Monday, January 11, 2010

January Eleventh

Good Morning~
Woo Hoo. What a great morning. I got my quiet time in, Ovaltine for my girls, Scooby Doo on the DVD which allows me to get this blog out by 7am,yay.
Jacob Increases his wealth
Both Laban and Jacob cheat and lie to each other. Laban by stealing part of the herd he promised to Jacob and Jacob by using the branches to change the color of the animals.(Which I am not sure what that was all about, was it a dye in the branches?)
Jacob flees from Laban
Before I read the rest of today's study I was wondering why Rachel took her fathers idols. Was she a thief or worshipping them.
Laban pursues Jacob
I do not understand how Laban can worship idols when he is being visited by God himself?
Jacob's treaty with Laban
It could not be easy to trust each other. Is this Laban changing his belief from idols to God? By taking an oath before God??
Looking forward to comments.

1 comments:

Allison said...

He wasn't coloring the animals, he was breeding them in such a way as to produce more animals with speckles and dark coloring to increase his herds. He apparently knew a lot about genetics ;)

Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s:

Rachel took her father’s household idols (teraphim). She may have wanted them because perhaps she worshipped these idols and did not want to be without them. Perhaps she did not want her father to inquire of them, using them as tools of divination to catch them (as he may have previously done, Genesis 30:27). Or perhaps it was because such idols were often used as deeds to property and she thought this she was taking her “inheritance.”

"Perhaps Rachel stole the teraphim simply to get back at her father, whom she felt had mistreated her, her husband, and her whole family. Jewish traditions say Rachel took the teraphim because she wanted to keep her father Laban from idolatry." - from David Guzik's commentary

Many in the world are pursued by God, but don't want to acknowledge Him in their lives (because they don't want to change). Same is here. Laban didn't want any part of God and resented the covenant God had with Jacob. He didn't ever turn from his idols and seek God. :(