Soul Stages by Christopher Chamberlin Moore

Author:Christopher Chamberlin Moore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Church Publishing Incorporated
Published: 2021-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Family Conflict

Jacob pulls off his con and things get a little dicey, as recounted in Genesis 28. Jacob’s ever supportive mother Rachel, who aided and abetted Jacob in this whole scheme, overhears Esau threatening murder against his brother. Warned by Rachel, Jacob packs his belonging and lights out for the territory, which in this case is the encampment of his uncle Laban, Rachel’s brother. Laban lives far enough away to be out of the reach of his vengeance-seeking brother. That first night in the wilderness, Jacob goes to sleep and sees a vision of angels ascending and descending on a ladder between heaven and earth and hears the voice of God promising protection on his journey. Jacob wakes up and exclaims, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17). Jacob, however, has a totally transactional view of life and views every encounter in life as a deal which potentially can be turned to his advantage. Consequently, he makes a bargain with himself: “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God” (Genesis 28:20–21).

Jacob arrives in Paddan-aram, the home of Laban, and is warmly greeted by his uncle. Laban exclaims, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” Just how true this is, Jacob has no idea, because Laban turns out to be every bit as much of a con artist as Jacob. Laban cheats Jacob in his selection of a wife. He cheats him in the allocation of the flocks and herds. Uncle Laban is a piece of work. Jacob, however, estranged from his own family and threatened by his brother, has run out of choices. He settles down, puts his acquisitive skills to work, and over the next twenty years, in the words of scripture, “grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, and male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys” (Genesis 30:43).

Laban’s own sons, however, resent Jacob’s success at their father’s expense. Also, of course, this being the ancient Near East, the arid land can only support so many people and animals. Clearly it is time for Jacob and his household to move on.

Jacob, by now, is middle-aged. Twenty years have elapsed. If Jacob was in his late teens when he fled home and came to live with his uncle, he is now nearing forty. One of the characteristics of middle age is that the things that worked for you in the first half of life start not working in the second half. Jacob’s scheming and conniving have enabled him to achieve great outward success in this first half of his life. Now, at midlife, they have become a liability. He is estranged from his family and must move on. The problem, of course, is where to go.

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