Genesis 31:22-42 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled.… I. THE RETRIBUTIONS THAT MARKED THE LIFE OF JACOB. 1. Jacob had sought by fraud, position and possession in his father's house. He is now an exile from his father's house — an outcast and a wanderer. 2. He who had defrauded Esau, is now himself defrauded by Laban. 3. He who had deceived his father was afterwards himself deceived by his sons. 4. Another form of retribution that awaited Jacob, was the having to encounter and deal with the brother whom he had so cruelly and foully wronged. II. THE DISCIPLINARY CHARACTER OF THE RETRIBUTIONS THAT MARKED THE LIFE OF JACOB. We are slow to learn the lessons of a godly life by precept. God therefore teaches us them by experience. Jacob's character did certainly advance under the discipline. 1. At Haran he applied himself at once to honest industry, instead of having recourse to artifice and cunning. 2. A spirit of magnanimity marked many of his dealings with his uncle, contrasting favourably with his earlier indications of self-seeking. (W. Roberts.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. |
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