WHEN IT’S TIME TO GO
Genesis 30:25-31:55
“Should I
Your beliefs about the LORD shape whether and how you’ll answer.
WHEN:
You should go when there’s a(n) …
Material
25After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland.
26Give me my wives and my children that I have worked for, and let me go. You know how hard I have worked for you.”
27But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”
28Then Laban said, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your herds have fared with me.
30For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The LORD has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?”
Open
31Laban asked, “What should I give you?” And Jacob said, “You don’t need to give me anything. If you do this one thing for me, I will continue to shepherd and keep your flock.
32Let me go through all your sheep today and remove every sheep that is speckled or spotted, every dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the female goats. Such will be my wages.
33In the future when you come to check on my wages, my honesty will testify for me. If I have any female goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not black, they will be considered stolen.”
34“Good,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”
Little is
35That day Laban removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them.
36He put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob. Jacob, meanwhile, was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flock.
37Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches.
38He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep—in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink.
39The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young.
40Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked sheep and the completely dark sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn’t put them with Laban’s sheep.
41Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches.
42As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob.
43And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys.
Clear
1Now Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has built this wealth from what belonged to our father.”
2And Jacob saw from Laban’s face that his attitude toward him was not the same as before.
3The LORD said to him, “Go back to the land of your ancestors and to your family, and I will be with you.”
4Jacob had Rachel and Leah called to the field where his flocks were.
5He said to them, “I can see from your father’s face that his attitude toward me is not the same as before, but the God of my father has been with me.
6You know that with all my strength I have served your father
7and that he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not let him harm me.
8If he said, ‘The spotted sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born spotted. If he said, ‘The streaked sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born streaked.
9God has taken away your father’s herds and given them to me.
10“When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females.
11In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’
12And he said, ‘Look up and see: all the males that are mating with the flocks are streaked, spotted, and speckled, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.
13I am the God of Bethel, where you poured oil on the stone marker and made a solemn vow to me. Get up, leave this land, and return to your native land.’ ”
Positive
14Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Do we have any portion or inheritance in our father’s family?
15Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? For he has sold us and has certainly spent our purchase price.
16In fact, all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has said to you.” —Genesis 30:25–31:16 (CSB)
HOW:
When you go always…
Anticipate
17So Jacob got up and put his children and wives on the camels.
18He took all the livestock and possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, and he drove his herds to go to the land of Canaan, to his father Isaac.
19When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.
20And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean, not telling him that he was fleeing.
21He fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
22On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled.
23So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.
They will
24But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself!” God warned him. “Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
25When Laban overtook Jacob, Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban and his relatives also pitched their tents in the hill country of Gilead.
26Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and taken my daughters away like prisoners of war!
They will
27Why did you secretly flee from me, deceive me, and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and lyres,
28but you didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters. You have acted foolishly.
29I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Watch yourself! Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
They will
30Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s family—but why have you stolen my gods?”
31Jacob answered, “I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.
32If you find your gods with anyone here, he will not live! Before our relatives, point out anything that is yours and take it.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
They will
33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two concubines, but he found nothing. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent.
34Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of the camel, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole tent but found nothing.
35She said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.
Let
36Then Jacob became incensed and brought charges against Laban. “What is my crime?” he said to Laban. “What is my sin, that you have pursued me?
37You’ve searched all my possessions! Have you found anything of yours? Put it here before my relatives and yours, and let them decide between the two of us.
38I’ve been with you these twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams from your flock.
39I did not bring you any of the flock torn by wild beasts; I myself bore the loss. You demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or by night.
40There I was—the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.
41For twenty years in your household I served you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times!
42If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, certainly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work, and he issued his verdict last night.”
43Then Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters; the children, my children; and the flocks, my flocks! Everything you see is mine! But what can I do today for these daughters of mine or for the children they have borne?
44Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be a witness between the two of us.”
Give
45So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker.
46Then Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a mound, then ate there by the mound.
47Laban named the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.
48Then Laban said, “This mound is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore the place was called Galeed
49and also Mizpah, for he said, “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight.
50If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, though no one is with us, understand that God will be a witness between you and me.”
51Laban also said to Jacob, “Look at this mound and the marker I have set up between you and me.
52This mound is a witness and the marker is a witness that I will not pass beyond this mound to you, and you will not pass beyond this mound and this marker to do me harm.
53The God of Abraham, and the gods of Nahor—the gods of their father—will judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
54Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. So they ate a meal and spent the night on the mountain.
55Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home. —Genesis 31:17–55 (CSB)
WHAT:
As you go remember…
The Lord will always keep his
The Lord will always protect his
The Lord works all things through
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Reflect on a time when you faced a major life transition. How did you know it was time to “go”? How your view of God influence your decision-making process?
How did you face resistance when pursuing what you believed to be God’s will? How did you handle it, and what did you learn from that experience?
Consider the tactics Laban used against Jacob. Have you ever been on the receiving end of similar tactics? How so and what was your response?
Share an example from your life where you’ve seen God’s faithfulness, even in challenging circumstances.
How does the concept of God’s providence comfort you in your current situation? Are there areas in your life where you need to trust more in God’s providential care?
When do you find it difficult to let God be your defender? How can we increase our confidence in his vindication?
How can you “give peace an opportunity”in your relationships, especially with those who oppose you?
As a church community, how can we support one another during times of transition and change?
How can we cultivate a deeper awareness of God’s providence in our daily lives?
Share your personal story of a difficult providence that God worked or is working together for good.