Careful Even of Agreement

Scripture: Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me." Genesis 29:19

Observation: In their dealings, neither Laban nor Jacob are to be trusted. They lie and cheat each other at every turn, be it with marriages, goats, or family treasure. After knowing each other one month, this is the conversation they have ... Laban wishes to hire Jacob, Jacob names the terms (seven years for Rachel), and Laban decides it is a favorable deal.

So ... why? Why would Laban - who always has an angle when it comes to how he treats Jacob - decided that giving his youngest daughter to Jacob is better than giving her to any other man? Perhaps the answer is evident in their future dealings. Laban gets Jacob for seven years, tricks him into another seven years, coerces him into even longer, then fights are argues that Jacob can ever leave because Jacob's children are his.

Laban wants to be the patriarch of a family, and appears from the beginning to have plan for that family to never leave him. I is thus better if Jacob, his nephew, marries his daughters, because as family he might stay, and as a man with an enemy (Esau) elsewhere, he might really stay. In other words, even when agreeing to Jacob's request, Laban had a plan that is contrary to Jacob's future and to God's plan, and it came out in the last little throw-on idea of his ... stay here with me. Laban created a term that wasn't just about marriage, but about dependency.

Application: It is an interesting thought ... that someone actually agreeing to my honest request may intend something sinister. This makes understand the consequences of a request, especially any added conditions, important. When someone dishonest agrees with me, I should be wary. When someone with an agenda agrees to my agenda, I should rethink my position. When someone whom has shown themselves to be devious joins my side of the discussion, I should reconsider.

All I want is for long-term stability in my professional life. I need to be paying attention to ensure that God's plan for my life, my work aligned to that plan, and other's discussions about my work, are all on the same page.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that there are honest and good people around me. I feel there are, but I certainly want to ensure that is the case. I would like to work with these people for a long time, and contribute value to their lives. Please guide me if there is anyone to be concerned about. Amen.