As we have seen, Laban pursued Jacob and overtook him (vv. 22-55). Laban had the power to hurt Jacob, but God warned him in a dream not to do anything to him (v. 24). Although Laban could not do anything, he did what all human beings do—he complained. He expressed his anger through complaining about Jacob's fleeing (vv. 26-29). Complaining is the best way to ventilate your anger. Next, Laban accused Jacob of stealing his images (vv. 30-35), and then, after the images were not found, Jacob rebuked Laban for his mistreatment (vv. 36-42). After this, Laban was subdued and, being subtle, he changed his attitude and made a covenant of peace with Jacob. This is a good example of human diplomacy.
This chapter reveals that no man is trustworthy. In chapter twenty-seven, Jacob's mother, Rebekah, thought that Laban would be a protection and help to her beloved son, Jacob. Thus, she sent Jacob away to her brother. But consider what Laban did to Jacob. No human being, even our closest relative, is trustworthy. Never put your trust in any human being. If we realize that we are God's called ones and that we are now undergoing His process of transformation, we must realize that everything is a matter of God's hand. It is not a matter of anyone's being trustworthy. While we should not trust any human being, we should thank the Lord that everyone in our environment is under God's sovereign hand for our good. You may think that you have a faithful and trustworthy uncle. But such an uncle will not be very helpful for your transformation. As we read this chapter again and again, we can see that we should neither put our trust in anyone nor blame anyone. Whether our uncle is honest or not, we must still say, "Praise the Lord. God is sovereign. I am not in my uncle's hand, but in God's sovereign hand. Even my uncle who is not trustworthy is in God's hand for the sake of my transformation." We all need to see this and to know that nothing in our environment is trustworthy. Do not trust anything, any person, or any matter. Everything and everyone in our environment is an instrument sovereignly used by God for our transformation. If, for the sake of your transformation, you need an honest person, God will give you one. But mostly we need a Laban and cousins like Laban's sons. Do not complain, but thank God for everyone, saying, "Lord, I thank You for all my cousins. And I thank You for my uncle and even for my weaknesses." Praise the Lord that even our weaknesses are a means employed by God for our transformation.
In the scene portrayed in this chapter, the crucial person is the invisible God with His invisible hand. This chapter is not merely a story of human life; it is the revelation of the transforming God with His transforming hand. We all must see the God revealed in this chapter. The crucial character is neither Laban nor Jacob, but the hidden God who sovereignly prepares our environment for our transformation. In this chapter, God is hidden, yet He is on the alert, knowing the exact time to intervene and to speak to Jacob or to Laban. He does whatever He intends to do. Thus, the crucial person here is the sovereign, transforming God. If we see this picture, we shall rest in Him, believing that whatever we are and wherever we are, everything is all right because everything is under the sovereign hand of the transforming God.