Tuesdays with Jacob

Read Genesis 31:38-42 – “These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.” (NKJV)

Do you deal with your frustrations in a healthy way? While Jacob has carried a lead role in Laban’s business affairs for many years, there’s obviously a lot of unresolved hurt between them that comes pouring out in this part of the story. Laban’s actions toward Jacob may have made sense to the older man, but Jacob has carried deep offense in his heart for some time. While we may live righteously and treat people fairly in our eyes, we can’t assume that they see things the same way. Establishing honest communication will open the door for hidden things to be surfaced in an atmosphere that’s healthy and supportive. Such communication will keep you from explosions like Laban encounters here. On the flip side, Jacob’s failure to deal with his anger leaves him with a tidal wave of reaction that brings years of frustration to the surface. Because he felt cheated and never dealt with his resentment, he now chooses to treat Laban unfairly. Moments like this are what years of unresolved issues will create.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.