep on it one more night, he just had to be sure, there could be no mistake now, God had promised to care for him and he just wanted things to go smoothly. The air was slightly cool that night and it was a good night for sleeping, but he had walked outside and looked up at those stars, recalling that night 20 years or more gone now when he had laid out under those stars and God had appeared to him. Ah if only God would hear me now, he breathed a silent prayer.

“Jacob”, he was startled from his reverie, had he heard someone call is name? “Jacob it is I and I have heard your cry. Jacob my chosen one, it IS time go home son, go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives and Jacob, ..... I will be with you.”

Ah the confirmation of a word from God, decisions are difficult enough but with confirmation from the Father, a Word from God, then who can doubt. Now he knew, those other indications were valid when coupled with this directive.

But it wasn’t always this way, he had wanted to be cautious and he was glad he had waited.He knew that  a definite conviction of the heart is a good indication of God’s will, and often outward circumstances which make it humanly possible or prudent help in that decision. Then, he thought the final test is what does God say. Ah how glad he was that he’d waited on God. Now the most important step of all was one he had learned from his grandpa’s life.
 
Don’t just hear God, do what he says.

Jacob was galvanized into action and had quickly sent for his wives to come out to the flock. And he remembered how it had all rushed out of him like a long pent up stream   oh my wives,I have so much to say I....well, I’ve noticed your father's attitude lately. It’s not like it used to be., but the God of my father has been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.  And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God never allowed him to hurt me. If he said “ The speckled will be your wages; then all the cattle bore speckled: and if he said “ The banded or streaked shall be your pay; then they had banded or streaked young and God had used this to give me the lions share of the stock.    And I recall the time that the cattle conceived, that I  saw in a dream, and,all the mating rams were banded or streaked, speckled, and grizzled.  And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream,  saying , Jacob: And I said, Here  am   .  And he said, look, and see, all the mating rams  are  banded or streaked, speckled, and grizzled: for I have seen all that Laban does to you.   I [am] the God of Bethel, where you  anointed the pillar, [and] where you  vowed  a vow unto me: now arise, get   out from this land, and return unto the land of your Family. Sweethearts, we are going to leave here , we are going home.

He smiled as he thought of how warm he had felt when both of them had agreed that if God said go they should go. And they felt that all he had earned was their inheritance anyway. He hadn’t spoken of it before, but it did his heart good to notice that they saw all Laban had done to him, how unfairly he had been treated and they were ready to go too. They had resented the way their dad had been treating him for a long time.

They had also resented the fact that instead of using Jacob’s long service as a dowry to help establish them in a good life he had used it up on himself. Jacob was glad, vindicated somehow and knew the wonderful feelings that came when your family is on your side.

Jacob had acted quickly and loaded the children and his wives on camels and he and the older boys drove the sheep and goats ahead of them and made as much time as possible to escape the land before Laban could stir up any trouble.

But that just wasn’t to be. Oh how Jacob was glad that horrible time was past. He  had been on the road seven days, covering a distance of nearly 20 miles a day, but it was nowhere near fast enough to outrun the anger of uncle Laban.

Jacob had seen the dust cloud approaching and a tremor had entered  his heart, but what could he do but face up to whatever came. Sure enough early in the morning Uncle Laban strode into camp bold as an Arab chief. Surrounded by armed servants and relatives.

Jacob laughed to himself now, how much easier it would have been if he’d known THEN that God had warned Laban to lay off him..but Laban wasn’t about to let him know.

He remembered the hurt tone,almost wheedling actually, now that he thought of it, that Laban had started off on.

“My nephew, what have you done to this old man’s heart. you’ve deceived me, you’v e carried off my daughters like...like captives in a war. Why did you run off secretly why didn’t you let me throw you a great send off. You...and this is the cruelest blow of all...you never even let me say good bye to the grandkids.You have done a foolish thing. If it weren’t for me you would have none of them.

But then Jacob remembered how some strength from somewhere had entered him, and it didn’t hurt that his wives were looking at their dad with not a tremor of fear, they weren’t even impressed in fact.

And Laban had seen their narrowed eyes and stony faces and after a few blustering bullyish statements had confessed, “I have the power to harm you but last night the God of your fathers said I was to not say anything to you good or bad.”

But I do have one question. Why did you steal my idols?

Jacob had been getting angrier and angrier and yet had maintained an even temper as he explained why he had snuck off because of Laban;s temper..but as for you foolish household gods I don’t have them. Here search the camp an if anyone has them he shall not live...in fact if there is anything of yours here take it.

Had Jacob known then that Rachel had stolen those worthless idols he’d have acted differently, but that girl was as bad as her dad sometimes...she’d hidden the idols on her and kept her composure in spite of her fright and Laban had found nothing that could be presumed as his.

Now 20 years of Jacob’s anger suddenly exploded all,over the desert landscape. NOW LOOK MR ..enough is enough! What is my crime? What sin have I committed that you hunt me down ?

You’ve   searched all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? set  it  here before my brethren and your crowd, that they may judge between us .  Twenty years I’ve  been with you; your ewes and your she goats have not miscarried, and I have never eaten ONE of your rams NOT ONE.

When wild animals tore up something; I bore the loss of it; in fact that was the way you demanded it be., whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. I struggled and slaved for you in the hottest drought and the frostiest nights and tended your animals and I lost numerous hours of sleep while you were enjoying not having to work as hard. That’s the way it’s been for twenty years in your house; I served you  fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your cattle:

Now you stand  here saying how much you care and love us and hate to see us go.  YOU  changed my wages ten times. CONCERN FOR YOUR DAUGHTERS ND GRANDKIDS???  Man! if the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, hadn’t  been with me, you’d have sent me away  empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and he rebuked you   last night.

Laban had looked shocked, unused to an assertive Jacob then he’ blustered:    HMMMMP! These  daughters are  my daughters, and  these children are my children, and  these cattle  are  my cattle, and all that you  see is mine: and having said that he pretended he was willing to give up what was really his and that way the two households had parted.

Well there was that other thing...the Mizpah curse...funy how over the years people had heard those words and thought of them as a blessing.  It was almost a comic opera as Laban had his men pile up those stones and raise up that pillar, He could hear the harsh bluster still if he thought back on it:

This pile of stones is a witness between me and you  this day. ...The LORD watch between me and you , when we are apart one from another.   If you afflict my daughters, or if you take  other  wives beside my daughters, then may God deal with you.  And see this pile of stones?, and see  his pillar, which I have put between us?;  You stay on your side and I’ll stay on my side  The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.

And Jacob had sworn by the fear of his father Isaac. and Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and stayed all night on the mountain.

Then early in the morning Laban got up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban left, and returned home.

Jacob was not sorry that it was all over. He had no feelings of remorse that Laban was out of his life and in fact he felt freed from the bondage he had been under. How vexing it had been to live all these years with a covetous man...what a strange thing for the God of his fathers to do...to put him in service to someone who was just like he had been. But now God was to be his master. He was pretty sure that he was ready to surrender completely to the God of His fathers. With that thought in mind he went off by himself to pray.

How is it with you? Have you served under the difficult taskmaster of this world for a long time? IS God, through his Spirit, calling you to come home? Maybe today is the day when he is drawing your heart to come and find forgiveness of sins? Maybe today is your day of salvation.

Or Christian, are you trying to discern God’s will? what is your desire? what are your circumstances?

What says the Word of GOD.Are you willing to obey HIS voice?

Note abraham was called “Leave home” Isaac to “stay home” Jacob Go home” all had different circumstances but all had to learn trust in God. what is his call to you? will you obey?