On His Way

"On His Way"

Genesis 32:1 says, "Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him." Poor guy. He had been employed by Laban, his father-in-law, for twenty years. During his first year, he fell in love with Laban's daughter Rachel. Laban says Jacob can marry Rachel if he works for him another seven years. So Jacob does. He shows up on time, does his work, even going beyond what Jacob desired, and finally, seven years later, It is time to marry his beloved.

Unfortunately Laban is a crafty fellow (which Jacob sort of deserves, he's been pretty shrewd himself. His name even means "deceiver".) Laban slips Rachel's older sister, Leah, into the marriage tent that night. It's dark, and Jacob doesn't realize right away that the love of his life has been replaced by her older sister. The Scriptures aren't very flattering. Her name means "cow" and in contrast to Rachel who was "lovely in form, and beautiful", Leah is described as having "weak eyes." (Genesis 29:17)

Laban says that he cannot violate their family custom: the older sister must marry first. Jacob even has to work another seven years for the right to marry Rachel herself. (It is possible that he was allowed to marry her at the beginning of those next seven years.) At any rate, his time with Laban had not been very comfortable at all.

Jacob finally decides it is time for his family to leave. God even appears to him and tells him to go back to the land of his fathers and "I will be with you." (Genesis 31:3). Well, if God tells you to go, and He promises to be with you, then...smooth sailing, right? That's the way we wish it would be!

Instead, when Laban discovers Jacob, his two daughter and and all his grandchildren are gone, he sets out in anger to overcome them. He has no trouble catching up with them because there are so many in Jacob's caravan they cannot move very quickly at all. Without going into all the detail, you can imagine what that meeting was like. Laban is red-hot, his best manager is gone, his daughter are gone, and his grandchildren are gone. Jacob makes his case, and they agree to leave each other alone.

They make an agreement that sometimes is used today as a blessing. It is called the "Mizpah". Jacob and Laban set up a heap of stones and says, "The Lord watch between me and you, when we are absent from one another." It's a sweet saying for people who care about each other that may be apart for some time. But, that's not how Jacob and Laban meant it, not at all.

Jacob goes on to say "If you afflict my daughter, or if you take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you." In other words, "If you don't treat my girls right, we both agree God will deal with it!" The next morning Laban kisses his daughters goodbye and returns home.

That's when Jacob meets the angels of God! He "went on his way" and they met him. He didn't go on a long prayer retreat, didn't attend a high-powered worship convention or even a Spirit-filled Sunday worship. He simply "went on his way." Of course, we have to remember that this was because God had told him it was time to go. I'm sure when Laban appeared on the horizon Jacob wasn't sure where God might be. And when Laban confronted him, Jacob may have had more doubts.

Think about a time someone confronted you. Even if you were in the right, how did you feel once they left? For me, I get shaky, maybe a bit light-headed. And, finding that "faith place" within can be somewhat difficult. "What will become of this confrontation?" we wonder.

Jacob received assurance; God was doing exactly what He had promised. God was with him. Jacob names the place "God's Army" or "The Camp of God." We can be assured that when we are "on the way", following Jesus, that we are also walking with angels meeting us on the way. Perhaps we do not see them, or, sometimes perhaps we do. Perhaps we have seen them numerous time and simply did not know they were angels. It does not matter. God has promised to go with us as we follow Christ. And, following Jesus "on the way" we are in the middle of "The Camp of God".