Scripture Daily

Context No. 1149 of 4322 · Genesis

Context · Reflection

Genesis 31:31-35: in context

31Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.’ 32Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it.” For Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen them. 33Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the tent of the two female servants; but he didn’t find them. He went out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but didn’t find them. 35She said to her father, “Don’t let my lord be angry that I can’t rise up before you; for I’m having my period.” He searched, but didn’t find the teraphim.

Jacob has fled from Laban with his family, and Laban has pursued and caught up, accusing Jacob of stealing his household gods, the teraphim. Jacob, not knowing his wife Rachel took them, rashly declares that whoever has them shall not live, and invites Laban to search everything. Laban goes through the tents but does not find them, because Rachel has hidden the idols in the camel's saddle and is sitting on them, telling her father she cannot rise because she is having her period. Laban searches and finds nothing.

The unsettling detail is that Rachel, part of the covenant family, has smuggled out her father's idols and is now sitting on them, hiding them, deceiving her father to keep them. Whatever her reasons, sentiment, superstition, a claim to inheritance, she has carried the false gods of her old life into her new one, tucked away and concealed. There is a picture of the human heart in that. People leave the old life behind, journey toward the promise, and still quietly carry hidden idols, tucked out of sight, sat upon, not surrendered, brought along just in case. Rachel is physically leaving her father's house and its gods, but she cannot quite let go of the little images; she smuggles them along, hidden under her. And the hiddenness is the danger, an idol you sit on and conceal is one you have not dealt with, still there, still yours. Years later Jacob will have to call his whole household to put away their foreign gods before they worship at Bethel. The idols carried secretly along have to be surrendered eventually. The question the scene raises is what old gods we have quietly smuggled into our new life with God, hidden and unsurrendered.

What idol of my old life have I quietly carried along into my walk with God, hidden and sat upon rather than surrendered, and is it time to bring it out and let it go?

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