Genesis 25:20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
Laban was the brother of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. We find that Laban was the son of Bethuel, the son of Nahor (the brother of Abram), both of whose father was Terah, according to Genesis 11:27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran…
This is an example of that family tree ranging from Terah to Jacob and Esau.
Laban was the uncle to whom Isaac and Rebekah sent their son, Jacob, to find a wife (really it was to protect Jacob’s life from his twin brother Esau) in Genesis 28.
While in Padanaram with his uncle Laban, Jacob would marry two sisters, Leah and Rachel in Genesis 29, which was carried out by deception on the part of their father Laban.
During this time, Jacob makes a deal with Laban to serve him 14 years as payment for the two wives Jacob married and six more years as payment for the cattle Jacob received while living there, for a total of 20 years.
During this time, it seems that Laban was a very crafty person and changed Jacob’s wages 10 times, seemingly always looking for a way to benefit himself off the current situation before him.
No doubt this was done because Laban knew that Jacob could not easily leave, until one day Jacob finally did take his new family and leave at the direction of God, in Genesis 31.
Laban’s Character
We gather from reading about Laban, in Genesis 24 and again in Genesis 28 – 31,that he represents those who seek not a personal relationship with the true God nor to become one of the people of God, but someone who desires only the secondhand blessings just by being around the people of God.
Rather than being a son of God, Laban would rather have been more of a son-in-law to God or connected to God through someone else’s relationship, rather than having his own.
Such was also the case with Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:18-19 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, (19) Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
There are many who, rather than enduring the cultivating process of Godly sanctification themselves, would rather just appreciate those qualities in others and believe that their appreciation makes them good enough to be acceptable to the glorious God.
Remember what Laban said to Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, in Genesis 24:29; 31 And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. (31) And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD…
Laban no doubt believed that if he was good to God’s people, then he would also receive a benefit as part of the overflow for his goodwill toward them. While this is true to a great degree, it in no way replaces a personal relationship with God!
Those of this mindset only view serving God through the selfish and obscure lens of “What’s in it for me?” and have not yet fallen upon the Rock of salvation and been broken free from their own deceptive self-will.
Those who are like Laban do not seem to grasp the fact that simply showing appreciation for someone else’s relationship with God is not the same as having one of their own!
The question before you today is, have you been trying to “serve God” through someone else’s relationship with God, or do you have a personal relationship with God of your own?
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Thank you,
Pastor Fulmer
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