By The River Jabbok

all the families of the earth bless themselves."

Where God spoke to Rebekah the first time, now God speaks to Jacob directly. God claims that He is the God of Jacobs ancesters and that he Jacob was a child of promise. Jacob is amazed and crys out that "surely this is the house of God and I did not know it," so he calls the place Bethal, which in Hebrew means "house of God." But not wanting to let an opportunity like this pass him by, what would mother say, Jacob strikes up a bargain with God. If God will look after Jacob, help him prosper, and bring him safely home, than will he serve the God of his fathers. If Jacob is anything, he certainly is bold.

IN LABAN’S TENT

Finally Jacob comes to his uncle’s home town. This is hopeful time for Jacob. He is in a new land with a new people. His name is not known to them and therefore carries no soiled history. Here is a chance to start over, to make a new name for himself. With his uncle’s family he will try to deal honestly, for why repeat the deceitful events of home that left him with nothing but broken relationships. But all plans of both mice and men come to not when it comes to families and the names they bear. For you see the mother that had trained Jacob so well in the art of deceit has sent him to live with the very people who had trained her. Jacob is about to learn the hard way that if he thought his mother Rebekah was a good hustler, she’s got nothing next to her brother Labon.

The trickster is now about to become the tricked, and from day one the con-jobs never seem to end. First Jacob agrees to work for 7 years that he might marry Labon’s younger daughter Rachel, just to find himself tricked into marry the elder daughter Leah. In the end he must work 14 years to marry Rachel, the woman that he loves. This is not a case of romance, but a case of abuse. At the end of the 14 years Jacob wants to leave but Labon tricks him to stay on for the fee of keeping all sheep that are either spotted or striped. After Jacob agrees Labon has his sons quickly remove out of the herd all spotted and stripped sheep three miles away so that Jacob will not find them. But in the thrill of the con-job the master trickster Labon has forgotten one thing, the God of promise. No matter how hard Labon seeks to trick Jacob out of all he has God blesses Jacob and his both his family and his possesions multiply.

In fact God blesses Jacob to such an extent that Labon’s sons begin to complain that at this rate Jacob will have all of their father’s wealth. This theme is all too familiar to Jacob and so he decides to return home. But not trusting Labon and his sons Jacob takes his family and possessions and sneaks out at night. His escape is not clean but they do finally arrive at the River Jabbok. By this time messengers sent out ahead have returned to tell Jacob that his brother Esua is coming with over 4 hundren men. Fearing that his brother is coming to kill him Jacob sends his family ahead of him but he remains behind, what a man of courage!