Genesis 31:22-42 Jacob acts precipitously

Jacob flees from Laban. Seven days later in Gilead he is caught. Gilead is just on the east side of the Jordan, some of the tribes later settle there outside of the true promised land.

Jacob did the right thing. He was done in Babylon. It is how he did it that was wrong. He should have confronted Laban like a man. That is what his grandfather Abraham did.

But Jacob was always trying to cut corners find a trick. I can identify. In my case I often call it laziness. But short cuts often get us into trouble and cause things to be worse. This certainly happened to Jacob here.

Jacob was obedient in the big thing, God asked him to leave. But in how he did it he relied on his own understanding and it got him into trouble. He was rash. He did not wait for the proper time or seek God about the proper method.

Another way he was rash was when Laban accused him of taking the household idols he pronounced death on anyone who had them. That was rash and totally unnecessary.

Laban was a rude and unscrupulous man. Without God's intervention telling him not to say anything bad or good to Jacob he might have harmed Jacob. He might have taken the flocks and his daughters back. He seemed to think they were still his. He was not ready to accept the reality. Jacob finally feels enough courage to confront him after the idols are not found. He feels enough anger to finally talk back to him. So Laban backs down.

Laban was a self centered man. Jacob was not much different really. As we continue through Genesis Jacob will go through much heartache and deprivation. But does he ever learn to trust and seek God wholly? It seems that he always trusts his own flawed instincts first.

It is good to acknowledge God and do what he asks. But we must also be sensitive to do it God's way and in his time. This is total trust. When the pressure was on Jacob trusted more in his own abilities. But God's ways are always better than our ways.

I am reminded of my dream the other night from a recent blog. In trying to do a task I found myself at a loss to do it well or safely. I need help from God. In that specific situation I would need help from others and not be too proud to ask.