At this point, for better or for worse, Jacob is attached to
Laban. He has a large number of children (at least eleven sons and one
daughter) and essentially four wives to support. His fortunes are clearly
intertwined with those of Laban. However, he is restless. He longs to return to his home. “After
Rachel had given birth to Joseph, 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.’” (Genesis 30:25-26)
Though Laban’s response is one in which he seems to be
imploring Jacob to stay, saying “If I have found favor in your sight, please
stay her, for I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me on
account of you… Just name your wages---I’ll pay you whatever you want”
(30:27-28), this hardly seems necessary. The fact that Jacob has
requested that Laban allow him to leave and that Laban allow him to take his
wives and children with him, is indicative of the nature of the
relationship. This probably has to do with his need to continue paying
for his wives.
Though Scripture provides the
record of his seven years of service by which he acquired Leah, and then the
seven years of service that he promised after also acquiring Rachel, there is
no record of his service rendered for the acquisition of Bilhah and
Zilpah. These two women would be just as much the property of Laban as
were his daughters before Jacob met the required bride-price. Until Jacob
had paid for them as well, he would be under obligation to Laban. Until
payment was completed, both these wives and the children birthed through them,
would be the property of Laban. So even though Laban seems to plead with
Jacob, it does not appear that Laban has to engage in such behavior.
It is clear that Jacob wants to
return home. However, as part of the previously mentioned plan, he has
not been summoned by his mother, nor is there yet any indication in the text that
his brother’s rage against him has subsided. Though he wants to leave
Laban, the circumstances conspire against him. So rather than leaving
with his wife and children so as to return to his father’s house, he takes
Laban up on his offer, naming his wages.
An arrangement is made wherein Jacob suggests that, while he
continues to care for all of Laban’s flocks, that he have the opportunity to
“walk among all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or
spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and the spotted or speckled goats,”
saying “These animals will be my wages” (30:32). Laban indicates that
this arrangement is satisfactory to him, but on “that day Laban removed the
male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were
speckled or spotted, and all the dark colored lambs… Then he separated them
from Jacob by a three-day journey, while Jacob was taking care of the rest of
Laban’s flocks” (32:35a,36).
This could be understood to be
quite underhanded and hardly in tune with the spirit of the agreement. It
certainly does not seem like the actions of one who has “learned by divination
that the Lord has blessed” him because of Jacob’s presence and service.
Laban knows that if Jacob is able to gain his own flocks, that he will be able
to complete the transaction for acquisition of his wives and children and
depart. So by these actions, at least on the surface, it would seem to
become clear that Laban does not want Jacob to leave. What is obvious is
that this is an oppressive course of action that has been undertaken by Laban,
and it is quite in line with what would have come to be expected from him,
especially as one keeps in mind his substitution of one daughter for another
after Jacob’s first seven years of service.
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