At this point in our study of the Book of Genesis, I’d like to return to a previous time for the sake of context. It has always bothered me that the Bible describes Isaac’s relationship with his sons by saying he loved Esau but Rebekah loved Jacob (Genesis 25:28). Why was that so? The text claims that Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was more reserved, a gentle man, dwelling in tents (Genesis 25:27). One could almost hear Isaac’s praises for his son, Esau, when they all ate together, but what was said about Jacob? I had a pastor once who liked to recall the questions people asked him about how God could hate Esau (Malachi 1:3), and his response was, “How could he love a man like Jacob? Esau was a man’s man, who loved the outdoors, while Jacob wore aprons and liked to cook” (Malachi 1:2; cp. Romans 9:13)!
Perhaps, that’s a bit chauvinistic in our day, but it didn’t appear so in the society in which the Patriarchs lived. It may be better to say that it was easier for a father to love a son like Esau, who loved the things he loved, while it was more difficult to know a man like Jacob, who was so reserved and reflective, a gentler person, who was content to observe others and make private judgments. Esau may have been a cunning hunter in the field, but Jacob was a cunning observer of people, and he understood their weaknesses, which is how he was able to deprive Esau of his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34). Such an event exposes Jacob’s secret or more private nature, perhaps a manipulator in the making, someone a lot like Laban! And, perhaps, this was the problem between Jacob and his father. Jacob found it more difficult to trust others, and liked to be in control, which is also a lot like Laban!
It seemed surprising at the time, when I first considered the idea that Isaac sent Jacob away to Laban to get himself a wife, because Isaac didn’t give Jacob a dowry, like Abraham gave his trusted servant, when he was sent to Haran to acquire a wife for his son, Isaac (cp. Genesis 24:22, 28, 49-53). In fact, it doesn’t seem as though Isaac gave Jacob much more than his blessing, when he sent him to Haran, a journey of about 450 miles, because it seems that Jacob traveled the distance on foot (Genesis 29:1). The phrase: Jacob journeyed on… is literally, Jacob lifted up his feet… So, it seems Isaac made his son walk the whole way, putting Jacob literally in the hands of the Lord. Otherwise, why would he send Jacob on a 450-mile journey without a beast to ride, when Isaac had many such animals?
It seems to me that Isaac was forcing Jacob to become a man of the field. He was to inherit the land, so he needed to know how to live off the land, and Isaac was content with the idea that the Lord would bring him to Haran safely. Moreover, I believe Isaac knew the type of man he was sending Jacob to live with. He understood that Jacob, due to his reserved nature, would easily fall prey to Laban’s manipulation, and would thereby learn not to sharpen his own cunning nature to manipulate others, like he had done with his brother, Esau. So, Isaac threw Jacob to the wolves, so to speak, but he knew the Lord would ultimately protect him and bless him, and Isaac’s faith in that estimation proved true.
Twenty years prior to his return, while on the way to Haran, Jacob dreamed of angels ascending and descending a ladder connecting heaven with the earth (Genesis 28:10-15). Jacob dreamed of the Lord telling him that he would be with him, wherever he went (Genesis 28:15). Twenty years later, Jacob was rich in goods. He had four wives and at least 11 children (cp. Genesis 32:22; Dinah could have been born later in Canaan, as Benjamin was). While Jacob did flee Laban in fear, Laban was brought to the point, where he had to accept his son-in-law as his equal. He was warned in a dream not to use violence to get what he wanted from Jacob, so, when Jacob stood up against him, face to face, Laban couldn’t do anything about it.
Remember, at this point Laban was in a land where he didn’t have an ally. In fact, the reverse may have been the case. Jacob, peaceful, reserved, quiet Jacob, the push-over in Haran, had gained the victory. Now, back in the land of Canaan, Laban had to permit his son-in-law to continue on his way with only a treaty for his trouble. All Laban was able to return to Haran with was a promise that Jacob would care for Laban’s daughters and grandchildren in a manner that would please him. How did that happen? The dominant and powerful Laban had to kowtow to the wishes of his quiet, reserved son-in-law, whom he was able to manipulate to do his will for 20 years!
The answer to that question, how Jacob survived Laban’s wrath, lay with the angels of God, whom Jacob met in the way (Genesis 32:1), who also seem to have informed him that Esau was nearby (cp. Genesis 32:3). When Jacob saw the angels camped round about him, he said they were the Mananeh Elohim, vis-à-vis the host of God, so he named the place Manahan (Genesis 32:2), which later came to be a city of refuge (Joshua 21:38-39) in the land settled by the tribe of Gad. Thus, it was revealed to Jacob that the Lord had put his angles round about him for the 20 years he spent in Haran. They protected him from the more powerful Laban, and they remained with him, while he awaited his meeting with his brother, Esau, who had planned to slay him so many years ago.
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