Jacob's experiences as a fugitive well illustrate the homely
proverb, "The way of the transgressor is hard." He who deceived
and cheated his brother soon became the victim of deception and
fraud. Most painful of all was the ever-haunting sense of fear
because of the consequences of his wrong acts that followed him
even in his life as an exile and, like a spectre, confronted him as
he returned again to the scenes of his boyhood. These painful
experiences were probably essential to the development of Jacob's
character. Are there any other ways in which men of this type can
be led to appreciate that their ambitions are wrong? Was Laban any
more unjust or tricky in his dealing with Jacob than Jacob had been
with Esau, or than Jacob was with Laban? Note the grim humor
running through these stories. They are the type of stories that
would be especially appreciated when told by shepherds beside the
camp fire.
The most significant point in these stories is that they declare
that Jehovah's care and guidance followed the selfish deceiver even
as he fled the consequences of his own misdeeds. Why should that
divine care shield him from the consequences of his misdeeds? Do
we find such instances to-day? How do you explain them? What is
the meaning of the story of Jacob's vision at Bethel? What
promising elements did Jehovah find in Jacob's character? What
practical lessons did Jacob learn during his sojourn in Aram?
Was Jacob really a hypocrite, or did he in fact fail to see any
inconsistency between, his trickery and meanness and his worship of
Jehovah? A man may be sincere in his religious worship on Sunday
and yet cheat a neighbor on Monday. Analyze carefully the nature
of his religion.