We now meet Laban for the first time and here we will examine Laban’s motive…
Preparing the Bride for GOD’s Story
How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? One aspect is to learn GOD’S STORY. He created us in His image…. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He has walked. And we learn His perspective.
Genesis 24:29-31
“Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, “Come in, O blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.”
Motive is everything
What do you think went through Laban’s mind when he saw the jewellery given to his sister? What do you think he made of what Abraham’s servant said to Rebekah?
From verse 27 we know the servant said when he met Rebekah, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
Was Laban moved because of the family tie between himself and Abraham? Was he moved, knowing Abraham was a very wealthy man? Was he moved because he wanted his sister to have a husband? We don’t know. But what we do know is that he showed hospitality to the stranger as soon as he learned about him.
If he saw the jewellery and thought of wealth, then greed was his motive. If he saw the jewellery and saw his sister was hopeful, then love may have been his motive. If he considered the servant’s master Abraham, then family loyalty — or family envy — may have led him to invite in the servant, in order to learn more.
Culture would play a huge part
There was prayer, reference to GOD, and reference to family.
These two strangers would have had a culture of familiarity, which would go beyond words. Showing hospitality to the stranger was as showing hospitality to Abraham himself, demonstrating courtesy, generosity and respect between the two families. This would have been the first step toward giving consent to the union between Isaac and Rebekah and the servant knew this. And he gratefully received the invitation and delivered the message entirely and without reservation.
The bottom line
We know from future stories that Laban tricked Jacob, his own nephew. We will soon learn he attempted to delay Rebekah’s departure. He certainly was not a transparent man.
But for today, I simply urge us to ponder this man’s motivation. What mattered to him most when Rebekah brought to him a servant from his uncle, Abraham?
Motivation is everything: Why we do what we do is perhaps more important than what we do. What is in our heart as we take an action matters, and it reveals a lot about who we are as people of GOD.