1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:05,160 Oh, we have a doozy of a passage for us this morning. 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:10,920 If you have your Bibles with you, please do turn to Genesis 3 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:17,720 chapter 31. We're asking these questions 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,600 again. What am I, who am I, and why am 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,920 I here? They are fundamentally religious 6 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,360 questions. And if we don't go to the Bible 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,360 for answers to these questions, we're going to go somewhere, 8 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:38,200 some other religion, some other idolatry, some other idolatrous 9 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,160 ideology. We demand answers to these most 10 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:48,160 fundamental questions and the cultures in a roiling boil amid 11 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:55,800 competing ideas as to what this means, and we feel divided and 12 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,840 unstable and afraid. But friends, Christians, the 13 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:06,880 Bible does deliver stable answers to life's deepest 14 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,960 questions. God provides for these according 15 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:16,800 to his precious promises, promises he made to Abraham land 16 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:21,800 to make him to have a place to live, a land, a special place to 17 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:27,680 have a people, a family, a place of belonging, not only to bless 18 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,760 themselves, but to mediate blessings to the world. 19 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:40,840 Sadly, sin is a massive disruptor to these things. 20 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:46,680 So Adam and Eve, they're exiled from the Garden of Eden. 21 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,640 And in our story now, Jacob is on the run from Esau, exiled 22 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,080 outside of the Holy Land. He's gone to another place, and 23 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,880 we're nervous about if and when he'll return. 24 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,120 Instead of family and belonging, we have rivalry. 25 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:12,280 Murder in the case of Cain and Abel, the worry of murder in the 26 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:19,880 case of Esau and Jacob. Intense rivalry between Leah and 27 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:25,480 Rachel. How will these be overcome to a 28 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,160 people who love one another as God loves? 29 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,600 Sin also disrupts our purpose in life. 30 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,600 So instead of mediating blessing and being agents of redemption, 31 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:45,400 we are tempted, Tempted to hurt and harm and to mediate curses 32 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:49,880 instead of blessing. We need to review before we get 33 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,560 into chapter 31 how the Lord has been dealing with Jacob up into 34 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,760 this point. Remember, he's on the run from 35 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:01,240 Esau and in chapter 28, he's completely alone. 36 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:06,080 He doesn't have an intent. He's helpless, hopeless, 37 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,880 friendless. God meets him in his place of 38 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:16,280 need, gives him a vision dream of a stairway to heaven and an 39 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,480 Oracle that reiterates the promises made to his father and 40 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,200 his grandfather before him, promises about a land and a 41 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:28,680 nation to be a blessing. Jacob responds in chapter 28 42 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,320 this way. Then Jacob made a vow saying if 43 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,720 God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go 44 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,880 and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I 45 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:45,360 come again to my father's house in peace, returning to the land, 46 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:51,400 then the Lord shall be my God. And when we went through this, 47 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,200 we noticed that he's praying for provision, looking for 48 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:02,360 protection, and looking for a future of peace back in the 49 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:08,520 land. Provision, protection and peace. 50 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,480 We learned that Jacob, what he thought was going to be a short 51 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,640 errand to Uncle Laban to find a wife and hopefully return, has 52 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,959 turned into a long drawn out ordeal. 53 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,960 Laban wasn't what he had hoped. And now Jacob the deceiver is 54 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,440 having the tables turned on him. He's given a dose of his own 55 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:32,920 medicine as Uncle Laban turns out to be more than his match. 56 00:04:35,280 --> 00:04:37,480 Yeah, God keeps working in his life. 57 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:42,240 And as Pastor Brighton so well preached last week, we see even 58 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,880 in the midst of sin and rivalry, God making good on his promises, 59 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:53,280 promises to build the family. There's all these kids, promises 60 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:57,560 to provide for him, all this wealth accumulating. 61 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,320 But there's still a lot of tension in this story, and it's 62 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:09,280 about to ratchet up quite a bit. Hopefully it's not too familiar 63 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:13,360 for us this morning. Have you heard it too many 64 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:18,600 times? What's your favorite movie in 65 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:20,840 the Blosser House? One of our favorite movies that 66 00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:23,600 we watch over and over and over again is called The Princess 67 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:24,720 Bride. Some of you have heard of it. 68 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:31,040 It can be a kind of a hard sell. In the story, the young boy is 69 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,080 sick and his grandfather comes. He's going to read to him a 70 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:38,720 storybook while he's sick. And the little boy is like, not 71 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:42,120 very enthusiastic. And so the grandfather tries to 72 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:44,800 tell him that this is a book that he's really going to want 73 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:49,320 to hear from. He says, when I was your age, 74 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:54,680 television was called books. And this The Princess Bride book 75 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:59,480 is a special book. It was the book my father used 76 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:02,160 to read to me when I was sick. And I used to read it to your 77 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:04,240 father. And today I'm going to read it 78 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:08,320 to you again. The little boy is not impressed, 79 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:12,720 so he goes on trying to hook him on the story. 80 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:17,680 He goes on to describe its contents, which include fencing, 81 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:23,560 fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, 82 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,200 escapes, true love, and miracles. 83 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,920 The Bible has all of this and so much more this morning. 84 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:41,680 There is a very intense chase and a showdown and a resolution. 85 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:43,560 Hopefully we can hear it together. 86 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:50,040 As if for the first time in the intro that was read so well a 87 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:55,200 minute ago, we find out that things are not quite what they 88 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,480 had been. The sons of Laban are starting 89 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:01,800 to complain. Situation is getting a little 90 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:10,160 bit intense, so Jacob has to call a family meeting and 91 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:16,080 rehearse the story first. We're going to see that Jacob 92 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,400 finally flees, that this situation deteriorates and it's 93 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:24,240 time to go, Which is some relief to us because remember, we've 94 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,920 been in suspense since he left the Holy Land, haven't we? 95 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:29,920 How is he ever going to get back? 96 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:39,480 We're going to find out. So if you read with me, we're in 97 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:43,120 chapter 31, as I said, calls a family meeting. 98 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:47,080 Verse 4. So Jacob sent and called Rachel 99 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,000 and Leah into the field where his flock was and he said to 100 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,200 them, I see that your father does not regard me with favor as 101 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:57,040 he did before, but the God of my father has been with me. 102 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,600 Remember, as he promised, you know that I have served your 103 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,080 father with all my strength, that your father has cheated me 104 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:08,960 and changed my wages 10 times, but God, But God did not permit 105 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,120 him to harm me. If he said the spotted shall be 106 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,360 your wages and all the flock bore spotted, and if he said the 107 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,040 stripes shall be your wages and all the flock bore striped. 108 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,040 Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and 109 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:22,800 given them to me. In the breeding season of the 110 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:25,720 flock, I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats 111 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:28,360 that made it with the flock were stripes spotted and modeled. 112 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,679 Then the Angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob and I said, 113 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,360 here I am. And he said, lift up your eyes 114 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,440 and see all the goats that made with a flock or stripes spotted 115 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,159 and modeled. For I have seen all that Laban 116 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:44,280 is done to you. I am the God of Bethel. 117 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:46,400 Were you anointed? A pillar made a vow to me. 118 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:50,600 Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your 119 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:56,440 kindred and stop right there. How are Rachel and Leah going to 120 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:58,320 respond? Are they going to be more loyal 121 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,840 to their homeland and to their father or to their husband? 122 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,920 Jacob is rehearsing the story, telling his testimony, 123 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,760 explaining how God met him in Bethel and now it's time to go. 124 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,680 Will you follow? We leave together. 125 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,880 It's time. Verse 14. 126 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,680 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, Is there any 127 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:25,560 portion or inheritance left to us in our Father's house? 128 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,000 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? 129 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:32,440 For He has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. 130 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:35,760 All the wealth that God has taken away from our Father 131 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:37,560 belongs to us and to our children. 132 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:42,560 Now then, whatever God has said to you, do so now. 133 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:47,080 These sisters, who have been in such a competitive rivalry that 134 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:53,520 is so sad and so broken, are united sadly under a common 135 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,640 contempt for their father who has cheated them. 136 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:01,720 They are ready to leave. It's time they will follow. 137 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:06,720 Follow Jacob. But the suspense ratchets up 138 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,600 considerably as they hatch the plan. 139 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:12,960 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 140 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,040 He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had 141 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,240 gained, the livestock and his possession that he had acquired 142 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:23,360 in Padan Aram to go to the land of Canaan to his father. 143 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:29,160 Isaac Labid had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her 144 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:32,680 father's household. Gods and Jacob tricked Laban the 145 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:35,680 Aramean by not telling him that he intended to flee. 146 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,000 He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates 147 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,960 and set his face toward the Hill Country of Gilead. 148 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:49,320 Whoa. So imagine Laban coming back, 149 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,600 went back after shearing the sheep, and everybody's gone. 150 00:10:54,840 --> 00:11:00,000 No warning, they just disappear. Oh, and where are my gods? 151 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:07,040 My gods are missing Jacob, so we're all set up for this chase 152 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,720 scene. When he was told Laban on the 153 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,720 third day that Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen with him and 154 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:17,320 pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into 155 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:21,280 the Hill Country of Gilead. But God came to Laban the 156 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,840 Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, be careful not to 157 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,800 say anything to Jacob, either good or bad. 158 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:35,120 Jacob finally flees. He's on his way home and God is 159 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:39,080 the one over and over and over again that is seen to be the 160 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,680 prime mover, the primary actor. Jacob rehearses the story. 161 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:52,000 They leave, Rachel decides to steal the gods and off they go. 162 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:57,280 Laban is in hot pursuit, and if you had never heard this story 163 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:01,040 before, you would be super worried, super nervous. 164 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,320 What is going to happen when Laban catches up? 165 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,080 There's going to be a showdown. What's going to happen? 166 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:12,680 And we learned in the second-half of the chapter that 167 00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:16,800 Laban, that we expect him to become violent and angry or 168 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:21,200 maybe bring them all back. He leaves in peace. 169 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:27,080 Let's continue hearing a story from the word of the Lord, verse 170 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:29,000 25. And Laban overtook Jacob. 171 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,000 Now Jacob had pitched his tents in the Hill Country, and Laban 172 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,240 with his kinsmen pitched tents in the Hill Country of Gilead. 173 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,200 And Laban said to Jacob, What have you done? 174 00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:42,680 Remember, that's an echoing refrain through Genesis, usually 175 00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:45,480 in response to some dastardly deed. 176 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:50,240 What have you done that you've tricked me and driven away my 177 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,480 daughters like captives of the sword? 178 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:54,480 Remember, the daughters were not captives. 179 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,360 They left of their own free will. 180 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:01,880 Laban's twisting everything. Why did you flee secretly and 181 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,600 trick me? He's going to act like he has 182 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:08,760 the high ground and did not tell me that might that I might have 183 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:13,280 sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and liar. 184 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,960 Why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughter's 185 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,800 farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 186 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:27,320 It is in my power to harm you. But there's that lovely little 187 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:33,040 word that changes everything. But the God of your father spoke 188 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,320 to me last night, saying Be careful not to say anything to 189 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,760 Jacob, either good or bad. And now you have gone away 190 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,640 because you longed greatly for your father's house. 191 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:47,880 But why did you steal my gods? Jacob answered and said to 192 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,280 Laban. Because I was afraid, for I 193 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:54,360 thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 194 00:13:56,640 --> 00:14:01,720 Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live in the 195 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:04,800 presence of our kinsmen. Point out what I have that is 196 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:09,080 yours, and take it now. Jacob did not know that Rachel 197 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:12,880 had stolen them. So are you following? 198 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:17,000 Are you feeling the suspense ratchet up even more now there's 199 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,520 a death warrant on whoever the culprit is forever stole the 200 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:26,000 gods. The text slows down and gives 201 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,360 all these details. Verse 33. 202 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:33,560 So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into 203 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,840 the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find 204 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:38,560 them. See how we're narrowing it down? 205 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:44,320 What's going to happen? He went out of Leah's tent and 206 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,400 entered Rachel's. Now Rachel had taken the 207 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,520 household gods and put them in the camel's saddle and sat on 208 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:54,440 them. Are you visualizing this? 209 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,520 Laban in his search begins groping. 210 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:06,680 Laban felt all about the tent, but he did not find them. 211 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:12,120 And she, Rachel said to her father, Let my Lord, let not my 212 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:15,880 Lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women 213 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,520 is upon me. So he searched, but did not find 214 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:25,160 the household gods. This, ironically, is meant to be 215 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:34,480 very funny. These gods, holy scripture mocks 216 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:36,640 idols. Have you noticed this before? 217 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:40,280 And this is a grand old mocking right here. 218 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:44,680 These gods are totally powerless. 219 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,320 They were powerless to keep themselves from being stolen. 220 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,080 Now, amid the search, they can't even say, here we are. 221 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,560 We're in the saddlebags and the camel underneath Rachel, they 222 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,800 can't talk, they can't save themselves. 223 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,640 And now the text has them in an extremely disgusting situation. 224 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,560 Because you see, from the Jewish perspective, a camel is a very 225 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:10,240 unclean animal. And then we're going to keep it 226 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:14,440 G rated. Rachel's sitting on him too. 227 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:21,840 Good, strong mocking of the idols. 228 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:27,280 We're not giving Rachel's heart in this, but it's probably a 229 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,320 sin. We know it's a sin to steal. 230 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,320 We don't know if she's motivated by the value of the idols or if 231 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:34,200 she herself is some kind of idolater. 232 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:37,960 We don't know. But the point is, is the point 233 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,400 of the text is that God topples idols. 234 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:42,920 He does. He makes fun of them. 235 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:48,480 He mocks them. Throughout Holy Scripture, Jacob 236 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:51,840 finds nothing. So in verse 36 we find out how 237 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,800 Jacob is becoming angry. Then Jacob became angry and 238 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:58,040 berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, What is my 239 00:16:58,040 --> 00:16:59,480 offense? What is my sin that you have 240 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:01,920 hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my 241 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,520 goods. What have you found of all your 242 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:08,359 household goods? City here before my kinsmen and 243 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:11,560 your kinsmen, that they may decide between us. 2 These 20 244 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,119 years I've been with you, your ewes and your female goats have 245 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:17,720 not miscarried, and I have not eaten the Rams of your flocks. 246 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,560 What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. 247 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,280 I bore the loss of it myself from my hand. 248 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:25,480 You required it. Whether stolen by day or stolen 249 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:30,280 by night, there I was by day. The heat consumed me and the 250 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:33,520 cold by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 251 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:35,400 These 20 years I've been in your house. 252 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:39,040 I served you 14 years for your two daughters and six years for 253 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:43,480 your flocks, and you have changed my wages 10 times. 254 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:46,800 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of 255 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,640 Isaac had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent 256 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,440 me away empty handed. God saw my affliction and the 257 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:56,800 labor of my hands and rebuked you last night. 258 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,520 Quite the speech. How's Laban going to respond? 259 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:06,040 Verse 43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, in the height of 260 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:10,120 all arrogance, listen to this The daughters are my daughters, 261 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:14,040 the children are my children. The flocks are my flocks. 262 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:21,120 All that you see is mine, greedy Laban, mine, mine, mine. 263 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,920 But what can I do this day for these my daughters, or for their 264 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,960 children whom they have borne? Come now, let us make a covenant 265 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:34,800 to you and I, and let us be a witness between you and me. 266 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,360 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 267 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,000 And Jacob said to his kinsmen, Gather stones. 268 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,440 And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the 269 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:47,360 heap. Laban called it whatever that 270 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:50,840 says, and Jacob called it Ghalid. 271 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,480 Laban said, This heap is a witness between you and me 272 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:57,560 today. Therefore he named it Ghalid and 273 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:00,080 Mitzpah. For he said, the Lord watch 274 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,440 between you and me when we are out of one another's sight, if 275 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,920 you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my 276 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:09,360 daughter, daughters, although no one is with us. 277 00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:12,800 See God is witness between you and me. 278 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:17,200 Then Laban said to Jacob, See this heap and the pillar which I 279 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:20,360 have set between you and me. This heap is a witness, and the 280 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:23,200 pillar is a witness that I will not pass over this heap to you, 281 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,880 and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me to do 282 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:29,920 harm. The God of Abraham and the God 283 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:32,880 of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us. 284 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,120 So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac, and Jacob 285 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:38,920 offered a sacrifice in the Hill Country and called his kinsmen 286 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:41,560 to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the 287 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:45,520 night in the Hill Country. Early in the morning, Laban rose 288 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,480 and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. 289 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,200 Then Laban departed and returned home. 290 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:58,000 The scene resolves in peace against all hope because of what 291 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:04,800 the Lord is doing and has done. Let's look for glimpses of 292 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:06,920 Jesus. And this text has been our 293 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:11,200 custom in these passages. How is it that we see Jesus? 294 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,600 It's interesting to me that Jacob, when he defends himself, 295 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:16,440 gives his resume as a Good Shepherd. 296 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,240 Did you see that lambs didn't miscarry? 297 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,480 I was exposed to the cold and to the heat. 298 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:31,360 Our Lord Jesus is a Good Shepherd, doesn't lose any in 299 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:34,200 his care. He was exposed to hardship for 300 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:41,280 you and for me. We also see Jacob in this text 301 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:46,320 as a leader of an escape. You can think about Moses 302 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:49,800 leaving Egypt. It's probably a nice story to 303 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,560 have on hand to tell the kids as you're leaving Egypt. 304 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,080 Remember, Jacob had to flee from Uncle Laban the guy, and God 305 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,360 protected them. They were even chased by Uncle 306 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:04,800 Laban and God protected them. Jesus is a leader of escape from 307 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:11,400 sin and death. He's a leader of a new exodus. 308 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,640 But not only is he a leader from escape from bondage in the life 309 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:20,760 of servitude, he's also a bringer. 310 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,800 Home welcome. It's time to go home. 311 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:31,600 So in the gospel we see both released from servitude to sin 312 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,560 and death, but also he's preparing a place for us at 313 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:39,600 home. In this text, we see idols 314 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:44,080 toppled. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the 315 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:48,960 great toppler of idols. He throws down our idols of 316 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:59,040 greed, idolatry, and we see in this text a table prepared and a 317 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:02,480 meal of peace between two bitter enemies that don't trust each 318 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:06,040 other, but because of God they are able to come together in the 319 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:10,280 Lord Jesus the Good Shepherd was it, say in Psalm 23, He prepares 320 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:15,080 a table before me in the presence of my enemies and in 321 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:18,440 his life he gives us the bread of peace, doesn't he? 322 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:23,640 Some applications before we conclude. 323 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,640 First, we need to rehearse the story. 324 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,920 Isn't that what we're doing now? And even if we have to do it 325 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,160 again and again and again, it's a generational story. 326 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:39,480 It's like the The Princess Bride, may it be ever fresh. 327 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:44,400 May the apathy and the boredom that we feel with something that 328 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:50,360 is over familiar not be a form of contempt, but turn into a 329 00:22:50,360 --> 00:22:54,120 rekindled joy for the greatest story ever told. 330 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,960 I love talking to older Saints. They'll say to me, I never saw 331 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:02,240 this before. I've read it. 332 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:04,120 I've heard it more times than I can. 333 00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:08,200 I've even preached it, and I never saw that before. 334 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,480 Friends, it's an inexhaustible treasure. 335 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:17,840 You can never mine it to its end because it proclaims the truth 336 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:23,560 of an inexhaustible God and a story that is beyond words. 337 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:26,720 We have to rehearse this story in our homes. 338 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,960 We have to rehearse this story in our church home together. 339 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,880 So we're doing even now this morning. 340 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,600 Rehearse the story, my friends. Two, you have to ransack the 341 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,360 idols. That's hard because we're very 342 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:42,440 committed to them. Laban cares more about the idols 343 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:46,480 than anything else in the text. Why'd you take my gods? 344 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:47,520 He's searching. He's grew up. 345 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:50,600 You care at all about the grandkids here. 346 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:53,680 You seem to, but really, what you're searching for are your 347 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,280 idols. Idols, they grab on, they latch 348 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,160 on, they stick there. And we need divine power to 349 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:05,320 throw them down. And it's harder in our day and 350 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,680 age in some ways, because most of you, I don't think, literally 351 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,840 have little idols that you bow down to. 352 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:17,800 Our idols are harder to see, harder to understand, harder to 353 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:23,360 diagnose, but they draw off our attention from holy things. 354 00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:29,080 They draw off our attention from holy people into countless, 355 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:34,240 countless wasted hours doing nothing, playing in the mud. 356 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:43,480 We need to ransack our idols with God, through the precious 357 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,000 power of the gospel coming through to help us topple 358 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,320 things. Let's ransack our idols. 3 359 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:55,120 Receive peace, Receive his peace. 360 00:24:55,120 --> 00:25:00,080 Friends, there is nothing at all we can do for ourselves. 361 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:05,080 We are totally helpless in our sin. 362 00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,200 We are totally helpless in our frailty. 363 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:14,240 Our wills are bent against the only one that can heal us, So 364 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:19,200 what is needed is a miracle of divine intervention coming in, 365 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:23,360 breaking in and changing our hearts of stone into hearts of 366 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:29,080 flesh, allowing us to receive the bread of peace from the Lord 367 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:31,320 Jesus. Who says this is my body broken 368 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:33,800 for you, this is my blood spilled for you. 369 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:39,840 And until we receive His peace, we will remain just as trapped 370 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:44,960 and as broken as ever. So we're going to conclude, 371 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:48,200 we're going to praise God for His provision, for His 372 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:51,560 protection, and for His peace given to us in the person work 373 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:52,960 of Jesus Christ. Will you join me? 374 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:59,000 Father in Heaven, it's only through your grace that we can 375 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:02,360 rehearse the story, throw down our idols, and receive your 376 00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:03,880 peace. I pray for those in our 377 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,720 congregation that desperately need this, which is every single 378 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:10,560 one of us. Will you meet us in our need 379 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:15,160 just as you met Jacob and his family, And pray this in a 380 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:19,240 strong name, Jesus Christ the righteous, and by his Spirit one 381 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,400 God forevermore, Amen.