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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

R-E-S-P-E-C-T


In today’s reading it appears to me that Laban’s conduct had caused people to lose respect for him. In Genesis 29:13 Laban embraced and kissed Jacob. Now Jacob notes that his attitude has changed.

4 So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock. 5 He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know how hard I have worked for your father, 7 but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm.  Genesis 31:4-7

After Jacob told Rachael and Leah that God told him to “leave this country and return to the land of your birth” Laban’s daughters did not seem to mind.

14 Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us. 16 All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you.”     Genesis 31:14-16

It sounds like Laban did not handle his affairs well, wasting his money and losing respect. Jacob ran without telling Labon he was leaving out of fear.

Have you ever had a boss or someone in position over you that you submitted to out of fear instead of respect? A teacher?

What does it mean to "look respectable"?

Today’s readings: Genesis 30:25-31:55

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