Family Fear

Genesis 31:17-55

video

• I showed the following video from Wingclipsabout fear: http://www.wingclips.com/movie-clips/walking-across-egypt/im-swimming

Fear

• Causes to us miss out on the simple pleasures of life.

• Causes us to be paralyzed to go forward with life.

• Causes us to cling to what is unimportant

• Causes us to panic or be angry

• Causes us to be irrational

• Causes us to think our troubles are bigger than they are.

• Causes us to loose our footing.

In our story today

• Fear causes Jacob to leave town in a hurry

• Fear causes Rachel to steal her father’s idols and then lie about it.

• Fear of loosing his possessions causes Labanto chase after Jacob

What does fear cause us to do?

Jacob was a man of fear

• Out of fear, Jacob:– Deceived his brother for first born rights.

– Stole his brother’s blessing

– Ran to Heron to escape his brother

– Remained in Heron under Laban’s authority for 20 years• He fear going home and having a confrontation with

Esau

• He feared that his resources were not adequate to go home

Jacob Goes Home

Genesis 31:17–18 (NET) 17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. 18

He took away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac.

Rachel’s Fear

Gen. 31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols (teraphim) that belonged to her father.

• Her motivation: – To have the teraphim may

have meant the right to inheritance (the Nuzitablets of the 15th century b.c.);

– it certainly meant Labanwas without what he thought was his protection.

• Fear motivated her to steal and fear motivated her to do it the way she did.

Jacob’s Deceived Laban out of Fear

Gen. 31:20–21 20 Jacob also deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. 21

He left with all he owned. He quickly crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

• Fear caused Jacob:

– To leave without telling Laban

– To leave in haste.

– To cross the Euphrates

– To head to the hill country.

Laban’s Fear

Gen. 31:22–24 22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. 23 So he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob for seven days. He caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Labanthe Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, “Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.”

• A combination of fear and anger caused Laban to pursue Jacob– Fear of loosing his family

– Fear of loosing his possessions

• God put a greater fear in Laban:– It didn’t stop his anger and

fear.

– But, caused him to with frame from acting on it.

The materialistic man puts his faith (security) in his belongings. He always lives in fear of loosing what he has. He fears those closest to him because they may take what

he perceives as his.

Fear can lead to Conflict

Gen. 31:25 Labanovertook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too.

• Fear prepares for conflict. A battle is in the making.

Laban’s Rebuke

Gen. 31:26–28 26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! 27 Why did you run away secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? 28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren good-bye. You have acted foolishly!

• Laban’s words were meant to make him look good to the relatives (cover-up):– Jacob stole his daughters?

They thought Laban treated them like foreigners.

– He would have given them a party?

– Jacob deprived him of kissing his family good-bye? He never paid attention to them. He was too busy with his possessions.

• Are these his real motives for pursuing Jacob?

Fear Squelches Laban’s Revenge

Genesis 31:29–30 29 I have the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ 30

Now I understand that you have gone away because you longed desperately for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?”

• Fearful people attempt to create fear in others by intimidation.

• The bully is stopped by a force bigger than himself (big brother, daddy, God).

• If he understood Jacob’s longing for home, why hadn’t he helped?

• Real motive for the chase: “You stole my gods”.

Jacob’s Defense is Fear

Gen. 31:31–32 31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought you might take your daughters away from me by force. 32

Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! In the presence of our relatives identify whatever is yours and take it.” (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.)

• Jacob explains his motive for leaving in secretly and hastily:– He was afraid that Laban

wouldn’t permit him to take his family with him.

– The materialistic man even saw his kids and grandkids as his possession.

• Jacob, in fear of Laban, tells him whoever took his gods will die. Find them and leave.

Laban Searches For what he fears he lost

Genesis 31:33 33 So Labanentered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s.

• Instead of showing love to his family Labansearches out his family for his possessions.

• His idols are more valuable to him than his family.

Fear Causes Rachel to lie

Gen. 31:34–35 34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle and sat on them.) Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. 35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord. I cannot stand up in your presence because I am having my period.” So he searched thoroughly, but did not find the idols.

• Rachel’s fear of her dad was greater than her respect for the idols.– Sitting on the idols isn’t

respectful.– If she is really on her

period….

• Would Rachel have been put to death if she had been caught?

Fear Fires Back

Gen. 31:36–37 36 Jacob became angry and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? 37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? Set it here before my relatives and yours, and let them settle the dispute between the two of us!

• The conflict turns in Jacob’s favor.– Laban has demonstrated his

true motives. It wasn’t family.

– Jacob defends his integrity.

– Jacob presents his case to the relatives (they are the jury).

• Jacob uses the peer pressure to bring fear on Laban. They witnesses to matter.

Jacob Fires Back –I’m the one wronged

Gen. 31:38–39 38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. You always made me pay for every missing animal, whether it was taken by day or at night.

• Jacob builds his case before the relatives:– I haven’t wronged you– You have wronged me

• Fear caused Jacob to put up with Laban for so long.

• Now he sees Laban in fear and Jacob takes the opportunity to register his complaint.

• Laban managed by intimidation and fear. It always comes back.

I’m the one wronged!

Gen. 31:40–41 40 I was consumed by scorching heat during the day and by piercing cold at night, and I went without sleep. 41 This was my lot for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times!

• Out of fear I put up with the heat.

• Out of fear I put up with the cold.

• Out of fear I put up with sleepless nights.

• Out of fear I accepted being treated like a slave for 20 years.

• You even cheated me on my pay.

God is on my side!

Gen. 31:42 42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, and he rebuked you last night.”

• Would you have sent me away with a party? No way!

• The only reason I have anything is because God protected me.

• God has rebuked you.

Laban exposes his selfishness

Gen. 31:43–44 43 Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today or the children to whom they have given birth? 44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, you and I, and it will be proof that we have made peace.”

• Everything you have is mine.– He speaks of the daughters

and grandkids as possessions at the same level as the flocks and material things.

• Is the temptation to harm family present? Better to destroy them than let Jacob have them?

• Since I can’t take them back lets make an agreement not to take from each other any more.

Resolve Out of Fear

Gen. 31:45–47 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 46

Then he said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. They ate there by the pile of stones. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

• They make a pack between them with their relatives as witnesses.

• Jegar Sahadutha(Aramaic) meaning “the pile is a witness”

• Galeed (Western Semitic) meaning “the pile is a witness”

A Contract is built on Fear

Genesis 31:48–50 48 Labansaid, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah because he said, “May the LORD watch between us when we are out of sight of one another. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize that God is witness to your actions.”

• Mizpah - can be a watch tower for military defense, or a high hill that serves the same function.

• The pact is a contract of fear between each other.– To keep each other from

doing harm once they leave one another’s presence.

• Laban’s terms:– Don’t mistreat my daughters– Don’t have other wives

Not a contract of unity but of fear

Gen. 31:51–52 51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. 52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me.

• Laban’s terms:– You stay out of my territory

– I’ll stay out of yours

• It is a coming to terms:– They admit they don’t trust

each other

– They admit they are not going to come to resolve

– They agree to stay away from each other so as not to take from each other.

God is the judge

Gen. 31:53–54 53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. 54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

• Laban’s polytheistic oath– Abrahham’s God

– Nahor’s God

– Gods of their father

• Jacob’s monotheistic oath– God whom Isaac feared

• Jacob offered a sacrifice and the family ate it.

Out of One another's life

Gen. 31:55 Early in the morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Labanleft and returned home.

• Laban is never mentioned in the Bible again.

• He went home.

• His fear of loosing what was his led him to loose everything that was dear to him.

Luke 12:22–32 (NET)

• 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For there is more to life than food, and more to the body than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add an hour to his life? 26 So if you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider how the flowers grow; they do not work or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these

• ! 28 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you people of little faith! 29 So do not be overly concerned about what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not worry about such things. 30 For all the nations of the world pursue these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, pursue his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom.

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he

cannot loose.”

Jim Elliott