Genesis 31

22–30 Laban and his relatives pursued Jacob and his family for seven days, and finally caught up with them not far from Canaan (verse 23). Though Laban was a pagan, God spoke to him in a dream telling him not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad (verse 24). From this, Laban understood that Jacob was under God’s protection, so he prudently decided not to harm him.

However, Laban expressed distress that Jacob had run away with his daughters and most of his animals—though according to the animals markings, they all belonged to Jacob. Here was one deceiver complaining about the behavior of another deceiver! People commonly accuse others of the very thing they themselves are guilty of (Romans 2:1).

31–35 But perhaps what upset Laban the most was the theft of his household gods (verse 30). So Jacob promised to punish with death anyone who was found to have stolen them. Jacob didn’t know that Rachel was the guilty one! (verse 32).

Rachel was sitting on the gods when her father came to search her tent. But Rachel—a deceiver also—told her father she couldn’t stand up because she was having her menstrual period. Thus the gods were not found.

36–42 Jacob then rebuked Laban for pursuing him and for treating him harshly for twenty years. Jacob told Laban it was God—the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac (verse 42)—who had made it possible for him to leave with his family and animals; it was God who had re-strained Laban from harming him.

43–55 Laban realized he could not oppose Jacob’s God. Seeing that he would not prevail over Jacob, Laban did the next best thing: he made a peace treaty with him. In these verses we are given a description of that treaty, or covenant.