Genesis 31:1-34:31 

31:31-42 Jacob was just as angry as Laban. He denied that anyone stole his gods, saying that if someone did then they would be executed. Jacob didn't know Rachel had taken them. She was probably angry with her father and wanted to get back at him. Laban searched the tents of Jacob, Leah and the maidservants. When he came to Rachel's tent she was sitting on her camel's saddle (the gods were hidden under the saddle) and told him she could not rise in his presence because of her period. Laban never found his gods. Jacob took this opportunity to vent his frustration. He recounted the 20 years that he worked for Laban and how Laban had taken advantage of him. Jacob credited God with the fact that he had any possessions at all because Laban would have given him nothing.

v. 43-55 Laban was not impressed with Jacob's speech. He still felt that the women, children and flocks really belonged to him. But he accepted the fact that there was nothing he could do to stop them from going to Canaan. So he proposed that they make a covenant. They gathered large stones to make a heap and ate a meal together there. Building that heap of stones was like drawing a line in the sand. The men agreed that neither of them would cross over to the other one's side to harm them. God would be their judge and would be watching both of them. Laban added that if Jacob mistreated his daughters or took any other wives then God would see it. Jacob took an oath in the name of the God of his father, "the Fear of Isaac." Early the next morning Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren goodbye and went back home.

32:1-6 Jacob continued his journey and was met by angels at a place he named Mahanaim (two camps). Remember that 20 years ago when he left Canaan he saw angels ascending and descending into heaven at a place he named Bethel. Now he is returning and sees angels again. But Jacob was not home yet. He still had to pass through the region where his brother Esau lived. Perhaps Esau was still angry enough to kill him for taking his birthright and blessing. So Jacob sent messengers to inform Esau that he was back. The men returned with the news that Esau was coming out to meet him along with 400 men.

v. 7-12 Of course Jacob thought Esau was coming out to kill him so he divided his servants and his animals into two groups. His strategy was that Esau could only attack one group at a time and so maybe one of the groups could escape. Jacob prayed to the God of his fathers and thanked Him for his kindness and faithfulness. He remembered how he had nothing but his staff 20 years ago but now he had a large family and great wealth that was all given to him by God. He also remembered that God promised to make his descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore and asked God to save him and his family from Esau.

v. 13-32 He chose some livestock (nearly 600 head) as a gift for his brother and sent them ahead of him one herd at a time. He instructed his servants to tell Esau that these animals were a gift from Jacob and he would be coming behind them. Then Jacob spent the night in the camp. He sent his wives, his children and his possessions across the Jabbok and spent the night alone. A man wrestled with him all night until daybreak. Jacob would not give up so the man "touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched." He could not wrestle anymore but still he would not let go of the man until he blessed him. So the man asked him his name. "Jacob," he answered. The man changed his name to Israel which means "he struggles with God." Jacob wanted to know the man's name but he would not tell him who he was. Jacob named the place Peniel which means "face of God" because he believed that man was God. He "saw God face to face" and lived. Jacob limped because of the injury to his hip. That's why the Israelites didn't eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon.

33:1-20 Esau arrived with his 400 men. Jacob placed the children with their own mothers and lined them up with the maidservants first, then Leah, and lastly Rachel. He went ahead of them to meet his brother and bowed before him seven times. Esau ran to meet him, embracing and kissing him. Then his wives and children came forward bowing before Esau. Esau was reluctant to accept the livestock as a gift but Jacob insisted. Even though the brothers had reconciled it seems that Jacob still wanted to keep some distance between them. When Esau wanted to accompany him on his journey or at least send some of his men with him Jacob made the excuse that he had to travel very slowly because of the animals and young children. Esau returned home to Seir but Jacob went the other way to Succoth. Later Jacob arrived safely at Shechem in Canaan where he bought some land from the sons of Hamor. There he pitched his tent and set up an altar named El Elohe Israel, meaning "mighty is the God of Israel."

34:1-12 Jacob's daughter Dinah went out to visit the women of the land. Hamor the Hivite was ruler of that land. His son Shechem took Dinah and raped her. He loved her very much and told his father to get her as his wife. Jacob heard what happened to Dinah but didn't say or do anything because his sons were still working out in the fields. Shechem's father, Hamor, went out to talk to Jacob about letting Dinah marry his son. Hamor, being the ruler of the land, had a bigger picture in mind. He wanted Jacob's family to intermarry with the Shechemites so they would become one people. Shechem was so in love with Dinah that he was willing to pay any price to marry her.

v. 13-31 Dinah's brothers were upset that she had been violated so they decided to deal deceitfully with the Shechemites. They said (deceitfully) that they would only intermarry if all the Shechemite men were circumcised. Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and Shechem. It was easy to convince the other men in the city to be circumcised because they could see the economic advantage of bringing Jacob's wealth into their families by intermarrying with them. All the Schechemites were circumcised. Three days later, while the men were all in pain, Simeon and Levi killed all the men in the city including Hamor and Shechem. They rescued Dinah from Shechem's house and left. Jacob's other sons looted the city taking all the flocks, herds and possessions. They even carried off all the women and children. Jacob was not pleased with Simeon and Levi. He had not authorized this attack and feared that now the other tribes in the land might band together and overpower him. But Simeon and Levi defended their actions saying, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"

Much more next time.

 --Sandy Blank