Jacob Leaves with His Family (Genesis 31)Reading with your child.....
Over the course of time Jacob continued to prosper along with his flocks while Laban's did not prosper. Laban and his sons saw all that Jacob had gathered from him and their attitude toward Jacob became unfriendly.
The Lord gave Jacob a dream. In the dream the Lord said to Jacob, "Look up and see all the goats which I have given to you. I have seen all that Laban has done to you and I am your God. Now, get up and leave this land and return to the land of your birth."
After this dream, Jacob went to Rachel and Leah and told them of his dream. Both women responded in frustration saying, "Our father sold us and spent all of what he earned from those sales a long time ago. Surely all the wealth and everything we now have belongs to us and our children instead of our father. So yes, let's do what the Lord told you to do."
So Jacob got up, put his wives and children on camels and sent them along with all of his livestock to Canaan where his father Isaac lived. While he was doing this Laban was shearing his flock and Rachel went into her father's house and stole all of Laban's idols.
And Jacob, his entire family and all of his livestock left without telling Laban.
Your child's insights....
- Why did Laban start to be unfriendly with Jacob?
- Did Jacob do anything wrong in this story?
- What is an idol?
- Do you think Rachel will get away with taking the idols from her father?
Your considerings.....
- I'm not crazy about Jacob because of his deceitful he is. At the same time, Jacob has been deceived and manipulated throughout his life - a controlling and manipulative mother to say the least whose actions did end up blessing him with God's grace, but drove him out of his home and good graces with his father and his brother - a father-in-law who tricked him after 7 years of service and then manipulated him into 7 more - wives who manipulated him through sex games and fights all over the place. He comes by his deceitfulness naturally. And it doesn't stop. It just keeps cycling. Does it ever stop for him? Does this play itself out in my life?
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