As we begin to examine Jacob’s return trek to Canaan, and as we bear in mind the dishonoring of both his father and brother that took place many years earlier (he will have to deal with this, and of course, it is on his mind), let us also bear in mind that Genesis and Exodus (and the whole of the first five books of the Bible---as they are presented) constitute a continuous narrative. Just as it is impossible for us to understand Jesus apart from some level of comprehension of second Temple Judaism, it is impossible to understand what is going on in Exodus apart from an understanding of Genesis. At the same time, we are in the position, along with those that would have heard or read the Genesis and Exodus narratives together as the story of how Israel came to be a people, of allowing Exodus to inform a more thorough understanding of Genesis. Learning to take in the entire narrative will make us better able to comprehend the movement of Scripture, and therefore, better able to comprehend (and serve) the God of the Scriptures.
Why make mention of this here? It is because of what we find in association with the story of Jacob’s departure from Laban. In verse nineteen of the thirty-first chapter, we learn that “While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father” (31:19). The passage then turns immediately back to Jacob, saying “He left with all he owned” (31:21a). This is an interesting interlude, as we have already read that Jacob had gathered up all of his property and had “set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac” (31:18b). So, with the inclusion of the story about the stealing of the household idols---a story that will play out in short order, though it does not seem to have much ultimate bearing on the story going forward, we have to wonder why it is mentioned.
On the surface, together with the fact that “Jacob also deceived Laban by not telling him that he was leaving” (31:20), it provides the pretense for what comes next, when we learn that “Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. So he took his relatives with him and pursued Jacob for seven days” (31:22-23a). When Laban catches up with Jacob, he protests this treatment by Jacob (we remember conflict and contest of honor and shame), and concludes his protest with “Yet why did you steal my gods?” (31:30b). Obviously, all of this serves a greater purpose. How would this story be heard by a post-exodus Israel? Naturally, they would hear their own exodus story in the tale of Jacob’s departure from Canaan, his time spent in labor, his departure from Laban to return to his homeland, the taking of the household gods, and Laban’s pursuit.
Israel had labored under Egypt’s oppression, enriching Egypt at their expense, as Jacob had done for Laban (at least initially). Israel yearned to be free from Egypt’s yoke, just as Jacob yearned to leave Laban. Just as Jacob received a message from the Lord to “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives” (31:3), so too would Israel hear the voice of their God through Moses. When Israel left Egypt, it is said that “The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave them whatever they wanted, and so they plundered Egypt” (Exodus 12:36). Though it comes in a slightly different order, this is not at all dissimilar to Jacob’s becoming “extremely prosperous” (30:43), generating the complaint from his brothers-in-law that “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich at our expense!” (31:1b) Rachel’s taking of her father’s household gods would fit right into this milieu (while also, in correlation to the story of Israel’s exodus, demonstrating that Laban, and therefore Egypt, was powerless to change what was happening).
In continuing this comparison, we can back up to the thirtieth chapter of Genesis, and find a precursor to Moses’ repeated requests to Pharaoh to free Israel, as “Jacob said to Laban, ‘Send me on my way so that I can go home to my own country. Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. Then I’ll depart, because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.’” (30:25b-26) Laban’s response is mildly-Pharaonic, as he does not accede to Jacob’s request. He sends Jacob back to the fields with a new deal (much like Israel’s work is made more difficult after Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh). Of course, much as it would be the case for Israel in Egypt, it won’t be long until Jacob has plundered all of the wealth of Laban and departs.
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