GENESIS 31:17-29 TEXT: v29 TAKE HEED THAT THOU SPEAK EITHER GOOD/BAD
It is in the power of my hand
to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight,
saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
Context: Jacob, having served Laban for 20 years and secured (not by
intention) both Laban’s daughters as wives has taken the
decision to move away from his father-in-law with his wives and
children
He did this for a number/reasons, two of which are recorded/chapter:
[i] Jacob’s success in farming led to jealousy from Laban and sons (v1-2)
Here Providence was clearly speaking that it was time to move on
Laban/sons were great fellows when they were prospering at
Jacob’s expense – but let Jacob see to it that he would
provide for his own household and things started to sour –
Humanly speaking: Time to go
[ii] A better reason: Jacob got clear direction from God to go (v3)
Providence has but a limited voice, but God’s word is absolute
In v10-13 Jacob relates that God spoke to him in a dream and told him to return to the land/Fathers and live there
This dream was in line with previous revelations from God
Father’s land was the promised Land – spoken of in earlier times
Although sufficient in itself, yet this word was further attended to by
providence, because Jacob’s wives immediately consented to go
with him
They seemed happy at the thought of moving (v14-16) and clothed their acceptance in acceptable pious language (v16)
Jacob thought it better to leave the house quietly and without notice
They really did a moonlight flit!
He related later his fear of Laban taking away his family from him (v31)
When news came to Laban that Jacob/family were gone, we assume that he
was angry, but it is here that God intervened again (v24)
This is what Laban was reporting in our text
These are encouraging words for us
Jacob knew nothing about this incident until it was reported to him
When he had time/meditate upon it…would have encouraged him greatly
Let’s encourage ourselves from it
These words are applicable to each/every Christian (3 main thoughts)
1) THE BELIEVER LIVES AMONG MANY DANGEROUS FOES WHO NEED TO BE RESTRAINED:
A/ Might seem a bit rough to put Laban under such a description as this
He seems to be a mild enough fellow – a rogue schemer etc., who
thought nothing of fleecing his own family, but certainly not a murderer
Yes, he had lost the respect of his family (v14-15)
As said; Jacob really did fear he might lose them at this point (v24)
But we certainly as he appears could not point to anything threatening
Let’s develop this point further:
A/ It is in the heart of every last individual to break all the laws/God
There are many restraining orders going on without notice being given
In a previous generation, Abraham compromised badly and left his
wife Sarah (whom he called his sister) at the seeming mercy/a foreign
king
Abimelech (being deceived) took her into his house with fond intentions
But he never did touch her in the end – Why not?
I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. (Genesis 20:6)
That happens billions/times every single day
If God took the brake off – this world would be a hell on earth
Laban (as we all) had the capacity to be another Hitler or Stalin etc.,
B/ Furthermore, Laban was not helping himself and his capacity/sin by nursing his envy/jealousy
Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? (Proverbs 27:4)
Always potential anyway – but odds were greatly reduced when he allowed himself to be eaten with this very worldly spirit
What other sins were also lurking here?
We can spot pride easily enough in this man’s heart
Passage itself relates his sin of idolatry and idolatry opens the
door to many a dark crime – for idolatry is a sign that God
is not feared
Jacob’s father was never guilty of idolatry – no
coincidence (v41) that God was said to be Issac’s fear i.e. he
feared God
Once the fear/God is removed – it is open season for sin
When it is open season for sin – it pushes as far as it can
C/ While it is not amiss to remind ourselves that a man’s foes
are often those of his own household (Matthew 10:36) yet we ought to
see that there are great and angry foes out there planning our
destruction
[i] Some are planning it in a physical sense
Consider the very real threat of militant Islam
Consider the very real threat of the anarchists etc.,
Never write off Rome either (Revelation 17:5)
[ii] Some are planning it in a spiritual sense
What spiritual destruction religious cults can wreak!
What spiritual destruction the evolutionists/secularists can wreak also!
We are surrounded by foes and if God did not keep them in check, we would be overrun by them and the cause would be lost
2) GOD EFFECTUALLY RESTRAINS OUR FOES BY THE POWER/HIS WORD:
The God of your father spake unto me…saying…
A/ His speaking voice was enough to restrain the breaking anger/Laban
Laban did not know what he was capable of…never mind be able to restrain it
But God appeared to him as he tossed/turned in his bed and he heard the divine voice restraining him
B/ I do not doubt: Laban heard the actual voice/God in this dream
It was clear and decisive (and as said) effective
Others who hear the voice/God speaking to them no less effectively
[i] They hear it in the Bible i.e. the written word/God
Many a man turned back from indulging some sinful desire because his
memory lit upon some verse learned in an earlier and more innocent day
One/beauties of the 10 Commandments is that its hard to miss/meaning
A lot of good is done by having them on display with similar prohibitions
If some poster prevented a murder or immoral act – Is that not good?
Christians (on the strength/Bibles) are the preservative salt/the earth
[ii] The word of God speaks directly through the conscience
Topical about it:
Brendan Hughes: He recalled a moment
when he was unable to "do my duty" by shooting a soldier at close
quarters. "I stood over him with a .45 aimed at his head. I could
easily have physically pulled the trigger and sent him off to eternity.
But MORALLY and emotionally I was not able to end his life."
Where did the moral voice come from? – His conscience
He knew that it was wrong to kill that man and a life was spared
C/ But it is more than that when God speaks and men pull back:
When God speaks in occasions like this, it is much more than his preceptive will that is being voiced
[i] God’s preceptive will (as in the Commandments) is not always obeyed
There is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not
Each day, God says to the human race; Do not steal/kill/commit adultery
And what do men do? They steal/kill/commit adultery
So God’s preceptive will is often blatantly disregarded by wicked men
God said to the Jews:
Thou therefore which teachest
another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should
not steal, dost thou steal? (Romans 2:21)
[ii] But there is another will in God (not in opposition to the first)
and this decretive will (from what God has decreed) does not know
rejection
There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against/LORD. (21:30)
As Christians, we ought to take the greatest comfort in this doctrine
Never surrender it up! If this is lost –then all is lost
If God’s purposes can be turned back, then He really ceases to be God
Another has arisen who can frustrate Him and keep Him at bay
Whatever that person or that principle is – it should carry title/Deity
But it is not the case – The counsel of the Lord it (alone) shall stand
D/ So here/passage – perhaps in a very small way, but real nevertheless
A strong voice speaks to Laban and tells him to back off Jacob
There was no angel sent to breathe heavily down his neck
God spake and it was as good as done
E/ Notice too…this isn’t pious fatalism as if Laban was a puppet
Laban is addressed as a fully responsible adult:
There is here the use of means to accomplish the divine purposes/God
Therefore when Laban finally overtakes Jacob, he can speak of his great
human power to take life, and yet feel restrained to desist
When all is said and done…God’s decreed plan was carried out perfectly
3) THESE FOES ARE NOT ONLY RESTRAINED, BUT COMPELLED TO FURTHER THE CAUSE OF GOD:
A/ Some Reformation Bibles render this command a little bit different
Geneva: Laban was not so much to say nothing either good or bad, but to
say nothing but good – He was to positively encourage Jacob/family
Yes…some rebukes were given which caused Jacob to be wroth
The preceptive end/this command (as always) knew imperfect obedience
But the decretive end was not overthrown – Laban: well/truly reined in
At the last Laban sent Jacob away in a more kindly/fraternal spirit
B/ Again, the principles are wider than the passage at hand
God has purposes to see out in this world
One purpose is that the gospel would go from pole to pole
If all we had God’s people to accomplish/great task, then hardly be done
We are compelled in the everyday course of things to go to the unsaved
who run the media/printing presses etc., to get their co-operation
Sometimes we are openly chased or more discreetly fobbed off
Although we keep trying later, yet we must conclude that it was not the will/God at that time for that door to open to us
[i] Sometimes: After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. (Acts 16:7)
God has mercy on whom He will mercy and whom he will he hardeneth
While we cannot decide who (and so we evangelise) yet we recognise that the purposes of God are not uniformly the same
[ii] Sometimes the opposition is attributed to the Devil:
Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us. (1Thessalonians 2:18)
Here is a shift in emphasis – Satan ever desires to stop the word/God
(It saves him plucking it away if it is sown)
C/ When God has decreed (always past tense) that a door should be opened, then the unsaved are moved to do His bidding
Again, not as robots/puppets, but by the gracious influence/God who
restrains that spirit/enmity with which they are sinfully possessed
Some/most helpful people are those who make no profession/faith
This ought to encourage us greatly as we make our way as pilgrims
If God’s wind is blowing- let us do our bit set our sail to catch it!
THE END