Parashah Vayeizei
Genesis 28:10—32:3
Notes by Chris O’Quin
© 2007
I.
Introduction
A.
I am sending you out like sheep among
wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (Matt. 10:16)
B. Matthew 5: 3—12
“Blessed are the
poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
C. Parashah
Vayeizei is more than the story of the origins of the nation of
D. Why does Jacob flee to Laban’s household?
II. Jacob Meets Laban
A. Jacob arrives to find shepherds standing around in the middle of the day.
B. What is his response?
"Look," he said, "the sun is still high; it is not time
for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to
pasture." (He could
not stand to see injustice. If a righteous man passes by a place where he sees a misdeed taking
place his duty is to protest it and not say, ‘This is none of my business.’ Midrash
Lekach Tov.)
While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's
sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of
Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the
stone away (for he had
great strength) from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's
sheep. (Jacob was not a
weak momma’s boy) 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel (for he saw his mother in Rachel.
He saw in Rachel a “flash of his mother’s face.”) and began to weep
aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a
son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.
C. Laban runs out to meet Jacob. What is he looking for?
D. 13 As soon as Laban heard the news
about Jacob, his sister's son, he hurried to meet him. (What did Laban expect to find from the son of
Isaac?) He embraced him (to pat him down) and
kissed (to find any hidden
jewels) him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all
these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, "You are my own flesh and
blood."
III. Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
A.
After
Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him,
"Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for
nothing? Tell me what your wages should be."
B.
16 Now
Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the
younger was Rachel (they
were identical twins. Leah had merely been born first). 17 Leah
had weak [f] eyes, (from crying over the thought of having to marry an
idolater), but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. 18 Jacob
was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return
for your younger daughter Rachel" (for Rachel--your daughter--the youngest).
IV. Jacob's Flocks Increase
21 Then Jacob said to Laban,
"Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her." (Jacob was 84 years old and was
anxious to establish the Jewish nation.)
22 So Laban brought together all the
people of the place and gave a feast (he told the town’s people his plan and got their promise
not to divulge the plan). 23 (Suspecting treachery on Laban’s part Jacob and Rachel
devised signals and passwords so that if Laban tried to switch the two he could
discern the trick. But when the time came Rachel was careful not to embarrass
her sister that she told Leah the signals and password. Later this would cause Jacob to
love Rachel all the more for her self-sacrifice and kindness). But when
evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay
with her. 24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah (Zilpah was the younger servant
and Laban’s daughter by a concubine) to his daughter as her maidservant.
25 When morning came, there was
Leah! (Jacob was furious
at Leah that shy answered to the name Rachel that night but now he sees that
she was really Leah. So she called him on it—“And you! Did you not trick your
father when he asked, ‘Is it you, my son Esau?’ And you replied, ‘I am Esau,
your firstborn.’ Did your father not tell Esau about you saying, ‘Your brother
came with cleverness’? And you think you have the right to reproach me for my
deception?”) So Jacob said to Laban, you have done to me? I served you
for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?"
26 Laban replied, "It is not
our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. (That is, it is not our custom to
give to the younger sibling what rightfully belongs to the elder.” He was
giving Jacob a further dig) 27 Finish this daughter's bridal
week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven
years of work." (This
was his plan from the beginning so that he could bargain for seven years of
labor from Jacob but get fourteen!)
28 And Jacob did so. He finished the
week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29
Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant (Bilhah was also Laban’s daughter
by a concubine). 30 Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved
Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.
V. Genesis 30: Jacob Bargains with Laban
25
After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way
so I can go back to my own homeland. 26 Give me my wives and children,
for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work
I've done for you."
27 But Laban said to him, "If I
have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that [s] the LORD has blessed me because of
you." (He flattered
Jacob hoping that he would be a “soft touch.”) (Laban was a sorcerer) 28 He added,
"Name your wages, and I will pay them."
29 Jacob said to him, "You know
how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. 30
The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the LORD has
blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own
household?"
31 "What shall I give
you?" he asked.
"Don't give me anything," Jacob replied (Like his grandfather Abraham when he dealt with
the king of
34 "Agreed," said Laban.
"Let it be as you have said." 35 That same day he removed all
the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted
female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and
he placed them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day
journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of
Laban's flocks. (The
rabbis tell us that G-d miraculously intervened to cause Jacob’s flocks to
increase many fold. The rabbis say that when Jacob left he had some 600,000
animals. Although
the rabbis teach that Jacob was blessed he did not rest on his laurels but
always displayed courage and hard work.)
VI. Genesis 31 Jacob Flees From Laban
1 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying,
"Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this
wealth from what belonged to our father." (The brothers became very jealous of Jacob’s success and
resentful of their own comparative failings.) 2 And Jacob noticed
that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been.
3
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to
your relatives, and I will be with you." (It was G-d’s command to Jacob that he return to
4
So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his
flocks were. 5 He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude
toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me.
6 You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength, 7
yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times (in six years. Explain).
However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, 'The speckled
ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and
if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore
streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father's livestock and has
given them to me.
10
"In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that
the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11
The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' 12
And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are
streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to
you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where
you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native
land.' "
17 Then Jacob put his children and
his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him,
along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan
19
When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household
gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him
he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, and crossing the
River, [u] he headed for the hill country of
VII. Laban Pursues Jacob
22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 Taking
his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him
in the hill country of
25
Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of
31
Jacob answered Laban, "I was afraid, because I thought you would take your
daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find anyone who has your
gods, he shall not live (Unwittingly
Jacob pronounced a curse on Rachel and this was the cause of her death during
the birth of Benjamin. The righteous must be very careful with their words). In the
presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours
here with me; and if so, take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had
stolen the gods.
33
So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the
two maidservants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah's tent, he
entered Rachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and
put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched
through everything in the tent but found nothing. (This was a great testimony to Jacob’s integrity
that in 20 years of living and working with Laban there could not be found even
one item that Laban could claim as being stolen—not even a paperclip so to
speak. Our integrity should be equally strict in our work places.)
36
Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. "What is my crime?" he asked
Laban. "What sin have I committed that you hunt me down? 37 Now
that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs
to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let
them judge between the two of us.
(Jacob spells out how much his
own integrity cost him. Integrity is not cheap and it often brings a great deal
of pain in our lives to walk with integrity. Yet, can one only imagine for a
moment what might have happened if Jacob had not walked with complete integrity
and Laban had been able to find something that had been stolen? It may have
cost Jacob everything!)
38
"I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not
miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring
you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded
payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. 40 This was my situation:
The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from
my eyes. 41 It was like this for the twenty years I was in your
household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years
for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my
father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you
would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and
the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you."
43
Laban answered Jacob, "The women are my daughters, the children are my
children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. (Laban never gave an inch or gave
Jacob any credit) Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine,
or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let's make a
covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us." (Laban’s grandson Balaam would
break this oath by crossing over to curse
So
Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 He
offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a
meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there. (Even with all of the harm Laban
tried to inflict upon Jacob, Jacob was righteous and offered him hospitality by
throwing him a feast. The righteous are generous even with their enemies.
“The righteous man bears
no bitterness against his enemy, despite the implacable hatred, the threat of
extermination, and the outrageous injustices which Laban had do often shown
him. The twenty years of servitude and mental anguish end with a great feast
offered by the victim to his oppressor.” Munk p. 432)
55
Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and
blessed them (Notice that
he did not bless Jacob). Then he left and returned home.
VIII. Conclusion
“Laban was exasperated at having been
unable to do Jacob even the slightest harm; when he got back to
What do we learn from this passage? First, “the righteous must never depend [solely] upon their [moral] rectitude, but must always do whatever is in their power to assure their own well-being. It also serves as an example to future generations of how to conduct themselves in their struggles with the [spiritual] descendants of Esau.” (Munk p. 434) Jacob prepared a triple defense of personal integrity (blamelessness), hard work and cunning.
Second, though Laban lived with righteous Jacob for 20 years, it had no influence on him whatsoever. He was as wicked when Jacob left as when he first arrived, even to the point that he was willing to wipeout his own grandchildren and daughters if he could have only destroyed Jacob.
Third, that even though Jacob possessed great strength, he never used it to bring harm upon Laban. Just as Yeshua said,
"Put your sword
back in its place...for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you
think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more
than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled
that say it must happen in this way?" (Matt. 26:52—54)
The righteous often possess great
strength but use it only sparingly.