Genesis 31:38–41

For twenty years, he says, he has served Laban. He had so cared for the females of Laban's flock that they had not miscarried, nor had he taken any of Laban's sheep, even to eat.

Laban had sons who could have helped with this work, but it seems they left it to the one who could do it well. Were Laban and his sons all sharing the benefits of Jacob's work without having to work themselves? It seemed so. Employers often think they have the right to reap all the benefits that labor produces, because they put up the original capital. But God takes account of the guilt of employers who oppress their workers (James 5:4).

In all this he is humbled under the mighty hand of God, as a man who would gladly remember his own past ways. And at the end of twenty years of hard work and ill treatment, he is able to testify to his faithfulness, and God Himself seems to seal that testimony.

While he lived in the house of Laban the Syrian, Jacob knew that he was under the mighty hand of God for correction, and he behaved that way. He did not defend himself when he was blamed. He did not fight for his rights when he was wronged and treated unjustly.

Jacob was a man of faith, but failed in spirituality, and comes under the Lord's discipline that he might bear more fruit and better. As he had cheated at home, he suffered abroad, and at the hands of his mother's brother most of all. His patience under Laban's hardhearted wrongs testifies that he bowed to God.

He was cheated about his wife. He was wronged over his wages. He was a wanderer from his father's house and a slave to Laban. All this came because he acted deceitfully, instead of leaving God to bring the blessing about. In all of it we see real discipline for evil done.

Besides, when Jacob bargained with Laban over his pay, he took his stand on righteousness (Gen. 30:33). Had he been righteous? And now, with a bold face and big words, he asks, "What is my offense?"

Does Jacob scold in anger when Laban searches his belongings and fails to find his stolen gods? He says, "I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I bore the loss of it myself. By day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night … and my sleep fled from my eyes … and you have changed my wages ten times." So another "I" will also boast, as if in folly. Another servant! One who served in love, for love, not money. He announced God's good news free of charge, and took no pay from anyone for shepherding the flock.

He is a picture of a servant too, in some small way not unworthy to foreshadow Him who "took the form of a servant." He submits in silence to the wrongs of a cruel master. He serves patiently and suffers without complaint. Laban changes his wages ten times, but he never answers back.

He had cared for the females of Laban's flock so well that they had not miscarried. He had not taken any of Laban's sheep, even to eat. If an animal was lost, whether wild animals killed it or someone stole it, Laban held Jacob accountable. Jacob had to pay for the loss. He often suffered from the heat of the day and shivered at night in the cold, unable to sleep.

The difficulties and hardships of a shepherd's life in the East may be gathered from what Jacob passed through during the time he was with Laban. Gen. 31:39-40.

Jacob, who did not know that anything had been stolen, broke into unusual anger with Laban. He held nothing back in exposing Laban's greed and total lack of justice, to say nothing of affection. He could well say that, but for God's over-ruling, he would have been sent away empty-handed. What could Laban reply, except that everything was his — wives, children, flock? God had no place in his thoughts, and neither had love for his daughters, or their children, or his son-in-law.

He was cheated about his wife and wronged over his wages. He was a wanderer from his father's house and a slave to Laban. All this came because he acted deceitfully, instead of leaving God to bring the blessing about. In all of it we see real discipline because of evil.

In Jacob at Padan-aram, if I am not mistaken, we get a believer under discipline who knows he is under discipline. He understands what the moment means under God's hand. He sees that the Lord's rebuke is right, and he carries himself with meekness and watchfulness. He takes the wrongs of a harsh master in silence. He serves with patience, and suffers without complaint.

We shall find, I know, that after this Jacob is old Jacob still. The same evil that had been working in him from the beginning betrays him again. But while he was in the Syrian's house, Jacob knew that he was under the mighty hand of God for correction, and he behaved that way. He did not defend himself when he was blamed, and he did not fight for his rights when he was wronged and treated unjustly.

Leah was bride to a man who pictured Christ as a sufferer. He gave back what he did not take away. Tireless work wore him out, and he laboured while others slept (see Gen. 31:39-40; Luke 6:12) … Jacob went for Leah and won her at the cost of hard service. She first shared his days of toil, before she shared the wealth and glory he gained.

Does Jacob complain in anger when Laban searches his belongings and does not find his stolen gods? He says he never ate Laban's rams, that he bore the loss of the animals torn by wild beasts, that drought consumed him by day and frost by night, that sleep left his eyes, and that Laban changed his wages ten times. Then another "I" also will boast as in folly. Another servant! One who served in love, for love, not money. He announced God's glad tidings free of charge, and took no pay from any man for shepherding the flock … in labour and toil; in many sleepless nights; in hunger and thirst, often without food; in cold and without clothing.

He had cared for the females of Laban's flock so well that they did not miscarry. He had not taken any of Laban's sheep, even to eat. If an animal went missing, whether wild animals killed it or someone stole it, Laban held Jacob accountable: he had to pay for the loss. He often suffered from the heat of the day. At night he shivered with cold and could not sleep.

The difficulties and hardships of a shepherd's life in the East may be gathered from what Jacob passed through during the time he was with Laban.

God deals with him in government, and measures back to him the measure he used himself. He is continually the target of similar deceit… He was cheated about his wife and wronged over his wages. He became a wanderer from his father's house and a slave to Laban. All of it came from acting deceitfully instead of leaving the fulfilment of the blessing to God. In all this we see real discipline because of evil.

In about five or six years, God's providence paid Jacob the wages Laban had cheated him out of for twenty years.

The Lord Jesus personally has borne the heat of the day all alone. He had nowhere to lay His head, like Jacob — absent from His Father's house and from the place of His inheritance. He was wronged again and again in a world which, like Laban and his household, always seeks its own. Yet He endured all this, and was willing to endure all this, for the love He had for her on whom His eye had rested. It was the same with Jacob: his seven years of service seemed to him only a few days, because of his love for Rachel.

But love lightened the burdens and sweetened all the bitterness of those long years… And this is the only phase of his life in which the patriarch Jacob appears to picture our Lord, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame." His toil ended, He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

In Hebrews 13:17 we read of the Guides — the ones who lead, as a shepherd leads and guides the flock. It tells us they "keep watch over your souls." The word "watch" means "to be sleepless," and so "to be vigilant." A good shepherd kept watch over his flock by day and by night, like the shepherds of Bethlehem, or Jacob, who could say, "by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes." So should the true overseer watch, by day and by night, over the flock of God.

He stresses that he had served Laban fourteen years for his two daughters. Of course he had willingly offered to work seven years for Rachel, but had been deceived. Then he had worked six years to gain the large flock he now had. But more: he affirms that Laban had changed his wages ten times (v. 41). This must have been true, or Laban would have denied it. It does show the manipulating character of Laban. He was not at all behind Jacob in this trickery.

Genesis 29, 30 and 31 record the years of Jacob's stay in Haran. Those years turned into a duel of diplomacy between Jacob and Laban his uncle. Under the government of God, Jacob found himself in the hands of a man even more selfish than himself. God's discipline fitted his case remarkably well in the matter of his marriage. Laban deceived him about his two daughters, just as Isaac's two sons had deceived Isaac.

Jacob deceived his old father and stole his brother's birthright. That was bad sowing, but he did not expect the harvest he received. Laban deceived him about his wife, and he had to work another seven years to win her. That was not all the harvest. Laban changed his wages ten times to cheat him. He had twenty years of bitter labour in Syria. Then his own sons deceived him about Joseph. He spent twenty-two years in bitter sorrow, mourning him as dead.

We have no need or right to fall back on plans of our own, as if we could help God achieve His purpose. If, on the other hand, God instructs us by His word to act, it is our duty and our wisdom to do as He says. Jacob asserted that Laban had changed his wages ten times. If that was true, it was great provocation. But relying on God would have saved him from actions that are also open to question.

But in much of his behaviour during the twenty years he spent with Laban, we see what was excellent in him. Anyone whose mind is right towards God at all must feel the force of knowing that we are under the hand of God for correction... Here we get a saint under discipline who knows he is under discipline. He understands well what the moment means under God's hand, and that the Lord's rebuke is right. He carries himself meekly and watchfully. He takes the wrongs of a harmful master in silence. He serves patiently and suffers without complaint. His wages were changed ten times, but he does not answer back.

The Lord brought him to Padan-aram, where he was to dwell as an exile for twenty years. During these twenty years the Lord did not show Himself to him. In the same way, Israel scattered among the nations hears nothing from the Lord.

Here we find the one who was to own and enjoy her, travelling and toiling for her... He has Himself gone into the distant land. There He laboured, and there He bore reproach and wrong for her. In all this, Jacob sets forth the true Bridegroom. The Lord Jesus Himself has borne the heat of the day all alone. He had nowhere to lay His head, like Jacob. He was away from His Father's house and from the place of His inheritance. The world wronged Him again and again, for like Laban and his house it always seeks its own.