THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB
Genesis 31
Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
We shouldn’t take God’s warning to Laban to mean he should not speak at all; Laban said a lot to Jacob. Essentially God told Laban not to try and make any deals, good or bad. He must let things be.
Laban is a swindler and God gave him no room to manoeuvre. He could claim that all that Jacob has belongs to him, right to his face, but he could not take up Jacob’s challenge to claim what belonged to him from Jacob’s possessions; he could only capitulate and agree to leave Jacob alone.
I do not think that we can claim Jacob’s experience with God to be our own, in that we will similarly be protected from swindlers and bullies, or that we will be so blessed that others will be jealous of our prosperity and success.
But we can claim Jacob’s God to be our God.
What will be our experience as we walk with this God is a unique story between us and Him and we do well to remember Jesus’ warning to Peter in John 21:20-22.
God left Jacob to make many decisions that are less than wise and he allowed Laban to manipulate him. Yet within all that imperfection, God was able to keep his covenant and bless Jacob and bring him safely back to the land.
Will he do for us as he did for Jacob? Not necessarily, because we are all different and go through different circumstances and have different needs. But he is the same God, faithful and true. He will make us a blessing to others, and he will be with us and watch over us.
“I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”