When Work Is No Longer A "Win-Win"
I would imagine Jacob's attitude about his work - and his employer - probably wasn't quite as positive during his second term of employment as it was during his first. He knows Laban is taking advantage of him, but he is a hard worker, and he continues to do a good job for him anyway. At the end of his second term of employment (another 7 years, so 14 years total), he threatens to quit, but Laban begs him to stay. "I have become wealthy, for the Lord has blessed me because of you. Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I'll pay it." (Genesis 30:27)
But Jacob complains, "You know how hard I have worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The Lord has blessed you through everything I've done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?" (Genesis 30:29-30)
Over a 14-year period, Laban has become wealthy at Jacob's expense. Jacob has worked hard for Laban and yet, while Laban has become a wealthy man, Jacob has very little to show for all of his hard work. He can't even provide for his own family.
There is a prevailing stronghold in our country (and especially within the Christian community) that if you work hard and have the right attitude, you will be successful. But, as Jacob's story illustrates, that is not always the case (particularly in the short-term). Living in a state of poverty, or struggling to make ends meet, does not necessarily equal laziness (or that you haven't found favor with God); plenty of people in our country work hard and have a strong work ethic, and yet they still struggle to squeak out a living. Why? Because many employers are more than happy to keep all of the profits for themselves.
After some back and forth, Jacob sets his "price". He has worked hard and yet he is not getting ahead; he is just getting by. He wants a living wage; he doesn't want to be dependent upon other people's charity, kindness, generosity, or hospitality. But not only that, he wants more than just a paycheck; he wants to share in the wealth that his hard work has produced. He wants some of the assets of Laban's business so that he can create wealth for himself and his family.
Laban agrees to this arrangement and yet, the very same day, takes steps to ensure that all of the wealth stays with him instead of sharing it with Jacob as promised. Despite Laban's efforts to keep all of the profits for himself, God supernaturally intervenes and Jacob becomes a wealthy man. Unfortunately, though, for the next 6 years, while Jacob is finally being compensated very well for his work, he is still being exploited by his employer; Laban's expectations are off the charts - the text says Jacob worked day and night - you might even say he had no "work/life balance". (see Genesis 31:40)
A very interesting thing happens once Jacob becomes wealthy; Laban's sons, who stand to one day inherit Laban's wealth, start complaining about Jacob and falsely accusing him of gaining his wealth at their father's expense, as if Jacob were "robbing" Laban! It's interesting to me that the exact opposite is true: Laban gained his wealth at Jacob's expense, not the other way around, but, in their eyes, everything seems to belong to Laban; Jacob is entitled to nothing, even when Laban agreed to the terms that were set.
In addition, Laban's attitude toward Jacob changes as well. I get the sense that although Laban had repeatedly failed to put his money where his mouth was, he had always acknowledged the role Jacob had played in growing his business and making him a wealthy man. But now, suddenly, Laban resents Jacob and he starts to have an exaggerated sense of his own contribution to the business and a diminished sense of Jacob's contribution to the business.
Especially within the Christian community, there is a belief that you should always work hard, have a positive attitude, and submit to authority, etc. But in this situation, God, in essence, says, "Enough!". He tells Jacob to leave and, in one translation, Laban's behavior is even referred to as "abuse" (see Genesis 31:42 NLT).
One of the things I find most interesting about this situation is that God tells Jacob to leave after only 6 years, as opposed to 7. To me, that's significant. Because in Old Testament terms, that means that God told Jacob to leave his employer even though his 7 year "contract" hadn't been fulfilled. I think, from God's perspective, Laban hadn't kept up his end of the deal, so Jacob was under no obligation to keep up his. There are times when God may call us to keep commitments even when the situation is unfair, but there are also times when God may call us to leave unfair situations in order to draw attention to the injustice. Either way, following God typically requires courage and faith; are we following human wisdom and expectations, or following God regardless of the potential consequences for ourselves, our families, or our reputations?
God promises to be with Jacob and to protect him and bless him when he returns home, so Jacob packs up his family and his possessions - everything he has accumulated up until this point, and he waits until Laban is away. He leaves secretly and without telling Laban he is leaving. In today's terms, he up and quit without even turning in a 2-week notice!
The story doesn't end there, though. When Laban realizes Jacob has left, he is furious with him! He blames and accuses Jacob of wrongdoing, as if Jacob was the one who was being greedy, ungrateful, difficult to work with, or disloyal, and he sets out after Jacob to try to take back the possessions Jacob took with him (which Jacob had rightfully earned).
God, again, has to intervene, and He comes to Laban in a dream and warns him that he'd better leave Jacob alone. Laban continues to pursue Jacob anyway, and when he catches up with him, they have a confrontation. Jacob becomes angry and challenges Laban, calling him out on the fact that Laban refused to do the right thing, saying, "If (God) had not been on my side, you would have sent me away empty-handed!" (Genesis 31:42)
Jacob is planning to start his own business, so he and Laban strike an agreement not to cross into each other's "territory". This is like the biblical equivalent of a modern-day non-compete clause. Then the two men part ways and God fulfills his promises to Jacob to bless Jacob abundantly as he pursues his own business in the land God had promised him.
© I Lift My Voice, 2022.
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