Laban Chases Jacob (22-35)

Laban learned of Jacob’s departure, and full of hostility and anger, chased Jacob for seven days. Just before overtaking him, he was warned in a dream by Yahweh to be careful not to deter Jacob’s mission to return home by threatening evil or tempting him to come back to Haran for good (22-24).  

When Laban finally caught up with Jacob, where he had pitched his tents in the hills of Gilead (25), Laban led with a list of accusations:

• Jacob had tricked him by leaving secretly.

• Jacob had taken away his daughters like captives (26).

• Jacob had deprived Laban of sending his daughters off with a proper celebration (27).

• Jacob had not allowed Laban to properly bless his grandchildren (28).

Laban then told Jacob he was restrained by Yahweh in a dream from harming him or helping him (29). He then lodged his fifth accusation—Laban understood Jacob’s longing for his father’s house, but could not understand the stealing of his household idol (30).

Jacob answered all of Laban’s accusations for one reason—he did not trust Laban, considering him a man who would resort to force to keep his daughters and forbid Jacob from taking his family with him to his home (31). Regarding Laban’s last accusation, Jacob told Laban to kill anyone who was found with the idol and to take anything he thought Jacob had stolen. Of course, Rachel had not told Jacob that she had taken the idol (32).  

Laban searched the entire camp, except for the camel Rachel was sitting on, and found nothing. When he came to Rachel, she excused herself on the grounds of the seriousness of her period and flow. The odd story of the idol comes to its point. The idol under which Laban’s world depended for blessing had to be protected by a deceitful, menstruating daughter. Yahweh, on the other hand, needs no protection nor help; He is behind the issues of covenant and heart, able to do what He wills. Laban, Rachel’s father, being completely uninterested in searching beneath a woman who was in flow, gave up his quest to find the idol in Jacob’s tents and among his possessions (33-35).

Jacob’s Tirade (36-42)

Once Laban had rummaged through all of Jacob’s goods and had come up empty, Jacob found new confidence, and the 99-year-old began to lay into Laban with a sharp rebuke.

Laban had hotly pursued Jacob as though he were a criminal, and Laban had searched through everything Jacob owned as though he were a thief and found nothing. Laban could not produce evidence of any wrongdoing on Jacob’s part (36-37).  

Jacob further told Laban that his 20-year service had been accomplished in a way that made Laban more prosperous than he had been before Jacob had arrived. There had been no miscarriages among his flocs, and the losses from beasts and thieves Jacob had paid for from his own pocket (38-39).  

Jacob reminded Laban that he had labored hard like a servant for Laban’s success and for his two daughters. When it came time to release Jacob from his servitude, he asked for wages and Laban agreed to the wage, but then changed the wages ten times to keep Jacob poor and co-dependent. 

Jacob finally rebuked Laban for wanting to send him away empty-handed and for chasing him for seven days with the desire to take all Jacob had from him and drive it back home. Laban certainly would have done so had God not intervened in a dream and restrained him (40-42).

Laban’s Covenant with Jacob (43-55)

After Jacob’s rebuke, Laban would not humble himself but maintained his pompous attitude that everything Jacob owned belonged to him (43). Laban, however, was bound by the warning from Yahweh and restrained from acting on his pompous feelings, so he suggested that he and his son-in-law enter into a covenant (44).  

Jacob then took a stone and set it up as a pillar and had his servants create a heap of stones. Laban gave the heap an Aramaic name, while Jacob gave it a Hebrew name, but both names meant the same thing, “Witness heap” (45-48).

The name of the place was also called Mizpah, or “Watchtower,” for Laban called upon Yahweh to watch between the two of them, as Laban would no longer be able to watch Jacob. Laban invoked Yahweh to watch over Jacob, that he never abuse Laban’s daughters nor ever take another wife (49-50).

The pillar and heap stood as a barrier—neither would pass the barrier to hurt the other, Yahweh as Witness and Judge of their hearts and actions. Laban called upon the God of Abraham and Nahor and the God of their father to be their Judge. Jacob agreed and swore out of reverence for his father Isaac, who was a keeper of his word (51-53). Jacob offered a sacrifice to Yahweh to seal the oath and then threw a feast (54). The next morning, Laban said his affectionate goodbyes, blessed his daughters and grandchildren, and returned home (55).