Jacob called to return home: Guidance and covetousness

Jacob had become exceedingly prosperous with flocks and servants,   camels and donkeys. And it soured the relationship between Jacob and Laban. His sons even accused Jacob of stealing it from their father, never mind they too had prospered from Jacob's labour. The Lord told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers,  and that He would be with him.  Jacob tells his wives of the God's words, and seeing their father's duplicity, greed and underhandedness, they  agree to go with Jacob as the Lord was directing him (Genesis 30:43-31:16).

Jacob was not simply running away from a difficult situation. When things get difficult we cannot simply deduce that God is not in it.  The Scripture tells us as much as possible to live at peace with all, and while we are to honour our parents that does not mean taking sides with them against our spouse (Romans 12:10; Exodus 20:12). The Lord had been working on Jacob, but there is no sign anything was changing with Laban, quite the opposite. The most important factor here however, is that the Lord was telling him it was time to go.  God had promised him twenty years earlier that He would bring him back to his father's land (28:15).  Being lead by the Spirit is a primary characteristic of the children of God (Romans 8:14).

One of the wonderful things about the stories in Genesis is that, if we pay attention,  they can teach us life lessons, and show us the why of God's commandments. I am thinking here of “Do not covert” (Exodus 20:17).  To covet is to wrongly desire something, fixating on it, especially something that belongs to someone else. The commandment specifically includes another person's spouse and/or property.  If we are inclined to push back against being told what to do by God,  or anyone one else, we are likely to push back even more against being told what to think!  But God is not some celestial Scrooge not wanting us to have any fun! There are always reasons for his commandments, and we  see here clearly the consequences of Laban's covetousness.    

Let me ask you if you like people who are mean, and it you like to be liked. Here even Laban's daughters turn against him, that has to be painful.  The Bible tells us that covetousness is actually idolatry.  We laugh at the ancients worshipping idols, but if we we have a  covetous nature we are essentially doing the same thing. And we essentially become what we covert. For “as a person thinks in his heart so he is” (Proverbs 23:7). If we covet money we become cold and calculating, and without natural affection.  What is more, it is infectious, look at what it did to Laban's sons! No, God is no Scrooge, when He says no, it is for our provision and our protection.

Father, the more I get to know You the more I realize that everything You say and do is done out of love. We become like what we worship, and when we worship You,  we become more and more like Jesus.  Jesus shows us You Lord,  and He shows us man as You intend man to be (John 14:9). Thank You too,  that when we commit to following You, You will guide us in all Your ways, and Your ways are the ways of peace (Psalm 32:8; Luke 1:79). We love You Lord and want to be like You,  so we worship You again this morning in Jesus Name Amen