Jacob finally got up the nerve to gather his wives and their children and flee from his abusive uncle, Laban. He had to steal away in the middle of the night because he believed that his uncle intended to do him harm. When Laban discovered that Jacob and all his family, flocks and goods along with his household idols that Rachel stole, were gone the next day, he pursued after him and caught up with him in the Hill country of Gilead. In Genesis 31:29, Laban says to Jacob, “It is in my power to do you harm!” Is it really? Jacob knew that he had protection. God spoke to Laban warning him against any ill intent to Jacob. Jacob knows that God is his “shield” and his protection and says in verse 42, “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed.” Notice that Jacob calls God “The Fear of Isaac.” There seems to be a lot of discussion about what “the fear of Isaac” refers to but I have to agree with Westermann who “opts for understanding the phrase to mean ‘refuge’ or ‘protection’ of Isaac.”

God interceded for Abraham in Egypt, with Abimelech as well as with the battle against the four kings to save Lot and his family. People feared Abraham because of his God. God protected Isaac as well from the Canaanites in the land and people feared him because he was Abraham’s only son and God was protecting him as well. It is the same God than promised Jacob to be with him also and to protect him. Anyway, Wenham observes, “After a hot pursuit Laban eventually catches up with Jacob and there is a bitter and angry confrontation. In the end Laban accepts that he cannot change Jacob’s mind and they make a covenant to respect each other’s rights. Laban returns to the north and Jacob presses on to the south.”1 I find it interesting that this confrontation followed by healing of their relationship with mutual respect shows us somewhat of a healing between Jacob and his uncle Laban. Gilead was famous for healing balms and ointments. We have sung about that: “There is a balm in Gilead, to heal the sin sick soul.” With the nation falling apart Jeremiah asks, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?” (See Jeremiah 8:22) You might see Jacob and Laban’s relationship “healed” in some respects in the hill country of Gilead.

But more importantly is the confidence that Jacob has in God’s protection. God had promised to be with him in Haran and promised to look out for him. That’s exactly what he did. Other than the trickery of Laban only good came to Joseph. One might be tempted to think having to marry Leah instead of the love of his life, Rachel, was a bad thing. Yet, in the long run, Leah was the mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah as well as Issachar and Zebulon. When Laban intended to harm Jacob, he put his faith in the God of Isaac to protect him. I think that’s what we should do as well when we face people who want to do us harm. In Matthew 10:28-29, Jesus told his disciples, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell. For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!”

1 Gordon J. Wenham, Exploring the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, vol. 1 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2003), 50.