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†. Gen 31:50 . . If you ill-treat my daughters or take other wives
besides my daughters-- though no one else be about, remember,
God Himself will be witness between you and me.
Had Jacob ever ill treated Rachel and Leah all those years in Laban's
employ? When had the girls ever complained to their dad about Jacob's
behavior? Was it really reasonable to assume he would ever abuse them
some day? No it wasn't. Jacob had always treated the girls with kindness
and consideration, and Laban had neither cause nor reason to think Jacob
would ever do otherwise. And since when did Laban really care about Rachel
and Leah anyway? He sold them like livestock, and spent their dowry on
himself.
Marry other women? Jacob wasn't a womanizer. He had only wanted just
one in the first place; but was forced into a bigamous marriage by Laban
himself.
Laban intended for the stone pile to be a boundary between himself and
Jacob so that Jacob would not come past it later on for revenge after God
made him strong enough to whup Laban. But that was another evidence of
his poor judgment of Jacob's character.
Jacob was definitely not a war-faring man; anybody could see that. He was
just like his dad Isaac; who was also a peaceable man, satisfied to simply
stop the strife between himself and his enemies. No way would Jacob ever
seek revenge. It just wasn't in his nature to do that. But Laban had a wicked
conscience. It wasn't beyond him to project his own base motives upon
others and assume they would do the very same things he himself would do
in their place.
In return, Laban would promise to not come past the monument to cause
Jacob any harm; which he no doubt would if God hadn't intervened to
prevent it. What a hollow covenant. All Laban did that day was put up an
appearance of nobility and try his best to save face in an otherwise very
embarrassing situation. And the meanwhile heaping additional indignities
upon Jacob, and slurring the reputation of a very decent man.
NOTE: Bethuel's blood produced three really good women: Rebecca, Leah,
and Rachel. You gotta wonder what happened to the men. Why were they all
such misfires? Families like that are a genetic mystery. Just look at Cain and
Abel-- two brothers from the very same parents; yet one was a good man
and the other a murderer. Go figure.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 31:50 . . If you ill-treat my daughters or take other wives
besides my daughters-- though no one else be about, remember,
God Himself will be witness between you and me.
Had Jacob ever ill treated Rachel and Leah all those years in Laban's
employ? When had the girls ever complained to their dad about Jacob's
behavior? Was it really reasonable to assume he would ever abuse them
some day? No it wasn't. Jacob had always treated the girls with kindness
and consideration, and Laban had neither cause nor reason to think Jacob
would ever do otherwise. And since when did Laban really care about Rachel
and Leah anyway? He sold them like livestock, and spent their dowry on
himself.
Marry other women? Jacob wasn't a womanizer. He had only wanted just
one in the first place; but was forced into a bigamous marriage by Laban
himself.
Laban intended for the stone pile to be a boundary between himself and
Jacob so that Jacob would not come past it later on for revenge after God
made him strong enough to whup Laban. But that was another evidence of
his poor judgment of Jacob's character.
Jacob was definitely not a war-faring man; anybody could see that. He was
just like his dad Isaac; who was also a peaceable man, satisfied to simply
stop the strife between himself and his enemies. No way would Jacob ever
seek revenge. It just wasn't in his nature to do that. But Laban had a wicked
conscience. It wasn't beyond him to project his own base motives upon
others and assume they would do the very same things he himself would do
in their place.
In return, Laban would promise to not come past the monument to cause
Jacob any harm; which he no doubt would if God hadn't intervened to
prevent it. What a hollow covenant. All Laban did that day was put up an
appearance of nobility and try his best to save face in an otherwise very
embarrassing situation. And the meanwhile heaping additional indignities
upon Jacob, and slurring the reputation of a very decent man.
NOTE: Bethuel's blood produced three really good women: Rebecca, Leah,
and Rachel. You gotta wonder what happened to the men. Why were they all
such misfires? Families like that are a genetic mystery. Just look at Cain and
Abel-- two brothers from the very same parents; yet one was a good man
and the other a murderer. Go figure.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=