God's sovereignty is evident in every aspect of life. Redemption is the overarching purpose of divine sovereignty. Genesis 31 reveals God's hand and heart in Jacob's relationship with Laban, a wiley, manipulative uncle, father-in-law, employer. This chapter is filled with lots of practical, relevant lessons in God's redemption for all of us.

1. An expositional study taught by
Harry Morgan

2. For those of you online post your comments or questions
in the “comment section” on your screen. As time
affords, they may be read to the class.

3. Genesis 8:1 Then God remembered Noah… And God
made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters
subsided.
Genesis 19:29 when God destroyed the cities of the
plain… God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out
Zechariah = Yahweh Remembers
1. What is the turning point in Jacob’s life?

4. 2. What did Jacob “hear” and “see” regarding
Laban and his sons?

5. Proverbs 16:28 A perverse man sows strife, and a
whisperer separates the best of friends.
3. What effect did Jacob and Rebekah “hearing”
someone else’s conversation have on them?
Genesis 27:5–6 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac
spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt
game and to bring it. 6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her
son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau
your brother, saying,

6. Proverbs 6:16–19 These six things the LORD
hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17
a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed
innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked
plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 a
false witness who speaks lies, and one who
sows discord among brethren.

7. 4. What were the 3 reasons Jacob decided to
leave Laban?
1
2
3

8. “For if Laban had treated him kindly and pleasantly,
his mind would have been lulled to sleep; but now
he is driven away by adverse looks. So the Lord
often better secures the salvation of His people, by
subjecting them to the hatred, the envy, and the
malevolence of the wicked, then by suffering them
to be soothed with bland address. It was far more
useful to holy Jacob to have his father-in-law and his
sons opposed, than to have them courteously
obsequious to his wishes; because their favor might
have deprived him of the blessing of God.”
John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis
(p. 85). Philadelphia: Westminster Press.

9. 5. To what was Jacob returning?
Genesis 27:42 And the words of Esau her
older son were told to Rebekah. So she
sent and called Jacob her younger son,
and said to him, “Surely your brother
Esau comforts himself concerning you by
intending to kill you.

10. 6. What promise did the Lord give Jacob?
Genesis 28:15 Behold, I am with you and will keep
you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this
land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I
have spoken to you.”

11. “In all that is told us about Jacob during the
twenty years he spent at Padan-Aram there was
not a word which intimates he had any dealings
with God during that time. There is no mention
of any “altar,” no reference to prayer, nothing to
distinguish him from a thorough worldling. It
needs to be remembered that the “altar” speaks
not only of sacrifice but of communion too.”
Pink, A. W. (2005) Gleanings in Genesis
(p. 273). Bellingham, WA.
2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

12. Matthew 28:20 “Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations…and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.” Amen.

13. 7. With whom did Jacob discuss his situation?
Mark Twain: “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so
ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.
But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much
the old man had learned in 7 years.”
“your father” & “my father”

14. 8. How did he describe his behavior toward
Laban?
‫ﬠ‬ָ‫ב‬ַ‫ד‬ (ʿā·ḇǎḏ) = work, labor, i.e., expend considerable
energy and intensity (Gen. 4:2; Ex. 5:18)

15. 9. How did he describe Laban’s treatment of
him?
James 5:4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who
mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud,
cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached
the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

16. 10. How did Jacob describe the unusual growth
and strength of his herds and flocks?

17. 11. How did Jacob know that God was
responsible for his animals’ reproduction?

18. 12. Why did God mention Bethel?
LXX: “I am the God that appeared to you at Bethel”
Genesis 28:20-22 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God
will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going,
and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that
I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD
shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a
pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I
will surely give a tenth to You.”

19. 13. How did Rachel and Leah respond to
Jacob?
1
2
3
4
5

20. 14. How did Jacob’s family leave Laban?

21. 15. What was Laban doing when Jacob left?

22. 16. What did Rachel take from her father?
teraphim
(images)

23. 17. Why did Rachel take the teraphim?
1) Household gods who were thought to protect the food
supply; assure the general well-being of the family, in
popular use for purposes of divination (Ezek. 21:26;
Zech. 10:2; cf. also Judg.17:5, 18:14 ff.; Hos. 3:4) .
2) “seraphim” (Syrian) = “to enquire” If this is the case,
she was trying to prevent her father from “enquiring”
of these idol “oracles” and thus discovering the
direction in which they had gone.
3) The Code of Hammurabi states that whoever has the
household gods owns the property.

24. 18. When did Laban learn of Jacob’s departure?

25. 19. What did Laban do when he learned of
Jacob’s departure?

26. 20. Trace on a map Jacob’s journey from
Laban’s house to his final destination.
Euphrates River
the mountains of Gilead
“perpetual fountain”

27. 21. Where did they meet?

28. 22. What happened before Laban met Jacob?
31x in the Bible: “But God…”
Genesis 8:1 But God remembered Noah
Genesis 31:7 Your father has cheated me and changed my
wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me.
Genesis 31:42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and
the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have
sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and
the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.

29. Genesis 48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to
die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land
of your fathers
Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for
good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many
lives.
Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the
strength of my heart and my portion forever.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,
who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
Acts 3:15 You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from
the dead.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

30. 22. What happened before Laban met Jacob?
“the Syrian” cp. Deut. 26:5 And you shall answer and say
before the LORD your God: “My father was a Syrian,
about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt
there, few in number; and there he became a nation,
great, mighty, and populous.”
“A dream” not “with divination” (30:27)
“you speak” – lit. in a juridical sense; accusing

31. 23. Where did Laban meet Jacob?

32. 24. What questions did Laban ask Jacob when
he caught him?
• “you have stolen away unknown to me”
• “you have…carried away my daughters like captives
taken with the sword”
Laban’s Accusations:
1

33. 24. What questions did Laban ask Jacob when
he caught him?
Laban’s Hypotheticals:
2
• “I might have…”
• “You did not allow me…”

34. 24. What questions did Laban ask Jacob when
he caught him?
3
Laban’s Final Accusation:
“You stole my gods!”

35. 25. What was Jacob’s explanation for leaving
secretly?

36. 26. How did Jacob respond to Laban’s accusation
about the stolen idols?

37. 27. Would Jacob have said what he said to
Laban if he knew who had stolen his idols?

38. 28. Why wasn’t Rachel caught?

39. 29. How did Jacob respond to Laban’s search?

40. 29. How did Jacob respond to Laban’s search?

41. 30. What was Laban’s response to Jacob?

42. 31. How did Jacob and Laban conclude their
conflict?

43. 33. What was involved in their covenant?

44. 34. What is the Mizpah “benediction”?
‫מ‬ִ‫צ‬ְ‫פּ‬ָ‫ה‬ (miṣ·pāh) related to
the Hebrew verb
taspah = “to watch”

45. 33. What was the purpose of the Mizpah
covenant?

46. 34. How did Jacob, Laban and those with them
observe the covenant?

47. 35. When is Laban mentioned again in
Scripture?
The Targum of Jonathan on Num. 27:5, and the
Targum on 1 Chron. 1:44 make Balaam to be
Laban himself; and others say he was the son of
Beor, the son of Leban. Bearing in mind that
Laban employed the “seraphim” as his “gods,” if
Balaam were one of his descendants then it
would explain why he did not utterly disown
Jehovah while yet practicing the abominations
of the heathen.
Pink, A. W. (2005). Gleanings in Genesis (p. 276).
Bellingham, WA.

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