Genesis 30:25—31:55: Rivalry and Its Results

Warming Up to God

Why are you coming to be with the Lord today? Tell him with honesty and frankness your thoughts and feelings. Extend them as gifts of obedience, and he will accept them as a fragrant offering.

• I am coming to you today because 
• I know that I should.
• it is what you have asked me to do.
• I want to internalize your word. I want to have something to hold onto today.
• You are worth my time, precious as it is.

Discovering the Word

Why does Jacob want to leave, and why does Laban want him to stay (30:25-30)?

• Jacob wants to build his own wealth.
• Laban wants Jacob because Jacob has made him rich in the time that he has been with Laban.

Describe Jacob's way of getting back at Laban to increase the strength of his own flocks (30:37-43).

• Jacob tried a number of schemes to make his sheep more prosperous. This included breeding the sheep in sight of stripes (in the form of stripped sticks), segregating his flock from Laban's, and only breeding his sheep at a certain time of year.
• This is what Jacob did, but none of these things seem to yield true today.

What new factors in Jacob's situation now prompt his decision to leave Laban's employ and return home (31:1-13)?

• Laban's sons feel cheated by Jacob.
• Laban does not like him as much as he used to.
• God told him to go home.

How has God protected and provided for Jacob in the midst of his unjust treatment by Laban (31:1-21)?

• God made his flock grow in spite of Laban's trickery, but not because of Jacob's experiment.
• God gave Jacob direct instruction to return home.
• Jacob's wives were also on board with the decision to return to his homeleand.
• Jacob fled like a thief in the night.

How do Laban and Jacob reconcile their differences (31:43-55)?

• They set up a pillar or a watch-post. It is only a symbol for God's watch over Jacob.
• Jacob promises to take no other wives.
• Neither party will pass over the heap to harm the other.

Applying the Word

Why is it often so difficult for us to see the other person's point of view in a controversy?

• We are so convinced of our side and because we are selfish. Convincing someone to think differently is an act of God and the older we get, the harder it is. This is why God needs to change hearts in order for a person to be saved.

What have we learned in this passage that can help us in dealing with a strained or fractured relationship?

• Conflict will always result when we are not truthful.