Thru the Bible

Host: The Lord will never give us up as long as we keep coming back to Him. That is the good news that our teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee reminds us of as our study of Jacob's life continues here on Thru the Bible. So, why don't you go ahead and open your Bible to Genesis chapter 31 and get ready for a passage that Dr. McGee says was given to us to minister to our needs.

And as you find your place in God's Word, let's listen as Dr. McGee reads a letter that he received many years ago.

Dr. McGee: Here is part of this letter. It says, it seemed well for me to write you on two matters. First, from time to time you receive letters indicating that the writers thought it a waste of time for you to read letters.

Testifying to the amount of good which was being accomplished in those listening to your program. I personally agreed with them until I came to realize that whereas I had been a supporter of your program for many years now in the assumption that since it had been a major influence in bringing me to Christ, it would likewise be a major influence in so bringing others.

One could hardly fault anyone who had not been so affected from wanting to see some results before contributing. So I say, keep it up, which no doubt you are going to do anyway. And you want to know something? That is exactly what I was going to do, but I appreciate that letter very, very much.

Host: As Dr. McGee liked to say, we are going to keep it up. So, if you have a story to share about how God's using time in His Word to change your life, or if like this listener, you'd like to help keep the Bible bus running strong with a new set of tires or maybe an oil change as we take God's Word to more than 250 languages around the world, you know, we'd love to hear from you.

Just give us a call at 1-800-65-BIBLE or visit us online at TTB.org. You can also connect through our app or write to us at Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. Now let's pray as we begin our study. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great love for us. Thank You that despite our sin, that You welcome us back as we turn to You. Teach us the truths, Lord, that we need to live by as we learn from the life of Jacob in Jesus name. Amen.

Host: Here's our study of Genesis 31 on Thru the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. McGee: Now, when we come to the 31st chapter of Genesis, and we are going to put in here today at verse 7, then we recognize that we are in a section that God has given to us to minister to our needs because we are dealing here with a man that was also a very sinful man in many ways.

And a man that God would not give him up. And you can take courage from that. The Lord will never give you up. As long as you will keep coming to Him, He will keep receiving you. And if He will take a fellow like Jacob, and a fellow like I am, then He will take any of us, I am of the opinion.

And let's now come here. You will recall that Jacob now has had a pretty sad ordeal of 20 years with Uncle Laban. And Uncle Laban has really given him a course in the college of hard knocks. And poor Jacob is now beginning to wince under all the pressure that he has been under.

And he senses now that God has prospered him so that the face of Laban is turned against him and also the sons of Laban. And Jacob now has a call from God. God tells him to leave. And he calls his wives, Rachel and Leah, together that he might talk to them about it.

And he tells them that which is on his heart. And in verse 7, as we left off last time, he says and your father has deceived me and changed my wages 10 times, but God suffered him not to hurt me. Now is Jacob beginning to complain? I think so. And we are going to see that later on in this chapter.

Now you will notice, he goes on to explain to these wives that they will understand of actually what has happened, that the thing that he has done has in it the element of not trickery, but of taking advantage of his opportunity in a business way.

I don't want to say he is dishonest here because I don't think that he is. He has been dishonest in so many things, but I think here he was just using a method that I am sure any businessman would use, and it would have been a legitimate. He is certainly not hurting Laban at all.

But God has blessed him to the extent that Laban now and his sons become very jealous of him. And they hate him. And you will notice as he goes on to explain all of this, he tells now actually why he wants to leave.

Because he says in verse 11 of Genesis 31, and the angel of God spoke unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob, and I said here I am. And he said, lift up now thine eyes and see. All the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring striped, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does unto thee.

Now, probably you thought last time that I was not giving a satisfactory answer to what had taken place because I recognize that there are several explanations of why these animals were speckled. But I was waiting till we could get right here, because why were they that way? God says I did it.

May I say that I therefore don't need to look for these natural explanations, although I am confident that God probably used one of them, but since God didn't tell me which one it is, I am of the opinion that we don't know. There are several explanations, and you can take the one you want, but I like this one. God says, I saw what Laban was doing to you and I blessed you.

Now verse 13, and this is what is important. I am the God of Bethel. Now you see God goes back to where he appeared to this boy when he was running away from home, his first night away from home that he spent at Bethel.

And he says now, I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointed the pillar, where thou vowed a vow unto me. Now arise, get thee out from this land and return unto the land of thy kindred. Now God wants him out of that land because he has got 12 boys that are growing up.

And they are already beginning to learn some things that they should not be learning, and they are there in the place of idolatry and heathenism. And so God wants to get Jacob and these boys away from there just as He got Abraham out of a home of idolatry.

Now you will notice verse 14, and Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, is there yet any portion of inheritance for us in our father's house? In other words, they are saying, well, certainly, as the daughters of our father, we should receive some inheritance.

And that ought not to cause him to be so antagonistic. And verse 15, are we not counted of him strangers? For he has sold us and has quite devoured also our money. Oh, Laban can't be trusted friends.

And you know that today, unfortunately, there are many Christians that the way they handle money, their own and others, reveals the fact they can't be trusted either. That is, I think maybe a real test of an individual today.

I could tell you some stories that would make your hair stand on end of things that Christians do, Christian leaders do. They ought not to do. Now you will notice verse 16. For all the riches which God has taken from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatsoever God has said unto thee do.

I admire these two women. They say, whatever you want to do, Jacob, you go ahead. We are with you. And our father has apparently robbed us. Let me read verse 17. Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and his wives upon camels.

He carried away all his cattle, all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. And Laban went to shear his sheep. And Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.

Let's just stop there a moment because there is a revelation here of something that is quite interesting. Now Jacob rises up and leaves post haste again. Remember that is the way he had to leave his home. Now he leaves his uncle Laban the same way.

And actually it's not all his fault here, but it was his fault when he had to leave his own home. But he is prepared for this. After all, he has had practice in leaving overnight. And so he has all the cattle and everything ready to march, ready to get out of that land.

And his wives apparently didn't have a chance to even get many of the things that were hers, but notice what happened. Rachel stole the images that were her father's. I told you we were in the home of idolatry. God didn't want the boys brought up there. But you see Rachel has been brought up in a home of idolatry.

And she felt like she wanted to take her gods with her. What a primitive, heathen notion she had. Poor Jacob thought he ran away from God when he went to Bethel. God appeared to him there. And he found out you can't run away from God.

In fact, David wrote about that. David said, though I make my bed in Sheol, why, I don't get away from God. Death won't separate you. Though you go to the height of heaven, you will never get away from Him. And you can't get away from Him by going to the moon.

You just don't get away from God. That's all. She, though, wanted to take these images that had been in the home. Now notice verse 20. And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian in that he told him not that he fled. Now, he waited until Laban went out to shear his sheep.

Probably, he went quite a few miles away from home because the sheep grazed on a very large area in that day, and they still do for that matter. It takes a great area to feed them. And so this man Laban is away from home. While he is, Jacob just forgot to tell him he was leaving, that he was going.

So he fled with all that he had. And he rose up and passed over the river and set his face toward the mount Gilead. And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. And he took his brethren with him and pursued after him seven days' journey and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

You see, they are moving now quite a distance. They have come apparently all the way here to Mount Gilead, which is just on the east of the Jordan River. And it means that Laban has really been traveling fast to overtake him.

And Laban doesn't mean any good as far as Jacob is concerned. I am of the opinion he was angry enough to kill him and would have killed him, had not God intervened. Verse 24, and God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night and said unto him, take heed that thou speak not to Jacob, neither good or bad.

In other words, you be very careful what you say and do. Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.

And now listen to Uncle Laban. He is a clever rascal by the way. Here he has been coming breathing out fire and brimstone, wanting to not only recover all these possessions of Jacob and take them back, but probably kill Jacob.

And take back these two daughters and their children. But God had to intervene to protect this boy. Now you will notice verse 26. How clever he is here. He is a real diplomat by the way. And Laban said to Jacob, what has thou done that thou has stolen away unawares to me and carried away my daughters as captives taken with the sword?

Why that ought to make Jacob feel pretty bad that he had run away like that. Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly and steal away from me and didst not tell me that I might have sent thee away with mirth and with songs and with tabret and with harp?

Why, Uncle Laban says, I would have given you a wonderful send-off party. I would really have had a great celebration. And we would have given you a fond farewell. That's what he is saying now. I don't think he would have done it.

And listen to him. He appeals now to sentiment. Verse 28. And has not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters. The sons would be those 12 grandsons there. And they are going to be very prominent as far as the history of this world is concerned.

Has not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Thou has now done foolishly in so doing. It's in the power of my hand to do you hurt. But the God of your father spoke unto me yesterday night, saying, take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob, either good or bad.

And Laban lets him know that he didn't mean good by him, but God had prevented him from doing bad. Now you will notice verse 30. And now, though thou wouldst needs be gone, because thou sore long after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?

That's a funny kind of a god to have, isn't it? That you can steal it. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, because I was afraid. For I said peradventure thou wouldst take by force thy daughters from me. Now he is not answering that he had taken the gods. He didn't know that Rachel had taken them actually.

What he is answering is this. Why did you run away without letting me know and giving you a party? He says, I was afraid that if I wanted to go, that you wouldn't let me take your daughters, my wives, and my family and that which belonged to me.

You wouldn't permit it. And verse 32, with whomsoever thou findst thy gods, let him not live before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me and take it to thee, for Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

You see, Jacob is so sure that they haven't done a thing like this. And if you think Laban believed Jacob, you are wrong. He didn't believe him. Jacob didn't believe Laban either. They had no confidence in each other. That had been a nice, pleasant little 20 years, had it not?

Now notice, and Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents, but he found them not. Now he expected one of his daughters to be the one that got them. Then went he out of Leah's tent and entered into Rachel's tent.

Now Rachel had taken the images, put them in the camel's furniture and sat upon them. Quite a clever girl herself, isn't she? She is sure a daughter of her father. And she had taken them and put them in the camel's furniture, that is, that which went on the camel's back.

And then she sat down on them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. And she said to her father, listen to her now. Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee, for the custom of women is upon me.

And he searched but found not the images. Why? Well, she is sitting on them. She says, I'm sorry, but I can't get up. Don't feel well today. And she is sitting on them. May I say this is truly a very realistic setting that's given to us here of this family.

Now you will notice verse 36. And Jacob was wroth and chode with Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban, what is my trespass? What is my sin that thou has so hotly pursued after me? And now Jacob gets a little confidence because he doesn't locate these images and he is sure that they are not anywhere around.

And frankly, he just now wants to rebuke the man, his father-in-law that's come after him. Now, will you listen to his complaint? Here is the course that he passed, and he is now getting his college degree, his degree from the college of hard knocks.

And will you listen to this here, verse 38. This 20 years have I been with thee. Thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. In other words, he didn't even get his meals.

He had to pay for that. That which was torn of beasts, I brought not unto thee. I bear the loss of it. Of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. And he couldn't even get any insurance.

When a lamb was stolen or killed by wild animal, why, Jacob had to pay for it. Believe me, this Laban, he is a hard taskmaster, is he not? And now listen to him, verse 40. Thus I was, in the day the drought consumed me. He didn't get a vacation in summer.

And the frost by night, and when it got cold, he still had to stay out with the sheep and with the animals. And my sleep departed from my eyes. Many nights he had to watch to protect the flock. Now listen to him, verse 41.

Thus have I been 20 years in thy house. I served thee 14 years for thy two daughters and six years for thy cattle and thou hast changed my wages 10 times. Here's what's happened to this man. Here is the man that was clever.

And this is the man that thought that he could get by with it. But actually he didn't get by with it. God didn't let him get by with it because frankly, God has made it very clear. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

Jacob refused submission to God at home, and he now has to submit to his uncle. Jacob came to receive a wife and dignity, and he was made a servant because God respects the rights of the firstborn. And Jacob deceived his father, and he is deceived by his father-in-law.

Jacob, the younger, became the older. He found out that he was given the oldest when he thought he was getting the younger. He revealed a mercenary spirit that displayed in the way he got the birthright. And Jacob allowed his mother to cover his hands with the skins of kids of goats, and later on we are going to see his own sons deceived him in the same way.

They killed a goat and dipped Joseph's coat of many colors in it. He deceived his father about being the favored son, and he was deceived about his favored son, Joseph. God says, whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

Now he leaves Laban. They bid each other goodbye and they are going to make a contract. Let me read now verse 42. Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty.

God has seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked thee yesterday night. Now Jacob has his day in court. And he lets Laban have it now. And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, these daughters are my daughters. These children are my children.

These cattle are my cattle, and all that thou sees is mine. And what can I do this day unto these my daughters or unto their children which have been born? Now therefore, come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou. Let it be for a witness between me and thee.

And Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, gather stones, and they took stones. And now they make a contract, verse 48. And Laban said, this heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed.

And Mizpah, for he said, the Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another. And this has been used by young people's groups as a benediction and other groups. And I don't think it ought to be used that way because this is actually a contract between two rascals that they are going to quit stealing from each other and work on somebody else.

The Lord watch between me and thee. In other words, may the Lord keep his eye on you so you won't steal from me anymore. That's exactly what these men are saying. Now they are going to separate, and they do separate, and we are going to see the great experience in the life of Jacob next time in chapter 32. May the Lord richly bless you, my beloved.

Host: Well, Jacob may have passed his coursework, but he's holding a degree from the School of Hard Knocks, and God still has much more to teach him. These are powerful lessons, aren't they? If you've missed a study, or maybe you'd like to hear Dr. McGee's teaching again, you can listen anytime in our app or at TTB.org. And you can even find more great teaching from Dr. McGee, so be sure to sign up for our free monthly newsletter.

Along with more insight from God's Word, you'll get a helpful study of tips and exciting stories of how God's using His Word around the world. And you can sign up or download it for free at TTB.org or just call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE. Again, that's 1-800-65-BIBLE or TTB.org. And while you're in touch, tell us how you catch the Bible bus. Are you using our app? Or maybe your favorite radio station, Alexa, YouTube, podcasting?

You know we'd love to hear from you as it helps us to know how and where to invest ministry resources wisely. Well, as the Bible bus rolls along, we're headed for the greatest wrestling match ever recorded. Join me and invite a friend as we continue deeper into Genesis. I'm Steve Schwetz, and I'll save a seat just for you.

Host: Our story on the Bible bus today is just one step in a five-year journey through the entire Word of God. Come along for the ride, and you'll study both the Old Testament and New Testament, discovering God's great redemption story. Is this your story too?