So far in our study, we have found that Laban seems to have the upper hand over Jacob. He sought to take advantage of him, and he was successful. How could this be considered fulfilling the blessings the Lord promised Abraham? Moreover, how could such a thing occur, if the Lord specifically promised Jacob that he would be with him (Genesis 28:15)? We can conclude from the text that Jacob told Laban of the trouble he was in with his brother, Esau, over the transfer of the family blessing and the birthright (cp. Genesis 29:13). Therefore, Laban knew that Jacob was in a compromising situation. That is, his family had sent him to Haran, and he couldn’t return in the foreseeable future. Therefore, Jacob was dependent upon the good graces of Laban, for he had been sent to him, Rebekah’s brother, for his safety, as well as to obtain a wife. Interestingly, Isaac had not provided Jacob with gifts to give Laban for one of his daughters, as Abraham had done for his son, Isaac (Genesis 24:22, 50-53). Indeed, it doesn’t even appear that Isaac had given his son an animal to use to get him to Haran (Genesis 29:1),[1] a journey of 450 miles. Why was Jacob so completely on his own?
Although Isaac was astonished with the unexpected turn of events, when he sought to bless Esau (Genesis 27:32-33), he may have wondered about the circumstances of Jacob’s obtaining the blessing of Abraham. Would the Lord reject him, because Jacob deceived his father into blessing him? This is a possibility, but I doubt its veracity. Rather, I believe Isaac was concerned over Jacob’s manner, but knew the blessing was certainly his. While the blessings of the Lord will be bestowed, according to his word, vis-à-vis the Lord is bound by his word to men, it is the responsibility of the generation possessing the blessings to teach the succeeding generation how to walk in the Lord’s will, if they are to retain the blessings. The problem is, Abraham was taught by the Lord to walk with his God, and Abraham trusted and obeyed the Lord. Later, Isaac walked in Abraham’s steps, and he, also, trusted and obeyed the Lord (cp. Genesis 26:1-6). Nevertheless, it doesn’t appear as though either Esau or Jacob was in the habit of respecting their father enough to seek to be like him. If they didn’t walk in Isaac’s steps, how could they trust the Lord and retain the promises?
Thus, since Jacob never really took the time to follow in his father’s steps, as Isaac had done for Abraham, Isaac sent his son away empty handed, without any of the blessings that came to Isaac from the Lord. In other words, Isaac gave his son, Jacob, to the Lord, knowing he would be built up, as he walked with him. Thus, Jacob’s beginnings would be difficult, but in time he would learn the ways of the Lord, as Abraham did. Thus, Isaac’s purpose was to get Jacob to look to God for guidance and protection. This idea seems to have been already bearing fruit, as Jacob journeyed to Padan-aram, when after the Lord appeared to him in a dream, Jacob’s astonishment and vow seem to express his faith and willingness to obey God, who was now Jacob’s God.
Therefore, Jacob’s apparent poverty before Laban was probably a disciplinary measure intended by Isaac to cause his son to fall upon the mercies of the Lord (cp. Genesis 28:20-21), and it worked. Moreover, it is also probably so that Laban was able to deceive Jacob, because Jacob had deceived his father, in order to obtain the blessings of Abraham. Thus, the Lord’s discipline of Jacob, and Jacob’s willingness to submit to that discipline, even though it came upon him through Laban’s deception, indicates that Jacob, even when wronged, will continue to trust in the Lord for a good outcome!
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[1] “Jacob went on his journey…” literally: Jacob lifted up his feet… Although the tone of the phrase indicates Jacob was more hopeful after his dream, the phrase may also be literal, in that it indicates his mode of travel.
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