When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” (31:22–24)
When Laban found out that Jacob had taken off, Laban and his kinsmen went after him. It appears that Laban was pretty upset, and among the things that upset him was the fact that his household gods had been stolen. Rachel had stolen them, but Jacob did not know this.
God intervened by telling Laban in a dream “not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad” (Genesis 31:24). Once again, God was protecting Jacob.
Laban conducted a search for his gods but didn’t find them. He and Jacob ended up making a covenant – that Jacob would take good care of Laban’s daughters (Jacob’s wives) and that there would be peace between Jacob and Laban.
If Laban had been in a position of total power, he probably wouldn’t have made the covenant with Jacob. But Laban, even though he had household gods that he seemed to value, also knew the power of the Lord. The Lord changed the power balance between Laban and Jacob.
When we belong to God, we can be secure that in every situation we are being taken care of by He who has all power. It doesn’t matter if a person who is officially in charge doesn’t know that God has all the power – we know it! And if that person who has the earthly power/authority (a boss, a government official, etc.) takes an action that we don’t think is in our best interest or causes us harm, we know that God is still in control and has allowed this to happen. So, we should seek Him for how to act and how to pray in that particular situation.
(Sidenote: Jacob refers to God as “The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, and the Fear of his father Isaac.” He doesn’t yet refer to him as his God. He will one day.)
Prayer: O God, thank You that You have all the power. May I and my loved ones stay right by You. May we not fear those who appear to have power, for You are sovereign over all!
