Jacob's "Great Resignation" - Part 6

Laban's Spiritual Deterioration

For most of the story, Laban seems greedy, selfish, and arrogant. But that wasn't always in his character either. When Jacob first comes to stay with him, Laban is very gracious and hospitable, and invites Jacob into his home. It is Laban who does the right thing by refusing to take advantage of Jacob's labor or the fact that Jacob is a family member. He insists on paying Jacob a wage (in addition to room and board), and even allows Jacob the freedom to set his own wages. (see Genesis 29) At this point, Laban was not a wealthy man, and it requires faith to pay someone fairly when you are struggling to meet your own financial obligations.

But something changes in Laban's character and integrity during the first 7 years of Jacob's employment. Through Jacob's labor, Laban starts to experience some success.

You would think that the more successful you are and the more you make, the easier it would be to be generous. But frequently, the opposite is true - the more you make and the more you have, the more your faith, hope, trust, and happiness (or identity and status) is in your money, success, or career, and the more important it becomes to maintain that level of success or that lifestyle. ... And thus, the harder it becomes to lose it, part with it, or take risks with it. Do you hold it loosely enough that you would be willing to give it all away if God required that of you? I would surmise that the rich man in Matthew 19:16-30 (and Luke 18:18-30) was doing all of the "right" things; saving, tithing 10%, giving generously. He loved the Lord and desperately wanted to do the right thing and follow Jesus. But when Jesus asked him to sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and come follow Him, the rich man was unable to do it.

In addition, success, money, wealth, status, and power can be like a drug - once you get a little taste of it, you just can't seem to get enough. And, as we see in Laban's case, as time goes on, it becomes easier and easier to take credit for your own success and fail to recognize that, without God and other people helping you, you never would have gotten where you are.

Most biblical characters struggled more with maintaining their integrity once they became rich and powerful than before they had any of it. King David is a case in point; he was "a man after God's own heart", and yet, after he becomes king and becomes wealthy and powerful, he commits adultery and murder. Having money and power can easily cause people to rely more and more on themselves and less and less on God. In the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21), Jesus says, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

It's important to remember that there is nothing wrong with being wealthy and having money; people misquote scripture all the time (myself included!). Money, itself, isn't evil; "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." (1Timothy 6:10) And while God clearly enjoys blessing people for their obedience or their hard work, one of the dangers of prosperity theology is coming away with the impression that if you're wealthy and successful, you obviously have found favor with God. Or that if you are poor, struggling, or living in poverty, then you are obviously lazy or have done something wrong to somehow deserve it. Some of the people in the Bible who had found the most favor with God were certainly not well-off financially. Jesus' mother, Mary, is probably the most obvious example; she was chosen by God to be Jesus' mother because, among all women, she had found favor with God ... and yet she definitely wasn't blessed with money, wealth, or status. God had blessed both Jacob and Laban financially, but God had blessed Laban in spite of Laban's behavior, because of His promise to Jacob ... not because of anything Laban had done to deserve it.

Whether you are wealthy or not, have plenty or struggle financially, the bottom line is: What is going on in your heart? Who (or what) are you "worshipping" or following?

© I Lift My Voice, 2022.

Click Here to Read Part 7 of Jacob's "Great Resignation"