Genesis 30-31

See the pictures at the bottom of the page?  One is a map of Jacob's journey and another is the Jakkob River!!! :) 

Chapter 30....I just can't tell you how much I am humored by the deceitfulness and trickery we are reading about!  I am going to come up with a title for this soap opera, I"m telling you..."as the pages turn??"  "Those WERE the days of their lives?"  

This chapter seems to be all about Leah and Rachel trying to "outbirth" each other! At one point, Rachel's womb is closed and Leah is just having baby after baby.  Rachel "pulls a Sarah" and asks her own maidservant to sleep with her husband Jacob in order to give them children.  Then Leah, not to be outdone by Rachel her sister, stops having her own children and takes her maidservant to sleep with Jacob.

These "reproductive battles" are made up of jealousy over Jacob.....one is his true love and wants want more of his attention. OH!! OH!!!  Verses 14 and on...can't miss the fact that they even were trading "mandrakes" for sex!  It's "the plant of love" and is supposed to have aphrodisiac properties.....doesn't sound like to me that ANY of them need MORE help with this!!!  Mercy...... I haven't watched a soap opera in YEARS, but I don't even think they could write this stuff!  :)  

Not only is Jacob's ancestral line increasing, but so are his flocks. (Dusty and I have tried tofigure this out...no, no,...I'VE tried to figure this out...I kept reading it wrong.  Dusty fixed my brain!)   Jacob wants to go back to his homeland (not United! :)) and asks for Laban to give him his wives and children....and grandchildren.  They end up making a mess of the herds......the lambs, and the goats.....Laban agrees that Jacob can take the "spotted and speckled" animals; which are the weaker ones and less desirable of the herd. So Jacob takes them and breeds them and turns the weaker ones into a prosperous herd of his own....in spite of Laban!

"Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been." (31:2)

Chapter 31.......Jacob is finally getting away from Laban....after 20 years.  7 years for Leah, 7 years for Rachel and he spent 6 years taking care of Laban's herds.   He is leaving because Laban really is turning on him.....Laban was keeping Jacob around because he thought God was blessing him more BECAUSE of Jacob.  But he was really taking advantage of him. He cheated him and changed his wages 10 times.  Then Laban's sons were saying that Jacob took everything from their father?  What......biblical times of embezzlement?? :)  I guess so.....Jacob was the CEO for Laban & Sons Enterprises!  

As Jacob sneaks off out of town, down I-40, he flees in the U-Haul with all he had and crosses the Canadian River (not really but see pic below!) and headed to Gilead. Laban took off in hot pursuit of Jacob and his family after finding out that he fled.  Jacob had 3 days start on Laban but can you believe it?  That 'ol Laban caught up with them!!!!!  He flashed his blinkers, honked his horn and drove 100 mph to catch them!! :)  Laban asked why he fled...had he known he wanted to leave, Laban would have given Jacob a great big send off..."with singing, tambourines and harps!"   ya right!!!  Laban wanted to kiss his daughters goodbye....even though Rachel stole idols from her father's house.  They were at camped out in tents and Laban went searching them all to see if Jacob did take gods from Laban......HE didn't, but Rachel did...and she sat on it in her tent while Laban searched everywhere for it.   He didn't find it....because she was sitting on it. And, do you know why she had to remain sitting.......or at least why she told her dad she  couldn't get up?  Because she was having her period!!!  (v. 35).  She stole, and lied....lied about her period!!! I love it!!! That is so sneaky and crazy!!!!  Who comes up with this stuff??  Oh.....the Bible!!! It's the Bible people!! Dust it off!!!!! :)  

Chapter 31 ends with Laban and Jacob making a truce really. Laban gets to kiss his family goodbye and everyone gets back on the road to home.    Shew! What a trip!!!!

Time to round up the troops here!  

May you be blessed today...............................