Lessons in Lamb Breeding: Genesis 30.25-43
This narrative again emphasizes Jacob’s trickery, though the audience can certainly sympathize.
Jacob decides he has lived with Laban long enough and asks to leave. But Laban has learned by divination that he is blessed because of Jacob. Why would Laban therefore let him go? But Laban does relent a little, asking what Jacob’s wages should be.
Jacob replies that he has greatly increased Laban’s cattle – a blessing of the Lord - but now Jacob wants to leave and wonders how he should provide for his household. Jacob proposes a deal. Jacob will keep Laban’s flock, but will receive every speckled and spotted sheep and goat and every black lamb. Laban agrees to the terms – and promptly removes the speckled and spotted goats and black lambs. He gives these to his sons and moves a three-day’s journey from Jacob.
Jacob is not one to be out-tricked. He takes rods of poplar and almond and plane, and peels white streaks into them. He puts these in front of the troughs where the flocks drink and breed. The flocks, in turn, produce striped, speckled and spotted young. (It is well known that sheep and goats, when breeding, will have a sympathetic response to anything they see. This is how we get steel wool. Look it up.) But Jacob only does this for the stronger animals, which represents one of the earliest portrayals of genetics. Laban gets weak flocks, of course. The joke is on him!
Jacob Escapes Laban: Genesis 31.1-21
Jacob is rich with livestock and slaves, the livestock won at Laban’s expense and twenty years of servitude, during which time his wages changed ten times. Apparently Jacob’s wage changed depending on whether the livestock were predominantly striped or speckled. Go figure.
Jacob hears the sons of Laban talking angrily about his riches, and notices Laban treating him differently. Just like Esau, the tricked is plotting vengeance on the trickster. The Lord tells Jacob to return to the land of his ancestors, which probably seems like a great idea to him. First, though, Jacob tells his plan to his wives, letting them know about a dream he had about mating goats. God comes to Jacob in the dream and tells him to return to the land of his birth.
Rachel and Leah fully support Jacob’s plans, for they are now treated like foreigners in their own father’s house. Also, all the property that God has taken from their father is now in their possession. Except for the household gods, which Rachel steals while her father is off shearing sheep - more on that later.
So Jacob puts his wives and children on camels and sends them away with livestock for Canaan (Gen. 31.18) and/or Gilead (Gen. 31.21). He has the full blessing of God, a very good thing to travel with.
Laban Overtakes Jacob: Genesis 31.22-42
Three days later Laban is told that his son-in-law has fled. He pursues him for seven days into the hill country of Gilead. But God warns Laban in a dream to “Take heed that you say not a word to Jacob, either good or bad” (Gen. 31.24). Laban overtakes Jacob and promptly speaks.
Laban attacks Jacob verbally for running off without a word, saying that his send-off would have been great. And why did Jacob steal Laban’s gods, then? These “gods” are household deities or relatives that have passed away – not the entity known as Lord or God.
Jacob responds that he was afraid. He thought Laban would take away Rachel and Leah. But he promises that the person who has the gods shall not live. Uh-oh, Rachel.
So Laban goes into Jacob’s tent, finding nothing. He then enters Rachel’s tent – a womanly sphere – and finds himself utterly inept. Rachel sits atop a saddlebag that contains the idols and foils her father with femininity: “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of the woman is upon me” (Gen. 31.35).
Jacob soundly rebukes the empty-handed Laban. He has “falsely” accused Jacob, who has cared so well for Laban’s flocks. None miscarried, Jacob did not eat the rams, and furthermore he bore the loss when a beast took an animal. Shepherding is no picnic, either. It is hot in the day and cold at night. And what has Laban done for him? “These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wage ten times” (Gen. 31.41). And what has carried Jacob through? God.
The Covenant: Genesis 31.43-32.2
Laban’s reply demonstrates his possessiveness: “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine” (Gen. 31.43). But he relents, and calls for a covenant.
What follows is an interweaving of the J and E narratives.
Jacob erects a pillar // then calls for his kinsfolk to erect a cairn. They sit and eat. Laban names the place Jegar-sahadutha and Jacob Galeed. Both terms mean “The heap of Witness,” but Jacob’s Hebrew term takes precedence over Laban’s Aramaic term. This naming device reinforces the importance of the Hebrew language and exemplifies the tension between the Arameans and Hebrews. Either the rock pile // or the pillar is then called Mizpah, meaning “watch post.”
A twin covenant is made. The first calls for the good treatment of Laban’s daughters. Joseph is to take no other wives. God serves as witness to this. The second covenant states that neither will cross the pillar and the heap to cause harm to the other. The pillar and heap serve as witnesses, and God as the judge. All covenants have two parts: an agreement and a sign. Here the agreements differ (because of the separate sources) but the sign of the pillar (and cairn) remain the same.
Jacob offers a sacrifice and they eat bread, symbolizing communion, or at least understanding, between the two parties. In the morning Laban kisses and blesses his grandchildren and daughters before heading home.
Jacob goes on his way and finds angels. When Jacob sees them he declares “This is God’s camp!” and names the place Mahanaim (“two camps”).
Up tomorrow: Ever wrestled with religion? How about God personified?
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