First part.
As Jacob prepares to go home, and is commanded by God to accomplish his purpose.
V. 1 And the words of the children of Laban came before him, saying: Jacob has brought all our father's goods to himself, and from our father's goods he has brought such riches.
(1) So far Moses has told what happened during the six years after Joseph was born. From that time on, Jacob had been thinking about how he would govern and feed his own household, which he had not been able to provide for the previous fourteen years. But after he had become the father of so many children, he was almost too slow to think about his own housekeeping. However, as he had spent the previous fourteen years with great patience under such a stingy master, he had to endure a lot of hard work.
In these six years, through the miraculous art and blessing of the Lord, he has acquired a not insignificant good. And this cannot be done without envy. For he could not keep his property secret from his father-in-law and his sons. Therefore, now that the six years are up, he wants to go back to his homeland, although he is in no hurry to do so; and perhaps he would have wanted to stay even longer, had it not been for the divine calling.
(2) But in addition to the great misery and wretchedness he suffered in Laban's house for so many years, there is now also the misfortune that Laban's children hate and envy him, and may publicly reproach him as if he had stolen all their father's goods and taken them for himself. For thus Moses says, "The speeches of the children of Laban came before him, and they said," etc. He also well saw that the face of Laban changed and that he looked all sour and unkind. Which all he saw as a sign of such a ge-
The first thing is to understand that the human being has understood the need to be alienated from him and also to be hostile to him.
(3) Hear now the great blasphemy of the children of Laban, who are allowed to move up and reproach Jacob for the goods which were his reward for the long and hard service he had rendered Laban: then you will have to say that the whole godless world is drowned in avarice in one heap. Therefore Sirach says that on earth there is nothing more evil than a stingy man. And a pagan writer, Mimus Publianus, also spoke gloriously and well: Avarus nihil recte facit, nisi cum moritur: A stingy man never does anything good, except when he dies. For thus the whole nature and all peoples unanimously agree that they have cursed and condemned the miser.
(4) For idolatry and all ungodliness is planted in their hearts, not only against strangers and those who are not related to them, but also against their own household and native friends; as is seen here in Laban, who is exceedingly wicked toward his daughters, his children's children and his son-in-law. What could be devised that is more wicked and abominable, and more worthy of cursing, than such a man who does not allow his daughters born of his womb or his wife a piece of bread? Therefore, a miser can do nothing better or more useful than when he dies. For in life he is of no use to God or to other people, or even to himself; he cannot do anything but sin against God, against people and against himself. For he never does his own body any good.
005 Therefore the children of Laban use such words, which are very great and weighty, to show their envy. "Jacob," they say, "has taken to himself all our father's goods." Do not lie to death! It is a false accusation which they magnify beyond all measure. O we poor children, they say, we are now utterly corrupt, whereupon shall we henceforth live and maintain ourselves? This one has all our father's goods
brought to himself. Now it is up to him that he will suck us dry and take and consume everything. In this way, Moses depicts Laban and his children, namely, that the children were almost like their father. He has everything, they say. And yet Jacob served fourteen years, and received no wages at all, except bread and clothing, and with that it was still very meager; the rest all fell to Laban, yes, Laban would never have come to such great goods, if Jacob had not come to him in his house, as Jacob said above (Cap. 30, 30.). After that, he never took anything from him, but with special diligence he separated the large flock of single-colored lambs from his flock of multicolored lambs, which was much smaller, and he hardly brought them together with skill and divine inspiration. Nevertheless, Laban's other flock, which was otherwise large enough, was also increased. Jacob only separated the fruit of his labor, and from it he saved up this property, which was indeed small, if one wanted to compare it with the large property of Laban.
(6) From these words of Laban's children we may know the mind and nature of the covetous. For they do not look at what they have in their hands and under their control; they do not look at the large herd, at their great rich earnings, but at the fact that Jacob has also received a little sheep from their herd; which herd he had previously tended with such great diligence for so many years, and only demanded a part of the herd as a reward for his work. They look at this with great pain and envy. How could Laban give him anything more than that, since he begrudged him and did not like to give him what was rightfully due to the servant by virtue of the contract they had faithfully made with each other? Yes, it is such a shameful, poisonous thing about avarice, which does not let itself be satisfied with it, even if it could devour everything alone; but also wants to have the others all starve, hunger, and be so poor.
612 n. vm.". 7. interpretation of Genesis 31, 1. w. n, ssr-sss. 613
and disgrace: he cannot be satisfied if he has all his income and treasures freely, without any hindrance, unless he sees that others have nothing at all.
(7) Now envy is a very just punishment for avarice. For since the miser desires that other people should live in want, he has no need of his own goods; as the saying of Jerome testifies, when he says in the preface to the Bible: Avaro tam deest, quod habet, quam quod non habet, that is, A miser lacks both what he has and what he does not have. So that some poor man lives better from his daily bread than the miser from all his income. I myself saw a master at the University of Erfurt who had a great deal of good, but who was such an exceedingly meager person that he would not have drunk a goblet of wine for the health of his body even in a whole year. What is more miserable in a man than that one in such great wealth should still thirst, hunger and starve, and after that still be plagued with such evil desire that he wishes that the others should all be poor, and he must always grieve and sigh over it when he sees that another has even one florin that is his own. See then whether avarice is not the most abominable of all abominations?
006 And this avarice and envy of the children of Laban surpasseth all other examples. For Jacob, the good and pious man, has served so long with great labor, misery and suffering, and has fed his wife and child with his sour sweat, and has not increased his own goods, but the house and the herd of Laban, and has made them rich; and yet he still has to suffer and hear that he is blasphemed and falsely accused, that they say of him, "He has taken all our father's goods to himself. Truly this example and the name of Laban are worthy to be made into a proverb, as the name of Euclio has become a proverb to indicate great inordinate avarice. For how much did Jacob spend during those six years with
of his art now? He would certainly have been worthy of much more. But what do we think Laban would have given his son-in-law for such faithful and long service if this contract had not been made between them? He would have given him the very thing that Jacob will later say: "You would have left me empty and poor"; or he would have had to remain a servant forever, from whose work and misery Laban might have benefited and enjoyed as before.
(9) For we see how their necks are open for this possession of Jacob's, and how they magnify it in a hostile manner. As if to say, What would Jacob have if he were without our father's goods? He would be a poor beggar and a stranger. But why do they not rather say, "What would our father have had if Jacob had not come here to us? For what Laban's property had been, Jacob indicated above (Cap. 30, 30.), when he said, "You had little before I came here." His daughter Rachel tended the cattle and the small flock; he had no need of a shepherd or any servant, because the flock was so small. But they turn this around and ask, "What did Jacob bring with him when he came to us? He came in empty, naked and bare, so he may go away again. Yes, where shall he then wait for the reward for his faithful service, which he has now rendered to this house for twenty years? He has earned nothing at all, they will have said, for he is a servant in bondage: but we are born free, and are children in the house. Therefore let us make use of the goods which Jacob has acquired, and cast him out, poor and needy, or else he may serve us for nothing. For they thought that they would demand this service from him by right, and that he would owe them the same, and that there was no right to think of any reward. Yes, they thought that it was not due to a servant that he should have such a great and glorious good.
10. for this reason they use a son-
derful name, in Hebrew kabad, which actually means heavy. But metaphorically it means honor. So it says above Cap. 13, 1. 2.: "Abraham went up out of Egypt, and was very rich in cattle, silver and gold" etc. Thus it is said: The land is weighed down with theury, pestilence etc., item: Pharaoh's heart has become heavy. And by this is meant that the things are there, and that it is not empty and vain things. Hence it is transferred that it is also called honor; for money and goods and where one has everything in full, that brings honor and great splendor. For this reason the children of Laban are envious and say, "He has brought about all this weight out of our possessions, that is, these great and glorious possessions. They do not mean to say, He has received a fruit, an inheritance, possessions or goods of his own; but they say enviously and blasphemously, as it is written in Hebrew. As if to say, "He came here to us as a poor beggar, but he has accumulated very great goods in our house.
(11) This, therefore, should be read a little more diligently (for it seems as if the Scriptures intended to give a true description of avarice in this example), namely, that avarice is a world and the epitome of all shame and vice, and that an avaricious man is one who does not grant anything good either to God or to himself; for what does not serve him for his benefit he can make great in a hostile way, and he is sorry that he cannot enjoy it. Therefore that which is said of ungrateful men, Omnia convicia dixeris, si ingratum dixeris: If you reproach an ungrateful man, you have reproached him with being guilty of all sins: this may be said much more cheaply of a stingy man. For ingratitude is such a sin, as one neglects to do that which he ought to do (sin of omission), but avarice is a sin, as one does what he ought not to do (sin of commission). It is such a sin that one practices abominable tyranny. For this reason, this sin far surpasses the others, so that it does great harm to the whole community and to the people in particular.
V. 2 And Jacob looked upon the face of Laban; and, behold, it was not against him, as it was yesterday and yesterday.
(12) The first reason Jacob went out of Laban's house is that Laban's children complained about him and accused him falsely. The other cause is that he sees that the face of Laban has changed against him. For the father had just such envy and avarice in him as the children hold: he cannot look upon the goods of his son-in-law without great envy and pain. For he has desired that Jacob should only ever be poor and a servant, that he should enjoy his misery and wretchedness. He does not see that he had already grown and become rich through Jacob's good deeds, and that he now needed many shepherds for such a large flock instead of one daughter; but that his son-in-law and his daughters have one or two sheep, lambs or goats, he sees this well and is sorry for him; he is not happy about it, as he was before, since he alone grew and increased, and since Jacob did not provide for his own property at all.
013 And it came to pass, when the Lord was displeased and angry, that the children and the rest of the company turned their faces toward him, and looked sore upon Jacob. And the same have envied and grudged their sisters Leah and Rachel, where they would touch with the little finger any thing that belonged to Laban's estate. They often invented false accusations and abusive words and laid them on poor Jacob, who was hated by the father of the house; therefore everything in the house was disgusting, annoying and dangerous to him. And this envy and hatred did not last only one or two months, but it is true that it began soon in the second or third year, as soon as Jacob began to grow and increase in goodness.
014 Now what can be more grievous and miserable to a man, than that he should deal with such servants, when the father of the house, and the children, and the menservants, and the maidservants, look sore, and rage, and are always angry? And yet Jacob has lived out the six years.
held. Finally, however, he thought, "It is time for me to leave this house, now that the six years are over in which I have been burdened with great hatred and many bitter false accusations; although he is not in a hurry, he would not have left even then; but he has been commanded by divine order to return to his homeland.
V. 3 And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto thy fathers' country, and to thy friendship; and I will be with thee.
(15) From this passage it may be seen how much toil and affliction Jacob suffered, since necessity required that the Lord look upon him and deliver him from this anguish and distress. For God does not speak in vain, and does not speak His word to those who are secure in heart and without temptation, but to those who need it, who are in need, who are weary and afflicted, who are in a hard struggle against the flesh, and against all that is seen, that is, against all that is contrary to faith according to human sense and reason, Heb. 11, that the afflicted hearts may hold to the one consolation of the divine word and be sustained thereby. "Wisdom is not found in the land of the living," says Job in 28 Cap. 13. V.13. For it is a word of the cross, and since one is even despondent and gives up everything. Therefore it belongs only to those who have been afflicted, killed and despised, who are despondent and even afflicted, as Jacob was in his misery with his unjust and stingy father-in-law, who would give him nothing and tried to take everything from him, and even to oppress and rob him, His children also vexed and tormented him fiercely, and all of them were concerned that they would keep him in bondage forever, that he would have to be indebted to them, and that they would only become rich through his sweat, toil and labor.
(16) In such anguish the Lord speaks to him, knowing nothing else to hold on to but faith and prayer; and since he is of all men, he is of all men.
is hindered and hated, the Lord takes care of him and strengthens him in his intention to leave and commands him to leave the servants and the house that was so hostile to him and his wives and to take care of his own house. With these words God indicates and testifies that the whole life and all the works of the patriarch Jacob are pleasing to Him.
For this reason, this text should be diligently remembered. For the holy Scriptures not only preach great and high miracles, but also testify that God takes care of the little things and things concerning the house government, which is, as it were, one of the greatest miracles and a sign of God's special grace and favor. And this comfort has been repeated many times above and also in all the holy Scriptures, and shall be repeated many times more; for he who believes as Jacob does shall be sure that God will take care of all his thoughts and all his footsteps, not otherwise than as if God had nothing more to do than to protect and govern him. For Moses preaches nothing here about the kingdom of Egypt or Babylon, nor about the whole world: he only tells how Jacob was afflicted and challenged, and how he prepared himself to return to his homeland. Therefore, we must not be anxious and distressed about the way in which the kingdoms and dominions of the world are governed; rather, we should thank God that we know that He cares for us so carefully that He also knows everything that we do, suffer and think.
But all people must be especially certain that they are God's people or members of the church. This faith is necessary above all else, which must firmly grasp this syllogism, so that it can conclude: All God's people are blessed, holy, pleasant and pleasing to God, so that they cannot be torn out of God's hand: but we are God's people: therefore it certainly follows that God also cares for us. The upper sentence is quite certain and true. For even the death and blood of the saints is held worthy in the sight of God, and all that they do and suffer is pleasing to God. Yes, the
Even more, their faults and sins are covered and forgiven, as Psalm 32:1 testifies.
(19) But of the base there is still the question. For the Turk, the pope and the Jews also boast that they are God's people, and that they are pleasing and pleasant to Him. Therefore, we must take care that we may be certain of the same thing, namely, that we are God's people, that we belong to the herd and people of God, under the one Shepherd Christ. If you can conclude this firmly and with certainty, then you are already blessed. Therefore be of good cheer, fear not, nor be dismayed, though the whole world break and fall in a heap; for thou art assured that thou art under the Shepherd, who is one Lord of heaven and earth.
(20) But it is very difficult, even for the sheep of Christ and for the godly themselves, that they should applaud this sentence. For one must always be in battle against doubt and unbelief: such a great and difficult thing is faith. But the Turk, the Jews and the Papists do not feel this struggle, nor do they argue, but want to be certain of it and boast with all certainty that they are God's people without any doubt. Therefore, the godly need to be constantly comforted so that they can believe this subordinate sentence, namely, that they are certainly God's people. For so you will not lack the supersentence. For the Holy Spirit testifies with this and many other examples that God's people are pleasing to God even in the least and worst things and works. For He will work all things through you; He will milk the cows through you and perform the smallest servant works through you, and all that you do will be equally pleasing and acceptable to Him, both the greatest and the smallest.
(21) But with what arguments shall one prove the subordinate clause? How can I know for sure that I belong to God's people? Before the birth of Christ, the fathers had the promise, the word and the voice of God; they also had the sign of circumcision. Now we have the keys, baptism, the Lord's Supper and the promise of the Lord.
From this you shall take arguments and proof, so that you may be sure that you are a Christian and baptized, and that you live in a holy and godly profession: see that you do not blaspheme the word, but love it, and serve God in some honest office. If this is engraved in your heart and is firmly fixed in it, even though you have to fight against doubt, you should nevertheless assume and conclude that you are the one whose works are all pleasing to God, and that he also takes care of them. You should therefore think: I will follow my calling, I will do servants' works, masters' works and children's works with Jacob; for I know that all this will be held honest and worthy before God our Lord.
22 This must always be repeated for the sake of the constant struggle against doubt. For our senses and reason are often confronted with the opposite, different from the word and the divine consolation. The flesh feels many other things, so that the godly are led to believe that everything is quite contrary, since the godless have great happiness, but they are sorrowful and miserable. Therefore faith belongs to the things which are not seen, until the truth of the promise is proved in the end. And for this cause the Lord speaks again to Jacob, not only to comfort him, but also to strengthen and help him in the battle in which he has undoubtedly been hard.
023 But mark diligently what the Lord saith unto Jacob, Return, saith he, unto thy fathers' land. As if to say, "You have suffered long enough and much with that miserly boy who has robbed and maltreated you greatly. Therefore go and become a householder in your father's land. This is the voice of God, that he may comfort and direct Jacob. But since he has received the comfort, he gets courage and may now do what he otherwise would never have dared to do. He is now so bold that he is allowed to leave the house secretly, without the knowledge of his father-in-law and his father's children, with his wife and children and everything he has.
024 But because the word commanded him to do so, he feared not, but went in the name of the Lord. For these are the words of God, which deliver Jacob from fear, and promise him that he will protect him henceforth. Go, says the Lord, and take all that you have and go to your own country. Yes, but Laban will follow me, Jacob might have said, and drag me again into slavery; for he is strong and mighty, has many friends and relatives, I will not be able to get away secretly or unharmed. As it happened afterward, when Laban hastened after him as one that had escaped, and as a thief, and threatened to slay him. Therefore the Lord says, "I will be with you"; even if all the devils are with Laban against you, I will still be with you; let him come here.
(25) It is indeed a great thing that Jacob was able to believe this word. But he was a well-trained man in the faith and was tested by many trials, and yet he also had his weakness. Just as the other fathers sometimes grew weary through so much trial and struggle, they always regained their courage and grew stronger, and this change was always with them, so that they were now challenged and then again comforted.
Second part.
How Jacob talks about his plans with his wives and how the wives behave.
(vv. 4-9) Then Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field by his flock, and said unto them: I see your father's face, that it is not against me, as yesterday and yesterday: but the God of my father is with me. And ye know that I have served your father out of all my strength. And he hath deceived me, and now ten times changed my reward; but God hath not forgiven him.
that he might do me harm. When he said, "The colored ones will be your reward," the whole herd wore colored ones. And when he said, The blasted shall be thy reward, then the whole host bare blasted. So God took your father's goods from him and gave them to me.
026 I wonder what was the cause of Jacob's not conversing with his wives in the house and in the tabernacles; for he was the son in law and the husband of his daughters. Therefore he was able to talk to the servants and his wives in the house from time to time and tell them his intention. Perhaps Laban and his children forbade him to enter the house, so that he could not go into his wives' houses; therefore he called them to come out to him into the field, where he was feeding his and his father-in-law's flocks. No doubt Laban was suspicious, so he did not like Jacob talking to his wives, lest he lead them away from the house. Whatever the case, it can be seen that Moses wanted to indicate that Laban had an evil, suspicious heart.
(27) How was this so great wickedness, that he should so soon annul the covenant, seeing that Jacob had increased a little in the estate? What can we think, that he has stolen and usurped the previous fourteen years, because he is now so wickedly and violently changing the contract and covenant? The Holy Spirit tells this with diligence so as to magnify Laban's wickedness and avarice. For he changed the covenant they made with each other when and as often as he pleased. When he saw that the flocks were carrying multicolored lambs, he said when the lambs were young, "I will have the multicolored ones fall to me from now on. But again, when he saw that the lambs were of one color, since Jacob had not laid any staffs, he chose the white or the black sheep. So he deceived Jacob's art, and deceived him every year; yea, even every half year that-
because in six years he changed Jacob's wages ten times. In the first year he kept the contract, but in the other five years he changed it ten times.
028 This was very unreasonable. Therefore Jacob thought, "What shall you do with this man? I will not be able to do any good here; therefore I will go away and let this most wicked man go. And this is an example of excellent faith and great patience in Jacob, who was able to suffer and endure this. It would have been of no use to him at all, neither the contract with his father-in-law, nor even the art he had used, since Laban changed the contract so often and according to his liking, if the divine blessing had not come to it; as he says: "God has not allowed him to harm me," God has saved me and increased my host; yes, "he has taken your father's goods from him and given them to me.
29 And the word: "He took it from him" has a special emphasis. He does not simply say: God has taken it from him; but says: "snatched it from him". As in the 142nd Psalm v. 7. it says, "Deliver me from my persecutors." So Jacob also says: God has saved me and helped me. And the Holy Spirit wants to make it understood that these goods rightfully belonged to Jacob and his wives, given to them by God's blessing and acquired with their labor. For he had served him fourteen years and had been deceived ten times in those six years. Therefore the Scriptures say that the things which were due to Jacob and his servants were stolen and taken by force. God had to do this with power: my art and cunning, which God showed me and granted me, would not have helped anything if God had not, with special power and force, saved your father's property and set it free, as one sets a prisoner free; which property he had previously taken from our throats by force. All this that he had was ours; and that we now have, I did not acquire with my art or skill, but we have it by divine power and might.
get. For God has taken it from the fist of this murderer and knave with a mighty hand. This is what Moses meant by the word jazzel, namely, that the Lord blessed Jacob by taking away Laban's goods and giving them to him. For so is the hand of the Lord with his saints, that he may protect and deliver them from the deceit and wickedness of the wicked.
V. 10-13. For when the time of the race came, I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the goats leaped upon the multicolored and spotted herd. And the angel of God said unto me in a dream, Jacob. And I answered, Here am I. And he said, Lift up thine eyes, and, behold, the goats leap upon the multicolored, speckled, and variegated field: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the stone and made a vow to me there. Now arise, depart from this land, and return to the land of thy friendship.
These words are spoken synecdochically. And because Moses speaks so briefly, it can be seen that they read as if Jacob had seen nothing in the dream, but only the single-colored goats jumping. Therefore, the text must be understood not collectively, but distributively, that is, in one run he saw the goats jumping on the single-colored ones, in the other run on the multi-colored ones. And one must take the part for the whole. For he meant all the rams among the sheep and goats: when he said, this time you shall have the akuddim, that is, the spotted ones, the sheep bore akuddim, spotted lambs, and so also of the other kinds. For it is like that which he said above (v. 8), "When he said, 'The colored ones shall be your reward,' the whole flock bore colored ones"; but when he gave me the black or white lambs, the flock also bore black or white ones. Thus he wants to indicate that God was with him, helped him and miraculously prevented Laban's deceit and trickery.
31 But it can be seen that Moses wanted to bring another proof with this,
to prove the miserliness of Laban, namely, that the miser Nabal, as if he had a special privilege, and not by contract, took all the lambs and goats of one color, in which course they were born, and then left Jacob only one kind of the colored lambs. If many colored ones fell in this run, which he had previously given to his son-in-law, he kept the colored ones for himself in the other run, when he saw that the flocks had borne many of them. So he always made a change and change, and in each run, when the herds had carried, he did not give him more than one kind of the colored ones, the others all he kept. Therefore, it took a special power of God to somewhat prevent Laban's great avarice, which was so great that it surpassed even all treacherous robbery.
032 But God hath comforted me, saith Jacob, in that he hath sent his angel to strengthen me in my hard fight, and in that I was grieved because of the great wickedness of my father in law, and to say thus unto me: Laban deceives you and does you wrong, because he leaves you nothing but the lambs that are sprinkled; but the Lord has blessed you, so that all the lambs in the whole flock have become sprinkled. The next year, he said, the multicolored lambs would fall to me; but the angel comforted me again, saying, "The whole flock will now bear multicolored lambs, so that the one kind that Laban leaves for you alone will surpass the others in number and quantity. And more than that, the flock shall bear such lambs as he hath given thee of the one kind of multicolored lambs.
(33) And if God had not helped Jacob in this way and restored his poverty, Laban would not have left him anything. For it is a great tyranny and against all fairness that he allowed him to take only one kind of the whole herd, contrary to the agreement they had made with each other. For this reason, Laban is portrayed here once again as an atrocious, evil man.
cursed robber and tyrant against his daughters, children and son-in-law.
34 The Hebrew word beruddim we did not have above, but it comes from the word barock, which means to hail. From which derivation it can easily be understood what the meaning of this word is. For as the word nekuddim means having one or two spots; so beruddim means the sheep sprinkled with many small spots, as it were hailing with spots, that I speak thus, in German, scheckicht. As Virgil describes the he-goats, which have small white spots, since he says: Capreoli sparsis etiam nunc pellibus albi; that is, the he-goats are still white even now with speckled skins. The same word is also in the prophet Zechariah in the 6th chapter v. 2. 3. in the vision of the four chariots; there were red horses, foxes, in the first chariot; black in the second chariot; white horses, in Hebrew lebanim, in the third chariot; and strong horses, in Hebrew beruddim, in the fourth chariot. In 1 Cap. V. 8. is another name, in Hebrew serukkim, from the word sorek, which means the very best vine, a brown vine. Serukkim are the roses, which are not red or black, but chestnut-brown, in Latin spadices, as the grapes are on the vines. Beruddim, however, means in German, apfelgrau, mold; for on their loins one sees such spots, as apples or mirrors are shaped.
14-16 Then answered Rachel and Leah, and said unto him, We have neither part nor inheritance left us in our father's house. For he hath kept us as strangers, because he hath sold us, and eaten up our wages: therefore God hath taken away his riches from our father unto us, and unto our children. Do therefore all that God has said to you.
35 After Jacob's lamentation now follows also that which Rachel and Leah lamented. For it is godly and right for a mother to take care of her children and provide for them. For according to God's commandment, this is the duty of a housewife or wife, to help her husband feed and bring up his children, that is, to take care of them.
They have to govern and provide for the house. However, these two women complain pitifully about the cruelty of their father, who is now already the mother of twelve children, and yet their miserly and unjust father deprives them of everything they needed to feed and maintain such a large family. Perhaps he will also have given them the bread and milk unwillingly and miserably, because he has taken everything they had acquired with their work, and yet they have had no convenient time to complain about their misery and wretchedness. For they were not allowed to do or say anything without the knowledge and will of the father.
036 Therefore they say, "We have neither part nor inheritance left in our father's house. As if to say, "What shall we do here? We have a large family, two maids and twelve children, but our father does not provide anything for them. He does not give us a penny; he treats us as if we were strangers who have nothing left of our father's goods and inheritance.
This seems to be contrary to the reverence that the daughters should show to their father. For it is a too harsh and bitter speech. To this, then, one must answer: "Dear, to whom is the property and inheritance in the house due? Is it not true that it belongs to the daughters? And even if they do not have the whole inheritance, they should still have the hope that they will get some part of it. But now the father, say these women, holds himself against us in such a way that we have nothing at all to hope for and expect from him: the longer we stay here, the harder and more cruelly we are driven around and plagued with such servitude, which lasts for ever and ever; which is therefore also so much more unmistakable, because he gives us no wages at all, but also appropriates and consumes the money and goods that we have acquired with our work. And not only does he deprive us of the portion and inheritance that is rightfully ours, but he has also sold us as if we were in bondage, has not given us any dowry at all; but he requires that we be paid for our work.
And he taketh away from us that which we have spared, which is not done to maidens and servants.
(38) These are truly wretched complaints, and yet it seems as if the words are somewhat harsher than is fitting for daughters. They do not seem to hold their parents in honor, because they speak of their father in such an ungodly and abominable way, and that is almost as if he should be a child murderer; for it is commanded by God in the fourth commandment that we should honor our parents and adorn them with words and deeds. But what more abominable thing could be said than this, that these women complain: The father does not hold us like his daughters; he does not love the children born of his flesh and body, nor does he want to know them; he has no natural inclination, as parents have inclination and natural love for their children; which inclination is implanted in all men by nature. There are many examples of this in this life and in the histories of all nations: indeed, it is said in the first book of Kings in chapter 3, v. 16 ff. of a harlot who quarreled with another woman before King Solomon over a child: "Her maternal heart was inflamed over her son," for she would rather miss the fruit of her womb than see her child killed. Yes, such inclination is very natural in man; and that is still more, it is also implanted in the unreasonable animals; which animals, the wilder and more ferocious they are, the more they rage and rage because of such inclination and love for their young. The wolves, bears, lions and pigs fight fiercely and quite furiously for their young. Nature is so exceedingly powerful.
(39) Is it not an abominable thing that avarice should change, not an unreasonable animal, but a man who has a very delicious nature, so that he should forget all natural inclination and love for his children? And this hideous monster, the avarice to Laban, could not have been scourged more fiercely, for since the good pious matrons, his own daughters, complain that they are born of this father, and yet he does not treat them like his daughters, they are not born of him.
must be kept. For this shows that avarice completely overcomes and destroys the natural inclination and love of parents toward their children. And they clearly prove the same when they say: "He has sold us and eaten up our wages.
40 This is truly against nature. For it is natural for a father to provide his daughters, who are a weak female sex, with food and clothing; and not only with this, but also with the dowry, with the inheritance and other necessities. Yes, even the little birds and other unreasonable animals follow nature in this finely, make nests, protect and nourish their young. Laban does not do this, but keeps his daughters like strange maids, so that they must complain that the maids are better off than they are. For it is fitting, according to all rights, both divine and human, that a maidservant should also receive her wages and food for her work.
(41) They say that nothing is given to us, but we are not kept as maidservants, but as if we were strangers, as if he were not our father and we were not his daughters. This is the end of the fourth commandment. For what is there in Laban that is fatherly and worthy of honor? He is a beast, an unreasonable animal and a hideous monster. How could you honor him as a father who does not want to be a father, nor does he dignify you to consider you his son, but has abandoned all reason and natural paternal inclination and even becomes a tyrant?
The good, pious matrons had to endure and suffer this tyranny for a whole twenty years. I would never have thought that a man by his nature could have fallen into such horrible nonsense, if the holy scriptures did not testify to it. He has sold us," they say, "that is, he has given us to you for your work and all the goods you have acquired for him, and it has been well with us by the grace of God that we have found such a buyer who provides for us, nourishes us and protects us. But cursed be he who sold us. Dear Jacob, you have had to serve for our sake, and everything that you have acquired in fourteen years with your very sour labor, you have
must give for us. If we had not met such a godly and benevolent buyer, we would have died of hunger, or else he would have grown tired of service and poverty and would have run away, abandoning us and his father-in-law.
This is truly a very harsh and outrageous complaint, the like of which you will hardly find. For it is an unbelievable thing that a man should thus change his nature and become not only an unreasonable animal, but even a hideous monster and wonder of nature. This is what is commonly said: When an angel becomes a devil, he becomes evil; and that the devil, precisely because he has fallen away from such a noble and angelic nature, has become so corrupt and evil. So also a chaste virgin, when she has once forfeited her virginal chastity, is afraid of nothing, but becomes quite insolent to do all kinds of shame. So, if a Christian becomes an apostate, no greater enemy of the church and true religion will be than he is.
44 The same happened to Laban. Since he surrendered to avarice and mammon service, he lost the common sense that not only humans but also all unreasonable animals have, and that is planted in nature. From a father he has become a tyrant and murderer of his own daughters. For they say, He hath given us nothing at all, not a hair, not a morsel of bread; and the reward which he promised thee he hath changed tenfold. All that we have, what we are with our body and life, we may thank all of it completely to our buyer, who feeds and sustains us with his work. Yes, that is even more and more gruesome, "he has consumed our goods." Our husband has given for us his very hard service, which he rendered for fourteen years; but he has not been satisfied with that, he has had to take and consume above that also the fruit and the reward for our labor. What we have received for our and our husband's work, he enjoys and uses for his benefit.
(45) Now thou mayest ask, Whether these daughters of Laban have sinned also in that they thus speak evil of their father, and say so much evil of him. I will not praise it, but will gladly admit that there is a weakness and impatience in them, yes, that it is a sin of the saints, but which is nevertheless forgiven and tolerated. For what good can be said of a dog? I myself would truly also say: How dog-like my father keeps me, how wolf-like! etc.; he treats me no differently than a dog. Nothing human can be said of such canine ferocity.
46 Nevertheless, they did not tell this to strangers, but only secretly reported it to their husbands, to whom they complained without sin because of the hardship they had suffered. It is truly to be pitied that our father has so completely abandoned all kind and fatherly love toward us, they say, that he not only asks nothing of us, but also takes away and consumes what we have earned with our work. No one will be able to excuse, praise or defend these vices, but he will have to punish and rebuke them much more cheaply, so that others will learn to recognize and flee this shameful example.
47 Although we must confess that this story, in which the daughters of Laban complain so vehemently about the vices of their father, is a weakness of the flesh and of the weak female sex, nevertheless, if the truth is to be told, Laban is a real dog and an example that everyone should curse and flee.
(48) Again, these daughters of Laban, in their sadness, wretchedness and misery, comfort themselves with God's grace and goodness, to whom they attribute that He has given them all the possessions and goods that they now have. If the Lord, they say, had not been with us and helped us, there would be no more wretched women on earth than we. They recognize and praise this benefit of God with grateful hearts, namely, that God has not abandoned them in such great misery and poverty, but has abundantly restored everything that the father had stolen from them. Praise be to God,
they say, who has heard our groans and counted our tears. All the goods that God took from our father are now ours and our children's.
049 Therefore they speak their mind concerning the complaint which Jacob made concerning the violence of his father-in-law, and concerning the journey which he made, saying, All things whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. As if to say: You must not be afraid of this, as if you had these possessions wrongfully and were taking them with you. It is just as you said, "God took your father's goods from him and gave them to me." So they repeat the same word that Jacob used above (v. 9). As if they wanted to say: "These goods, which God has given you by a special miracle, have been caught under the hand and power of mammon and the avarice of our father; he owed them to us according to divine and human law: but through his wickedness it has happened that neither you nor we have had them until now, although you had acquired them with your work for these twenty years, until God finally came and released these goods or snatched them from the miserly, unjust master and gave them to us.
(50) Now this example rhymes very well with the deed which the children of Israel did when they robbed the Egyptians. For the Lord commanded them, as it is written in Exodus 11:2, 3: "Speak now before the people, and let every man demand of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, vessels of silver and of gold: for the Lord will give the people favor in the sight of Egypt," that they should lend them the vessels. And so they robbed the Egyptians, namely, since the Lord had loosed the goods that were as it were captives, the silver and the gold from Egypt, and had stolen them from the Egyptians. They robbed them not out of their own lust and desire, but according to the divine will and command, who wrested the goods from the Egyptians and robbed them of them, when he commanded through Moses that they should demand such goods from the Egyptians and go away with them. For they owe you your wages, he says, for the work you have done for so many years. You have served them in vain and
They have not given you anything in return; therefore I will now repay you, and what they have taken from you and reserved for you I will take from them and give back to you as your deserved reward.
(51) And this is an image of all the benefits that God shows to His church and community to nourish and sustain them. Poor Lazarus lies at the rich man's door and suffers hunger. In the same way, the poor church in the world is also afflicted and afflicted, and must starve. The pious, godly priests and church servants must suffer hunger with their wives and children, or if they have something, the envy and malice of men is so great that they desire to take it from them and to steal it, rightly and wrongly, as they can and may. And often, if they can do so with any semblance of success, they also rob the church servants and take away the spiritual goods that belong to the parishes, so that it can be said with truth that everything the church has, it has against the will of the devil and the world, and that the devil and the world oppose it in this, and hinder it with force, with cunning and deceit, wherever they can and may. What she has is like a robbery that God takes from the world by force. For the citizens and peasants are not worthy to have lenient hands to nourish and maintain the church and school ministry; but all the goods that they give to it are like a plunder that God has snatched and taken from the jaws of wolves and from the claws of lions.
52 We see how the authorities and their servants, as tax officials and bureaucrats, deal with the parish priests in an inequitable and shameful manner: when they complain about their need and poverty, they immediately reproach them and say: The priests are stingy. And where some at courts and in cities discover and find new arts of robbing the parishes and of oppressing the poor priests or ecclesiastics, they are praised because they are so thrifty and can keep everything well in hand. And such fellows come to great honors only because they can scold and press the ecclesiastics.
If any of the rich are admonished that they want to help poor students to their studies, help God, how it has so much trouble and work with it! One should need to be as eloquent as Pericles was, that you may obtain just a little, which is still given reluctantly enough, and with reluctance and great pride. Therefore we may fairly say that we live by robbery, so that God may rob the world against its will and since it is hard against Him. For people are not worthy that they should help and steer to nourish and maintain the poor, miserable, afflicted church with it.
54 At present, we learn that some princes are mild and benevolent, who gladly give what they can; as the most noble, highborn prince, Duke Johannes Friederich, Elector of Saxony, does. And yet, in this and other countries, there are many birds of prey, namely, the officials and tax collectors, who are so envious and evil that you can barely obtain from their hands, with great effort and work, what the prince has given with his lenient hand to maintain the church servants with it. So we live simply from robbery, not according to our lust and desire, but according to divine grace and fatigue, which miraculously snatches such robbery from the hands of the birds of prey, so that the churches and schools may be preserved, and that the servants of the same may not even pine away and die of hunger. Now this is a divine robbery, as in this place these matrons say of their goods.
(55) But he who desires to get rich from the church or preaching ministry must not punish or reproach the vices and sins, neither of the common people, nor of the great merchants, tax collectors, and officials; but he must be able to pretend and flatter their avarice, and must say what is gladly heard. But those who are pious, pure teachers, who serve the church or school with good and Christian zeal, are hated and despised by everyone, and will never become rich. For the Laban brothers give neither of their own nor of other people's property.
56. it often happens that some abi-
melech fed Abraham or Isaac, as we have just heard (Cap. 20, 14. ff.), but the others are all enemies of the church. It also often happens that a country has one or two pious and godly tax officials, but the others are Labanites who think that the priests and church servants are not worthy to live an hour or two or to eat a morsel of bread. And they do not conceal their judgments, but say publicly: In villages and towns one cannot do without a shepherd or a sheepherder, or even a guard or a city servant; but one does not need a parish priest or a schoolmaster at all. For this reason, many pious men are currently plagued by birds of prey. For they often cannot obtain their salary without great effort and work from those who are appointed to collect the church goods, because the same ones also give them unwillingly what they have not given for it.
Therefore let us learn to suffer and endure such violence, injustice and envy with patience, and let us recognize the wonderful government of God, who feeds and nourishes us as he fed Jacob when he served Laban. From time to time he gives us some pious, godly tax official or magistrate who does something good, because otherwise all the others envy and resist us.
(58) Now Moses tells how these two wives put up with Jacob's opinion and that Jacob had stolen the goods from his miserly father-in-law. Such a deed, I say, they vowed, and admonished their husband that he should only continue: "All that God has told you," they say, "do. This also happened out of the special kindness of God, for Jacob's comfort, namely, that he had the consent of his dear wives, who otherwise had no other help or comfort except their husband. And their father had dealt with them in such a way that they wanted and desired nothing more than to leave their father's house. All their wills and feelings were in agreement against the cruel, tyrannical father, and they were glad that they had the opportunity to leave their father's house.
that they may depart. My dear Jacob, they said, we have long since seen your miserable hard service, and have desired that you should have led us away much sooner; for we are certain that God is with you, and what you have said is God's word and command. Therefore, as soon as you always can, see that you follow the command of God.
(59) As I said before, it is a dangerous thing for a man to leave his father-in-law's house and take his wives, children, and flock with him against the will of such a tyrant. And Jacob would certainly never have submitted to such a thing if he had not had the word; even though he may have discussed with his wives beforehand how they could be delivered from such a prison and dungeon. For when he saw that Laban had so often changed the covenant, it occurred to him that he feared lest soon afterward he should find some occasion or pretext to deprive him of all his goods; as Jacob will afterwards signify, saying, "Thou wouldest have let me go empty."
(60) For as envious and covetous men are wont to do, so Laban will doubtless have often thought to himself: Behold, I see that this man is becoming rich and increasing in his goods against my will; and this is going on secretly and wonderfully: I will have to invent something, so that I may bring him into the former service and take possession of this army. And because Laban had such great desire and lust to deprive Jacob of his goods, Jacob does not venture to leave this prison without great danger, especially with so large a family and so many obstacles to take with him. But he dares to go in the name of the Lord, and his wives also go with him for the word's sake: for the Lord hath said, I have seen how Laban hath done thee violence and wrong; but I have gathered all thy tears into one sack: go thou therefore always, for I have commanded thee, and will also preserve thee.
61. he certainly held on to this comfort
He was able to rely on it, which was otherwise difficult and dangerous in itself according to human advice or discretion. For since Laban was in pursuit of him, he could not only have taken away all his goods, but also punished him for secretly taking away his daughters. But the command of God breaks through all this and makes his wives follow him with good will despite all obstacles. Afterwards Laban rages and chases after him for seven days, but all in vain. Jacob takes with him the plunder that God had given him, so the retreat and all the tit is good and holy.
Third part.
How Jacob sets out on his journey and goes away; and how Rachel steals Laban's idols, but Jacob steals his heart.
V.17, 18: So Jacob arose, and loaded his children and his wives upon camels. And he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance, which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, to come unto Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.
62 Thus the text confirms again that the goods of Jacob were a right divine robbery and a deserved reward for the work, so Jacob had done. For he does not call it robbery or theft, but he calls it his goods or possessions, clothes, gold, silver, earth. This is all yours, the women have said; it is such a robbery, so given and bestowed upon you by God, that you take it out of the mouth of the stingy hound of hell (Cerberus), as if it were stolen and robbed, even though it is your own possessions and goods.
63 But the text adds, "That he might come to Isaac his father. As if Moses wanted to say: He did not want to flee as one who wanted to kidnap his daughters, or otherwise as a thief or murderer; but he undertook such a journey, for which he had good reason and right, namely, that he wanted to go to his father, because he wanted to live more safely and peacefully, and to give all those who
accuse him in court and sue him for theft, whether Laban or others, whoever they might be, could answer and tell about his journey and also about all his goods; since it could be seen that it would be unjust to leave secretly and to take away all his cattle and goods against Laban's will.
So we can also use the spoils of this world with a good conscience, although we must take the food from the claws of the birds of prey, the world and the devil. For they are hostile to us, and say that they have no need of pastors or church servants; but God, on the contrary, says thus: I have need of the church and you are my servants, therefore suffer such injustice and violence for my sake, I will provide to distribute among you some plunder; I will give you some pious prince who shall receive and shelter you; I will not give you the earth or the world, as I gave it to the Turk, nor to the Epicureans and usurers, to whom I must throw the goods of this world and consign them to eternal hell fire; but to you I will give a small portion, which shall be as robbery. And if this will cost you great trouble and labor, remember that I have taken it from the world by force, like the goods of Jacob and the plunder of the Egyptians.
But Laban had gone to shear his flock.
This is to be diligently noted, that Jacob does not tempt God, but seeks opportunity, that he may avoid the impulses from which he can escape. For no one should burden himself with danger, but one should beware of danger. And even though we have God's word, on which we can and should certainly rely, the same in itself places us in much greater danger. Therefore, we should not take any other unnecessary danger upon ourselves, nor should we be lazy, safe and idle, but should use natural wisdom, skill, good counsel and human help, so that we do not appear to be tempting God.
66. Jacob might have said, I have
God's word and command, therefore I will depart from this house, and will not inquire after the raging and fierce anger of Laban, but will let him watch and rage, and so leave his house and lead away his daughters with all my goods: that would be presumption, and unnecessary boldness and temptation of God. Now if you have the word, you will do right if you obey and follow it. But thou shalt put thyself into the thing, that thou mayest use the things that are with and beside the word. For so Jacob has a commandment to depart out of that land, and to go again to his fatherland. He also has a promise that God will protect him, that he should not be afraid, no matter how great danger and all kinds of hardship, of which we will hereafter hear, may befall him. However, he waits for a good time when Laban is not at home, namely, when he has traveled three days to shear his flock. He thought to himself, "He will not be able to chase after me during these three days, nor will he easily know that I have left; but I will travel so far that he will not be able to reach us on the first day or the next and cause trouble.
Thus Jacob waited for a very fine opportunity with special prudence and deliberation. For this reason God has given us reason and all creatures, as well as all temporal goods, so that they may serve us for our benefit. He who wants to travel must have provisions for the way, from which he can get food and lodging; but he would be very foolish if he thought that he did not need money or food, and that everything would meet and fall to him everywhere by divine providence. For this reason God has created everything that is necessary for this life, not that you should expect it from Him without means, but that you should use the things that are available, and this according to the order that He Himself has prescribed for you. Therefore, the use and service of creatures should not be despised, since God created them to serve us.
And Rachel stole her father's idols.
68. Now comes a second crime: Rachel steals her father's idols; in Hebrew, teraphim. But behold, how understanding the woman is. For she has thought, "Everything we have was taken from us by our father and reserved for us, but now it has been taken from him again by God like a robbery and has been given to us. Therefore we may take with us everything that he still owes us. But to me, as I have become a bride in the proper way, he should have given a gold or silver jewel; but since he did not give it to me, I will now accept that he should have given it to me of his own accord and according to all law.
(69) First of all, these holy women and Jacob sinned very grievously against the fourth commandment, in that they blamed and accused their father and father-in-law, as if he had not behaved toward his daughters as a righteous father should and ought to do, which is very hard and severe. And it seems as if Moses is not at one with himself, since he says in the fourth commandment that one should honor father and mother and bear their infirmities and weaknesses. But in this place he tells an example of the patriarch Jacob and the daughters of Laban, which is contrary to the commandment. For these daughters seem to have forgotten all the honor they should show their father, because they show themselves so harsh and unkind to him with the fierce and harsh complaint.
The other sin is that Rachel steals her father's idols. For the Holy Spirit does not shy away from using the word "steal", but clearly says that Rachel, the very holy matron and wife of a very holy man, who believes the word of God and according to it admonishes her husband to go away, stole her father's idols (teraphim). He not only says that she took or stole them from him, but freely says that she stole them from him, against the seventh commandment,
since God says in Exodus 20:15, "You shall not steal." But if one should not steal from his neighbor or a stranger, how much less should one steal from his father! And she steals that which the father considers most precious and dear in his house, namely, his idols, which he has served.
(71) Although it has been said before that there is still much weakness in all the saints, which I do not like to excuse, it must nevertheless be added that Rachel's father had ceased to be a father because he had practiced all kinds of cruelty and tyranny. For he kept his daughters as if they were strangers, and so often deceived his son-in-law; yea, he thought how he might keep both son-in-law and daughters, that they should serve him only for and for. Therefore Rachel had a very just cause, according to the worldly and natural right, to steal the idols, as was also said above about Jacob.
Now the first tablet is added, which makes a distinction between the commandments of God and obedience, according to the saying of Christ, Matt. 10:37: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Therefore Jacob and Rachel are not only righteous according to the other table, but also according to the first. For where one is to be obedient to God in the other table, then obedience to one's parents ceases, and in such a case one is not bound by any commandment. Much more, however, where one follows the right of the first tablet, that is when God commands something to be done with a new word; as these very holy people had the word of God when He had spoken through the angel, and both Rachel and Leah abide by it when they say: God has taken his riches from our father to us and to our children; item: "What God has told you, do," namely, when he showed you through the angel how he had seen everything that Laban had done to you.
73. but Moses will say in the blessing of Levi, Deut. 33, 9: "Whoever says to his father and to his mother, I see him
not" etc.; "they keep your speech and keep your covenant." This is said so much: Whoever wants to serve God shall not be obedient to the fourth commandment, in which it is commanded to honor the parents. One might say, what is this? Why then did Moses give this commandment, when in the other place he commands the opposite? For this is contrary to one another, and these are very wicked sayings, contrary to one another. To this I answer thus: If the first tablet commands that one should serve God and be obedient, then the other tablet should give way to the first, and one should say to father and mother: I do not know you, I do not have to be obedient to you in this etc.
74 Therefore they cry out so vehemently that in this way obedience in the worldly and domestic government will be torn apart and abolished, and because of this the gospel must be blasphemed in such a way that it is called a rebellious doctrine; as the inscription on the cross of Christ shows, John 19:19: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," that is, a rebellious king. And in the same way the teaching of this king is called rebellious against the other tablet, because it says that one should not be obedient to the authorities and parents; yes, it commands that one should speak evil of them; as Rachel says of her father, "He is our enemy and adversary. How then could one speak more seditiously? Shall I then not be obedient to the authorities and to my parents? etc. What a division and disorder will there be with all things!
(75) To this I reply: One must indeed obey what God commanded in the other tablet. But there are different levels of obedience, and one must diligently observe such a difference; for where the first and other tablets are contrary to each other, then this is the simple and right order, since it is commanded that the other tablet give way to the first. For God is the Creator, the Head and the Lord over father and mother, over the world and home rule. All this is to be subject to the Creator, and if one asks because-
Which of these two should you abandon, the Creator or the creature? My answer is that you should abandon the creature. For the first table goes first, and when one has done enough of the first table and kept it, then the other table also has its place; then you shall be obedient to your parents, endure and suffer where they do you wrong; but for my sake, says God, and not against me and against the first table.
76 Thus the answer to the theft of Rachel can be given in a simple and clear way: That the first tablet annul the other. In the other tablet it is rightly commanded, "Thou shalt not kill"; but if the first tablet commands that one should kill, then the commandment of the other tablet must give way. So also the seventh commandment, that one shall not steal, is abrogated, namely, when God commands that you take what is your father's. So in the eighth commandment it is commanded that you speak no evil of your neighbor, and especially of your parents, and that you not speak evil to them; but this is not contrary to the first commandment; for where the first commandment says, you shall hate and punish your parents, as Rachel does.
This distinction is very necessary and useful. However, it often happens that the heretics and the mobs misuse this, and boast that they also have the first table, and with such a pretense cancel out the other; then one must have the right understanding of the matter. For the pope also boasts that he has the first table for himself, and thus wants to conclude that no one is obliged to obey the authorities, but everyone is to be obedient to the See of Rome, to which even emperors and kings must be subject by necessity. But see if he teaches rightly from the first table, and why he abolishes the other table. For they also said of the monastic orders that one should run to Christ, and neglect and despise father and mother; one should listen to the spiritual fathers. As the saying of Jerome goes, "If your father and mother were to meet you where you wanted to go in a monastery, and showed you their breasts, and wanted to fill you with their tears, they would have told you to go to the monastery.
then you shall despise their tears, and in such a case trample your parents underfoot, and flee naked and bare to the cross of Christ.
This is ungodly and devilish talk, for they have misused the wholesome sound doctrine to confirm the monastic orders and devilish teachings. The matter and the doctrine itself are right and true, but see to it that you are a good dialectician and can distinguish between the first and the second table. Likewise, see whether the monastic orders are truly a divine thing, or divine cause, for the sake of which the other tablet may be removed. If it is a divine thing or cause, then it is rightly said, Thou shalt trample thy mother's breasts under foot, thou shalt despise her tears; but if it is not, remember that thou owest to be obedient to thy parents with all reverence, and that one should bear with their infirmities and weaknesses, if only they do not dispute against the first table.
79] So Rachel has the first tablet on her side, because she was called by the word of God to go out of her father's house. And the father sinned not only against the other tablet, but also against the first; for he is an idolater. All that he has done up to now, he has done not only out of immense avarice and coveting other people's goods, but he has also sinned with idolatry, which are the two greatest and most grievous sins. For though avarice is idolatry in itself, yet idolatry is added to it.
80 Therefore Rachel wisely thought and concluded (for she was a woman about five years old), "I was called by the first and the second table to go out of my father's house; therefore I have God's word, and the father sins greatly against both tables, for he is an idolater and a covetous man, for he has not yet given me a penny of all that he ought to have given me according to all law, both human and divine. Therefore he owes me my wages, and in addition.
nor gift according to the right of the other table and not only the first, for I am his daughter. Therefore, I will steal something from him, and it will be something that will hinder his idolatry. I will steal his idols from him; for he is all too meager and so very felt that he will not easily cast other idols. And so I will do right after the first table, when I take away his idols and overthrow the false worship; and after the other table I will provide myself, that I may take away that which is rightly mine. And yet the Scriptures call it theft; as Christ calls hating father and mother, saying Luc. 14:26, "If a man come to me, and hate not his father, or his mother, or his own life," etc. which is forbidden in the law; yet the same is not hatred.
(81) In the second tablet it is said, Thou shalt not hate another, nor kill thyself; but in the first tablet God commands, saying, I will have thee hate thy life against the commandment of the second tablet, because I have commanded thee to love thyself. So in the fifth commandment the killing is forbidden: but God commands the authorities to wield the sword, in the first tablet, saying Rom. 12:19: "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." Therefore the authorities do not kill by the power of the other, but of the first table; and this is not an unjust death stroke, although it is in truth a death stroke. So in this place it is called a theft or robbery, as far as Laban and the other table are concerned: but in the first table it is a right work, which is fitting to do, and is a reward due to it; and yet it is called a theft. For Laban considers it a theft, and we cannot change the name; for the Scriptures speak thus. Likewise also the robbery, which the Israelites robbed from the Egyptians, in the other table, and as far as the Egyptians are concerned, is a robbery; but in the first table it is a debt, which the Egyptians owed to the Israelites. So Rachel did not steal, but secretly took her due reward.
(82) By the way, we need a careful distinction and a sharp dialectic, so that we do not mix these things together, or misuse this distinction, as the pope and the enthusiasts do. For the latter arrogate to themselves the first table to great danger of the church and also of the world government, although they despise it and in truth trample it underfoot. But they want to use it, so that they have to use it, and under such appearance they can cancel all commandments and rights, which belong to obedience, both against the authorities and parents. The pope cries out: I am the right teacher and head of the church, therefore I am to be obeyed; I stand in the first table; I have power to cancel everything that is in the other table.
(83) But there is need of a right understanding, that the difference may be rightly applied, and that the commandments and doctrines of the pope may be weighed, and held against the right understanding of the first table. For I also teach that our prince shall not be obedient to Caesar, and absolve him from obedience not only to the pope, but also to the whole Roman Empire and to Caesar: but by what right? For then I must see to it that I describe obedience rightly, what it is, and know how to distinguish it. But I absolve the prince according to these rights: because the emperor and pope let out commands and orders against the first table. Therefore, neither the prince nor the common people are obliged to obey such commands against the obedience of God. The pope also absolves the people that they must not be obedient to the emperor, and has often deposed emperors from the empire and imperial office. But why is that? Because, he says, they are not obedient to me; I sit in the first table. But he is a hypocrite who does not understand rightly and falsifies the doctrine of the first table, and falsely presumes that he does not have. But we absolve the people rightly, namely, because the emperor and the pope do not accept God's word, but command such a thing, which is strictly against the word. Therefore we teach that such obedience should be cursed.
84. however, we must learn that we can
646 D- vm, ss-ti. Interpretation of Genesis 31:19. w. ii, sur-^s. 647
The right distinction must be made between the word of God, so that God is served directly, and obedience to men, as there is obedience to parents, teachers, masters, and authorities. For these are creatures; but the church and congregation of God has no other teacher than God alone; therefore it has no other obedience. If then the Creator says directly, "This is what I want you to do; you are to be obedient to me alone, you are to consider me your God, you are to believe in Jesus Christ, and you are to listen to him. When thou hast heard this, descend also into obedience to creatures, and be obedient to thy parents and authorities, which must cease and give way where the Creator is to be served. But they remain firm when one has done to the Creator what is due to him.
(85) Thus the robbery or theft of Rachel retains the name of theft in the other table, but in the first table it is a just reward due her for her work; yet it is one and the same thing. The vengeance or punishment that the authorities inflict is a death blow in the other table: but in the first table it is justice and a good work. In the other table it is disobedience, where one is not obedient to parents, and curses them or speaks evil after them: in the first table it is honor and worship. This difference is taught by the dialectic of the Holy Spirit. But now we must diligently take care that we have God's word right and not man's statutes under the appearance and name of the word; as the pope has deceived the whole world and subjected the regime of this world to his tyranny.
So everything depends on us having preachers or teachers and students who learn this, and God must be asked to give us such pastors and shepherds of souls, as He has done until now, who teach such distinctions in a fine and clear way and who are guided by the light of the Word. For what is the world if it does not have this heavenly and spiritual light, which we have from theology. The teaching of the
Lawyers and doctors also have their place and honor, and are very good and necessary, and also give a lot of money; but if everyone were to throw themselves into these studies, where would this heavenly light remain if there were no students and listeners of theology?
(87) What good is it to have gold, silver and health of the body; indeed, what good is all this life if this light of the Word is lost? But now there are almost few who keep it, for it would be necessary that there should be many who would work diligently for it, and it is difficult to keep such light, for the devil and the world are enemies to it. As Jacob is a beautiful star, who shone in the house of Laban with right knowledge and teaching of the word; but we see well how Laban dealt with him. And yet the whole world lies in darkness and horrible blindness, where it is without this light. What is the pope, what is the Turk without this light? Let them be rich, wise and very powerful; but because they lack the light of life, they are the most miserable people.
(88) Therefore we should study the Scriptures and practice theology well, so that we may keep schools and parishes, which is the highest service of God in the whole world. Whether it be evil, whether we must steal, we may steal in the name of the Lord. And if by robbing we must rob the ungrateful world of our due reward, even of our food and what is necessary for this life, it is still a robbery and salvation of such things that are due to us. Let the other eat Laban and Nabal, let him have a good year, we live from robbery; which is not robbery in the first table, although the citizens and farmers have it in mind that they give us such things as thieves and robbers. But what they think of it is not to challenge us. We should rather be guided by what St. Paul says in Phil. 2:15, 16: "Be blameless and pure, children of God, blameless in the midst of the wicked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world;
so that you may keep the word of life". And let every man in his station endeavor to promote and perpetuate the doctrine and the word for his own salvation and the glory of God; and let him interpret for the best this robbery, which is small enough for God to entertain us in this life. For where the light of the Word is extinguished, everything will again become full of horrible darkness, Turkish and papist, or other heretics of false doctrine.
(89) This is to be said of the theft of the idols which the pious Rachel stole as a reward for her service or instead of her due inheritance. For there was no hope at all that she could have received even a small portion of her father's goods with her father's good will. So that she might not leave her father's house empty and cut off from her entire inheritance, she took the golden idols with her. For Laban no longer had anything human about him, but had become an unreasonable, ravenous beast who had robbed his son-in-law and his daughters quite unreasonably. Therefore it was not unreasonable that he was robbed again by those who were his rightful heirs and owners.
90 And Rachel did this thing, that Jacob her husband knew nothing of it; as we shall see hereafter. For he would hardly have let it happen if he had known. But she may dare, and relies on the word, and that she had also well deserved it from her father, whom she, since she was already legitimate, had served fourteen years. Therefore it would have been fair that she should have been given generously.
91 Further we must also now say something of the question belonging to the grammar which is suggested in this place. For this is the first text in which the Hebrew word teraphim is placed; and it is certain that it means idols. For Laban was an idolater. Now it is a strange thing that Jacob, the pious holy man, dwelt in the idolatrous house with his pious holy wives and with all his congregation. Therefore, God and the devil were in the house at the same time, God's children and the devil's children. Which is often said
so to come. And the whole world is still composed of the children of God and the devil. As in Adam's house Cain and Abel were also with each other; in Abraham's house Ishmael and Isaac; in Isaac's house Esau and Jacob. And so, until the end of the world, the false church will be with the true church, the false brethren with the godly brethren. Today we teach the gospel purely and faithfully, but we still have among us us usurers, papists, heretics and enthusiasts; for the tares always remain among the pure wheat: it cannot or may not be otherwise in the world. Jacob at the same time taught the heavenly doctrine and the promise of the Messiah purely and cleanly; his wives and servants accepted the same doctrine; and it is well to be believed that some also were converted from idolatry to the right true worship: but the church or congregation of Jacob was in a godless idolatrous house.
(92) But of the Hebrew word teraphim the Jews speak many lies. We want to touch on them with a few words, so that it does not seem as if we did not know anything about their foolish work. Lyra describes the teraphim thus, that it was a head of a firstborn boy, which was killed and sacrificed to the devil and sprinkled with salt and spice or specerei, so that it should not become rotten; which is said to have had a golden clasp under the tongue, on which the name of the devil or idol was written, with which devil one sought divine answer: and just such an interpretation he also uses of Micah in the book of Judges in 17 Cap. V. 3.
(93) But I believe none of them. For teraphim is a common word in Scripture, and one should take the interpretation of the same word from other places in Scripture. For example, 1 Sam. 19:13 speaks of Michal, who put an image (teraphim) in David's place in his bed, and a goatskin at his head, so that she made an image of a sick man lying in bed.
It was not the head of a child, but the image of a man, which was placed in the bed in David's place. Item, in the prophet Hosea Cap. 3, v. 4, it says: "The children of Israel will remain for a long time without a king, without princes, without sacrifices, without an altar, without an ephod and without a sanctuary (teraphim). It would not rhyme if you interpreted the word teraphim to mean idols, as if the people of God had idols.
(94) But whatever it may be, it seems to me, according to my understanding and according to grammar, that teraphim generally means a likeness or image of worship, whether right or wrong. Laban had idols. Hosea, however, as it seems, wanted to summarize all pieces or figures of the service, as, the tabernacle, the table, the curtain, the lampstand, the shewbread etc., which they all had to do without, since they were caught in the misery and in foreign countries. Just as the Gentiles called their idols by this name, so Hosea applies the same name to all the utensils of the tabernacle. For it is not intended that the prophet should understand this punishment to mean that they had no idols; but that he should understand it to mean the sacred vessels, as we have said before; that is, that he should understand it to mean in general an image of the outward service of God, with signs and figures.
95 But the image that Michal put in David's place in the bed, I believe was some image or idol that remained in some place from the former superstition and idolatry. Just as there are still many images in our country that are preserved in some places as a reminder of the old idolatry, so that people can look at them and let the children play with them, and not for worship. In David's time, such idols were sometimes hidden in corners of houses; Michal hurriedly went there, since nothing else was available, and took the image and put it to bed in David's place.
96 For at that time, without a doubt, many traces of superstition and idolatry remained from the land and the people.
Religion of the Jebusites, and some cries that could not well be abolished; as is testified by the anxious lamentations in many psalms, in which David prays and contends with great sorrow against idolatry. And the prophet Micah says of the city of Lachish that it was the beginning of the sin of the daughters of Zion, and that the transgression of Israel was found there, so also that idolatry could not be completely eradicated among the people of God. Yes, look also at the time of Moses in the desert. For of it the prophet Amos says in the 5th Cap. V. 25. 26. and St. Stephen in the stories of the apostles in the 7th Cap. V. 42, 43: "Did you of the house of Israel offer me sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years? Yes, indeed. You carry the tents of your Moloch, and the idols of your images, and the star of your gods" etc. That this could be said of the people under Moses is truly a strange thing. But Balaam speaks against it 4 Mos. 23, 23: "There is no magician in Jacob, and no soothsayer in Israel." But this is spoken synecdochically, as it is common in the Scriptures.
97 For the good seed was always mingled with the tares in the church. It is enough that in the time of David the kingdom or government and the church office were pure, and both were ordered and appointed so that nothing ungodly or idolatrous was taught or commanded in them. Thus under Moses in the wilderness the teaching was pure, and the authorities pious, and they ordained nothing but what was holy and right, without all ungodliness or idolatry; so that Balaam also rightly said in Numbers 23:23, "There is no soothsayer in Israel"; item Numbers 24:5, "How fine are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy dwellings, O Israel." But there is no doubt that traces of idolatry will remain with some.
In the same way, if a pastor in our church teaches rightly and fights against idolatry, and also punishes the vices and sins of men, I can say with truth: In Wittenberg there is no idol or godless being. Therefore
The church is holy, because the ministry of preaching is pure, and the secular authorities do not enjoin or protect idolatry. As Duke George used to command in his country that the papist religion should be kept, and the parish lords were obedient to him in this; there was now no right or pure church.
99. But where there is a church in which the heavenly doctrine is taught purely and cleanly, and the authorities do not contend against the pure sound doctrine, there are the tabernacles of Jacob clean and beautiful. The body itself is healthy and strong, but it is not without filth, pus, festering, saliva, or any other kind of filth and mess, and yet it is synecdochically called a healthy body. Just in such a way also teraphim remain in the world, yes, also probably in the church and in the house of Jacob, until the end. This is said of the meaning of the word teraphim.
100, But they also dispute its derivation. For some say it comes from the word rapha, spelled with the letter s. But some say it comes from raphah, written with the letter h. The latter means to heal or make well. From it comes re- phaim, that is, great giants and physicians, as when one says helpers or healers, that is, gods. But this one means to stop, to keep still. And it seems to me more correct that teraphim comes from being silent; and is drawn or interpreted to the Sabbath or otherwise to the service of God, that they must be silent, serve God and keep the Sabbath; as in the 46th Psalm v. 11. it says: "Be silent and know that I am God" etc., that is, obey me, stop your own preoccupation, desist, let me do it. Thus the idols have had their Sabbath and worship, of which service they have been called teraphim, that they should be celebrated.
V. 20 So Jacob stole the heart of Laban of Syria, so that he would not tell him to flee.
101 Now this is another sin, and is a much greater theft than Rachel's was. For Jacob does not steal Laban's idols or goods, but his heart. This
but a peculiar way of speaking in the Hebrew language is "to steal one's heart. And it means when one's hope, which he had conceived, is lost, and all his counsel and counsel is destroyed, so that he can no longer have any hope of enjoying what he had in his heart.
(102) For Laban thought thus in himself, and concluded, Behold, I have my son in law, and my daughters, and my children's children, and my maidservants, by whose diligence and labor I will be rich; for they are subject unto me according to all law, that they may increase and improve my goods and chattels. I have now also learned that they are faithful; for Jacob is a pious and upright man, who will not do me wrong, nor will he easily change his present service or status without my knowledge and will; nor will he be able to do so without danger. But where he will take something from me or do me harm, then I will first have cause to endure them, so that they will have to be obliged to serve me for and for.
This is the great hope and the thoughts of Laban. They are very clever and cunning suggestions; and as he has made himself believe, they are quite certain and he could not have missed them. But in a moment they will be destroyed and disappear. This is what the holy scripture calls "stealing a man's heart," that is, making a man's hope come to nothing, however certain and undoubted he had it, and this without his knowledge. For Laban was not afraid of anything, but certainly comforted himself that Jacob would stay with him, and that he could do nothing less than go away. Nevertheless, Jacob secretly leaves, not without great harm and displeasure to Laban. But Laban will make a long record of many great sins that Jacob is said to have committed with it, as we will hear hereafter.
V. 21 So he flew, and all that was his arose, and passed over the waters, and went toward mount Gilead.
104 Let it be diligently noted that the Scriptures give names of vices and greatest crimes to all Jacob's works. Moses said before that Jacob had stolen Laban's heart in Syria; here he says that he fled without the knowledge and will of his father-in-law and took his goods from him, and that he destroyed all his hopes that Jacob would have served him forever. All these things are called sins, as Laban will magnify them soon after with fine words. As Christ Luc. 14, 26 also calls it a hatred, so that one hates his father, mother, or even himself; which is a name of a sin, although it is the highest virtue.
(105) So in truth this deed is not theft; but the Scriptures speak as men speak, who commonly judge of such deeds. In Laban's ears it is a theft and a flight; but according to divine right and justice it is considered a deserved reward, which Jacob rightly deserved, as he who hates his father and mother for Christ's sake does not hate them rightly, but loves them: and he who denies himself and loses his life finds the same, Matth. 10, 39.
The water that is reported here is the Euphrates, which separates Mesopotamia and the promised land. Jacob has now come so far that he is already crossing the Euphrates, and he now has great hope that Laban will not be able to catch up with him and his family. But avarice is such a monster, which cannot celebrate, which does not get tired, is fast and hurried, does not let Laban rest either. But Jacob, having crossed the water, goes on to the mountain of Gilead.
Fourth Part.
How Laban persecuted Jacob, and how the Lord appeared to him during this persecution.
V. 22-24 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob was fleeing. And he took his
And he pursued after him seven days' journey, and overtook him in mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob otherwise than kindly.
107. Moses describes in this place only above, how Laban is said to Jacob; because he will speak about it more extensively afterwards. For Laban rages and is heated with anger, and thinks up in his heart a multitude of the greatest sins and vices that Jacob is said to have committed. Now you see, he thought, what kind of man Jacob is; now I have caught him in his own sin and have tricked him; for this is now the most righteous cause, so that I may bring him back to me with all the goods and with all the servants, and trick him in such a way that he must promise and commit himself to me by an oath that he will serve me for and for all his life. For he is a robber, a thief, who takes away my daughters and cattle, is a church robber and patricide, and among these sins, each one is worthy of being punished with eternal imprisonment.
Thus Laban is heated by anger and devises the most righteous causes for himself, how he may punish this most wicked boy. And he would truly have treated this pious man abominably if he had been allowed to follow his fierce anger. But I have said above that Jacob departed by inspiration of God and by divine command, which he received from the angel; otherwise it is a dangerous thing in itself that he should have fled and said nothing of it to anyone in the whole family and country, even against the will of his father-in-law; and in addition lead away his daughters, his children's children and the whole host, after which host Laban confessed violently with his children. If God had not forbidden Laban's evil ways, he would have dealt with Jacob in an unjust manner.
This should therefore be considered much more diligently, so that we may think in our hearts how Laban had conceived such fierce anger and how fiercely he had desired,
to avenge this wrong. For many sins come together, of which we will hear hereafter how Laban will increase them so much. Perhaps he would have spared his life, but only for the sake of his own benefit, that he should have been committed to him all his life.
This is a very good example from which we learn how God can prevent and control the raging and fierce anger of the devil and his members, so that they may not rage and rage for their own pleasure. For God thus breaks and restrains Laban's wrathful anger, so that he was not even allowed to open his mouth against Jacob. And the same is held out to us for comfort, so that we may have certain hope in God's grace and mercy, who, as St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:13, is faithful, who does not let us be tempted beyond our ability, but makes the temptation come to an end so that we can bear it. God sets a measure for temptation, so that we are not tempted beyond our ability or against His will and counsel.
The devil and Laban had certainly decided that Jacob deserved to die, but they would have somewhat lightened the punishment, but on condition that he had given himself and all his servants into eternal servitude, which servitude would have been more severe than death itself. But while they were thinking about how they would suppress him, God came and nullified their advice and their horrible intentions. Thou Laban, saith God, shalt not do that which thou hast purposed to do; neither shalt thou give him a harsh or unkind word. Thus he sets a goal for his anger; as God says to Job in the 38th chapter v. 10. 11. of the waves of the sea: "When I broke the course of the sea with my dam, and set a bar and a door for it, and said, Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further; hither shall thy proud waves lie down." For where the sea is driven by the wind and impetuosity, it swells up and threatens, as it were, the dam that has gone over it with its waves, as though it were
now wants to break out and run over all the lands. But I, says God, have set a bar and a door for him; therefore the dam is not afraid of the threat and the waves of the sea.
Thus the devil rises up against the church and threatens it very horribly, trying to overpower the godly and even destroy them. But he who has set a bar and a door against the sea also calms the proud waves, so that the devil of his liking cannot rage. In this way God also stops all the raging and fierce anger of Laban with a dream and makes him as quiet as a little lamb, however unwilling and angry he was. For God does not allow those who believe and have His word to be distressed or entangled beyond their ability; He is a faithful guardian of those who keep and keep His word. Jacob had God's word when He said to him, "Return to your fathers' land"; item: "I have seen all that Laban does to you" etc. He obeyed the word and took everything with him, even though it was obvious that he was committing the gravest sins; and God moved the hearts of his wives to follow and obey their husbands and the word, even to plead with him to go away.
Such obedience is followed by persecution. The devil entangles him to pull him back with all his servants and to oppress him. And it is to be believed that Jacob was in great fear with his wives. For it must no doubt have occurred to him that he thought, Behold, Laban pursues after thee, and will slay thee, and destroy all things, and run away: How have I acted so unadvisedly, that I fled, and hid my counsel from him! What cause shall I show him that I have gone away so secretly? I have put myself and my family in this danger, and have done it unwisely. etc.
This was an inward affliction that troubled his heart. And so he was persecuted by Laban outwardly, but inwardly the heavy thoughts of despair tormented him. And his wives and maids and the whole family also felt the same temptation;
they will have said: How much better it would have been if we had remained in Mesopotamia, than to perish miserably here in misery, or to be led back again into the former service, which will now be much more difficult! We might have been content with the former service: though we could not have had much good in it, yet we would have had peace and would have remained without danger. It is to be pitied that in a moment we should lose either our lives or these few goods and all hope of freedom.
There is no doubt that such thoughts occurred to them. Moses did not express in the text what their hearts were like, but he indicated it sufficiently when he says that God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream etc. Furthermore, Jacob kept the promise that God had given him, namely, that he had departed at God's command, and he will have raised up and comforted his wives and family that God had appeared to him at Bethel; item, that He had said to him, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your friendship" etc. Hold fast, dear wives and children, he said, God will not leave us nor forsake us.
Thus Jacob fought and overcame the temptation by faith. For this is the battle of faith: in time of peace and out of temptation he does good works; in time of temptation he cries out, yes, he cries out fiercely, so that all the angels hear. For he is led into hell and must experience the danger and distress of death; then he begins to fight and to cry out, with which both heaven and earth are moved.
117Therefore God comes to Laban in a dream by night, because he has had terrible thoughts in his heart, and sets the goal and measure of the persecution: then the proud waves and the fierce billows of water in Laban's heart are stilled. For God said to him in a dream, "I see that you are fierce and hot with anger, and that you are directing all your intentions and thoughts to do violence to Jacob. You make yourself think that you have the most righteous reason to
to persecute and oppress; for you think there is no more wicked man on earth than Jacob. Thou hast considered in thine heart a great heap of sin and blasphemy, which thou wilt spew out against him. But I command thee, not only to hold thy hands still, and not to offend him thereby, but also not to provoke him to anger with a word.
In this way, God does not abandon His faithful, especially when they call upon Him in the right faith; as we have often experienced how wonderfully God has preserved us according to His goodness. For how many and how horrible plots of kings, popes and cardinals have been miraculously prevented so far, not by our powers or counsel, but by divine power! For God has either frightened them into doing nothing, or, if they have undertaken something, he has nullified and hindered their counsel and nobility.
Nine imperial diets have been held since the time when the gospel came forth again in Germany and began to shine, about which the adversaries raged horribly and threatened us very fiercely. Yes, they publicly said at Augsburg that they wanted to put together good and blood. And they would have devoured us alive, as it says in the 124th Psalm v. 3, where God would not have preserved us and destroyed their plots. How often have we seen how the murderer raged and did all kinds of evil until he was finally driven out of his country! So they will try more and more, and will not be able to rest until the Turk scatters them.
120 Therefore we should remember this example, how Jacob was saved from Laban, his angry and cruel enemy, through the word he believed. For where the word is, there is also faith; and where faith is, there is also crying out because of the temptation; but the crying out must surely be heard. And when the cry is heard, it breaks all the power of heaven and earth, and of all the gates of hell. Therefore, the long register dev
The many sins that Laban had gathered to accuse Jacob with, were soon dispersed in a hui. Yes, Laban will have rejoiced that he was admonished by God only with words and not with any special scourge or cross for the sake of his envy and avarice against his son-in-law, of which he knew himself guilty.
So he was frightened and struck with the danger of death, that now he does not desire how to put his son-in-law in danger, but how to escape the punishment and misfortune he was afraid of, even though he has not become more pious through the admonition. He may have been frightened by God's judgment, but he soon did again as was his way, as we shall hear. He has indeed kept his hands still, so that they have done no evil; but he does not refrain from cursing and abusive words. This is a loyalty to the gallows and Judas; as the popes, bishops and their satellites, kings and princes, are held and prevented in their counsels, which they hold against us: their courage is taken from them, as the 76th Psalm v. 13. says; but nevertheless they do not mend their ways. This is the repentance of hypocrites and unbelievers: they repent like Laban or Esau. It is not a list or voluntary repentance; they do not amend, but are only deterred from doing that which they had undertaken to do.
I have said elsewhere about dreams, how they are to be distinguished. The right dreams bring with them that they are so deeply impressed on the dreamers and move the hearts that they are as it were frightened and dismayed by them, that such dreams cannot be despised; as the dreams of Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar were. But the other dreams are only vain hopes and thoughts to be despised.
We are to use this example for our teaching and benefit, for it is held up to us for the sake of seeing that God wants to be with His own and help them, however miserable and weak they are. Laban is much heavier
He is stronger and more powerful than Jacob, who is in great danger, defenseless and poor, but he has the Word; therefore God and the host of holy angels are with Jacob, who believes and calls upon God in faith. Just as God led this patriarch out of his father's house, so He leads him in again through the protection of the holy angels. In the same way, if we believe and cling to the Word with strong faith, He will also save us in pestilence, in death and in war. For it is impossible that the person who believes in the Word of God should be abandoned and not protected.
124) The following history of the angels will also testify to this. For they have greater strength than all enemies, as the example of the siege of Jerusalem under Sanherib shows. And Christ says to Petro, Matth. 26, 53: "Do you think that I could not ask my Father to send me more than twelve legions of angels? Since we are now under the protection of God, there is no doubt that we are also under the protection of the holy angels who watch over us, who are with those in distress and danger in life, and who bring peace and rest to the dying. For David says in the 91st Psalm v. 11: "He has commanded his angels over you" etc.; item in the 34th Psalm v. 8: "The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who fear him, and helps them out." And this should be a good admonition and wake us up, that we should hear and love the word gladly, but believe it even more gladly with this confidence that we are under the protection of the holy angels.
(125) Let this be said of the divine command by which Laban was forbidden to offend Jacob either by word or by deed. For this divine decree nullifies Laban's register, in which he had collected the sins to accuse Jacob with, and all his calculations and plans. The words are in the manner of the Hebrew language: "You shall not begin to speak kindly to Jacob, and then end the speech with words of reproach. But Laban is not a friend of the be-
The register is not obedient in all respects, although he had to refrain from doing so. But the register is rejected altogether. The divine voice has said that your terrible plans and thoughts are nothing but a pure dream, vanity, error and lie; therefore you should not follow your fierce anger. Nevertheless, he will not be able to refrain from reproaching Jacob and harshly attacking him with abusive words, because a harsh complaint follows that he makes against Jacob.
V. 25 And Laban drew nigh unto Jacob. Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban and his brothers pitched their tent in Mount Gilead.
(126) After the punishment and admonition Laban heard in a dream that he should not speak harshly or unkindly to Jacob, he goes on his way, even though all his plans for revenge are destroyed. And though he cannot harm him, he nevertheless pretends that he would like to harm him and that he is angry with him by threatening to do him evil. For he does not want to have the name that his plans should have failed, or that he should have to go away again and not have accomplished what he had planned to accomplish. He thought it was a great shame for him that he should have boasted so before and snorted with threats and murders, and that such should be in vain. Therefore, he pretended to be very angry, as if he wanted to continue with his plan, regardless of what God had told him in a dream.
Therefore this is a fine picture of false repentance, as the hypocrites have. For such repentance and sorrow are sometimes found in wicked, ungodly men; not that they truly repent and sorrow or sincerely repent, as I formerly thought, but they only outwardly pretend to repent and sorrow for their sin. Therefore, David's words, 2 Sam. 12, 13, which he says to Nathan, "I have sinned," must be understood much differently than Saul's words, who said the same to Samuel, 1 Sam. 15, 24: "I have sinned.
have sinned." They are one word, one voice, and may be seen to be one repentance; but the hearts are very different.
(128) The wicked and ungodly repent, and are more grieved that their wicked lusts and sins are forbidden them, than that they should be troubled how to kill their wicked lusts and sins. This is a penance that we use to call a gallows penance. For if the thief did not have to fear the gallows and punishment, he would much rather steal than abstain from other people's goods; therefore he is sorry that he must abstain from stealing for fear of punishment.
(129) Laban is also shown that he has not repented properly, nor has he changed his heart; but he is sorry that his evil desire and fierce anger have been broken and prevented by divine power. Therefore it is only an outward repentance in appearance. As Saul also says: "I have sinned, but now honor me before the elders of my people," etc., 1 Sam. 15, 30. He is afraid that he will be mocked or reviled before the elders, and not that he has angered God.
130. but a truly penitent heart is so minded that it fears nothing but God's wrath and displeasure, and respects nothing of shame or disgrace before men, if only it may know that God will be gracious to it; as David expressed in the 51st Psalm v. 6. 19. that he felt that he had been so minded because of sins.
(131) But it is to be noted that the hypocrites remain as they are; and though they may not rage and rage as they would, yet they make themselves heard that they are fiercely wicked, and that they also have peculiar power; lest they be thought less than they that hate and persecute them.
The mountain Gilead was not called so at that time, but it is called here before with the name, so that it was designated only afterwards. It seems
664 vm. 56-ss. Interpretation of Genesis 31:25-30. w. ii, sio-sis. 665
But as if Moses wanted to indicate that Laban had taken the mountain above, but Jacob had knocked out his tents below the mountain; so that the latter indicated that he was the higher and more powerful. Now follows in the text, how Laban magnifies the sin of Jacob with so many words and has to tell one after the other.
Fifth part.
How Laban behaves against Jacob after the appearance, and how Jacob shows himself at this behavior of Laban.
Then Laban said unto Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen my heart, and carried away my daughters, as if they had been taken by the sword? Why hast thou fled secretly, and stolen away, and not told me, that I might have led thee with joy, with singing, with timbrels and harps? And did you not let me kiss my children and daughters? Well, you have done so. And I would have so much power, with the help of God, that I could do you evil; but your father's God said to me yesterday, Beware that you speak no other way to Jacob than kindly. And because thou wouldest go, and didst so long for thy father's house, why didst thou steal my gods from me?
If Laban had repented correctly, he would have believed and applauded the word of God, which says of Jacob that he was pious and innocent and that he did not deserve to be violated. For he hears that he is absolved by God, declared free and absolved from all the sins for which he persecuted him. But so that he may keep himself in honor and defend his righteousness, he reckons with him, so that he will not be taken for such a man who could not give vent to his anger, and so that Jacob will be frightened and confess his sin. This is what the proud hypocrite and very cunning works saint wanted.
(134) Therefore he saith first thus, What hast thou done? As if to say, All that thou hast done are the most grievous sins: thou art guilty of the most grievous sins, for which I would justly punish thee according to my righteousness and justice. But he has not done him wrong, but has a manly attitude and presumes a vain righteousness. Thus it was said before that he had been stingy; but now we see that he is described and portrayed in such a way that he had also been a proud hypocrite and a saint of works: and yet he was admonished in a dream by God's word that Jacob was pious and righteous. But he does not recognize his sin, nor Jacob's virtue and piety; yes, he even magnifies Jacob's sin: "You have stolen my heart," he says. This is a very horrible vice.
The first sin he invents is the crime of insulting your majesty; for I, he says, was your father and father-in-law, you were my servant: but you forgot all honor and all filial obedience, even all love, which you should have borne me. You dared to leave me without reverence, and not to say a word to me as your father, father-in-law and master; you dared to kidnap my daughters as a thief, murderer and robber. Murderer and robber. But Laban lies most impudently. For even though he stole his heart, he had good reason to flee secretly; otherwise he could not have obtained permission from the stingy lord to go home.
136 And the other lie is, that he saith, Thou hast taken away my daughters, as if they had been taken by the sword. For are they not his wives, whom you, Laban, have given in marriage to him? And this marriage cost him a great deal. Does that mean by force or by the sword, when a man takes his wife with him, who is to follow him according to all law, and she has also consented of her own accord and admonished the man to go away? Now you see how Laban has such a poisonous and devilish tongue, so that he makes his sins glorious.
and adorns, and what is well done blasphemes. For the shameful hypocrite makes up and lies about all these things, that he may mock and disgrace Jacob and his family with them, but adorn his righteousness and honor. But when were the daughters kidnapped or captured by the sword? When did Jacob steal them as a thief or a murderer? Are they not his wives, whom he did not steal or kidnap, but who followed their husbands of their own free will and good will, as they should have done?
137 Therefore it was fitting that Laban should have said: Forasmuch as thou wouldest have left my house, thou hast done right and well in that thou hast not left thy wives, but hast led them away with thee. And though it grieves me that thou hast stolen my heart, yet I praise thee that thou hast caused my daughters to flee with thee. It would have been better for him to speak like this, and it would have been fitting for a pious and honest man. But he is a godless hypocrite, so he reversed everything, and what was praiseworthy and praiseworthy about his son-in-law, he censured and punished in the most hostile way.
138. But see if he has kept that which God commanded him, that he should not speak harshly or unkindly to Jacob? He has used choice and venomous words of abuse, and what is most shameful, which are false and untruthful. For he knows very well that they are his wives, and since he leads them away, he has not sinned against them, especially since they followed him willingly: indeed, Laban should have forced them against their will to follow their husband.
Therefore it is a cursed hypocrite who is allowed to blaspheme and complain about such a fine man, who has so many great virtues in him, with such poisonous invectives. And indeed he repeats again what he had said before, "Thou hast stolen my heart." Why hast thou thus secretly fled without my knowledge? Because he cannot forget the injustice, it bites him in his heart. For he grieves over the
But Laban is angry because he did not notice by any sign that Jacob had made this attack with his departure. Then," he says, "you have stolen not only my heart, but also all my possessions. For Jacob had increased his possessions and goods so that they had become very large. Now that the good morsel is taken from his jaws, he is grieved and thinks, "If I had known, I would have tried all sorts of things to keep you, because now all my salvation and the prosperity of all my goods are gone.
140. But now that he has almost poured out all his anger and displeasure by accusing Jacob atrociously and justifying himself, he boasts of his love and kindness both toward his son-in-law and also toward his daughters, that by doing so he makes the thing for which he accuses Jacob so much more difficult, and pretends to have great love, kindness and warm affection for his children; and thus he wants to say: I have so loved you and my daughters, and have served you as I could serve you, that you could miss nothing in me, but have always found me a very good friend. Therefore would I now also call all good friends and inhabitants of this land, and have led thee honestly and gloriously, with gladness, with singing, with kettling etc. Yea verily, this would he have done. But what would it have been for joy and timbrels? Answer: That he would have cast him into iron and prison, and that he would have been burdened with eternal servitude.
If Jacob had told Laban that he wanted to leave with his wives, he would never have let him go. For he has to show such friendship and service to his friends, as it was said before: he would have dragged him again into eternal servitude and misery, where God would not have refused him; as he proved such tyranny sufficiently by changing Jacob's wages ten times and forcing him,
that he had to serve him for fourteen years for his daughters and six years for the herd of cattle, without any due reward. Therefore, if God had not resisted his avarice, he would have deprived his son-in-law of all his goods. Yes, these are his kettledrums, harps and joy, so that he would have wanted to escort Jacob.
But he says all these things only in order to make Jacob, a pious and holy man, hateful and to adorn and cover his tyranny or cruelty and avarice, and they are all empty lies. Yes, the kinder the words he speaks, the more bitterness he has hidden in his heart, and all the words are directed with special diligence to blaspheme and reproach the highest virtues in Jacob. For how could he have let him go, of whom he desired that he might have kept him in his house a thousand years? And he was especially sorry that he should lose such a faithful servant, who was so exceedingly useful and suitable for him. This is the theft of the heart.
(143) But he adds still more, and with this he wants to give an answer to a secret objection: "You have not let me kiss my children and daughters. As if he wanted to say: "Even if you say that my daughters are your wives, you are still to be punished because you have deprived me of all the kindly deeds that a father should practice, which I would have shown to my children and my children's children according to the love and natural inclination that I bear toward them. For this is a common custom among all peoples, when daughters leave their father's house, that they greet their parents first and bid them farewell, and desire that their father may kiss, embrace and bless them; the same I have heartily desired to do. It is true that they are your wives, whom you had every right to lead away: but it would have been proper for you to let my heartfelt desire move you, and to have admitted to me that I might have kissed my very dear daughters and children beforehand, and that you should not have so cruelly, and also secretly, left them for their dear father's sake.
He would have torn her from his arms so that he could have embraced her and kissed her.
Yes, is that where the bitter tears come from? O how must it be such an iron heart that does not sigh because of such tears! The desperate rogue should be the pope or bishop of Mainz, who can cover his cruel and tyrannical heart with such divine and beautiful words. For how would you, Laban, kiss your daughters? Certainly not other than with Judah's kiss? Or if you wanted to kiss them and prove your fatherly love to your daughters, why did you not feed them, clothe them and otherwise do what you owed them while they were still serving you? Yes, he took everything for himself, kept them as if they were strangers, and sold them as if they were prisoners; and if they had not fled, they would have died of hunger. Yes, this was the great love of the godly, I should say, the abominable and accursed father Laban. But now that he sees that he is accused of having behaved badly and quite improperly toward his daughters, and that his son-in-law has been forced by his cruelty to flee with his daughters: He now wants to cover up his cruelty by accusing his son-in-law as if he had taken his daughters away from him against his will and without parting; not that he asks anything about the daughters or loves them, but that he may only cover up his avarice with it. For he is still grieved by what he said at first, how Jacob stole his heart from him, so that he thought that the benefit and prosperity of his goods, which he had from Jacob's service, had been taken away from him.
For what would the abominable tyrant have done just now, at the moment when they had left him, when he had not shown them any friendship or fatherly love, as befits a father, within twenty years? But if there had been any drop of fatherly love or kindness left in him, he would have had to show himself in a different way: he would have forgotten all anger and unkindness, or else he would have been so sa-
I will have to do it: Well, I see now that I have dealt somewhat harshly and unkindly with you and that you have nevertheless received no gift or reward from me. Therefore I will now give you, as my children, this from my herd, or from that which is dearest to me of all, namely, some rings and golden jewels. You shall have this as a token of our love and friendship, which shall endure among us forever.
But what should the very stingy hypocrite give? Yes, we will hear later how he investigates and questions all things so carefully, and would also like to have taken away what they had received from the plunder that God had given them. Meanwhile, he knows how to adorn himself finely, as if he were completely pious and loved his children very much; Jacob, however, must have the name that he behaved unkindly and tyrannically toward his father-in-law. This is an incredible and outrageous wickedness, hypocrisy and cruelty. Godless people and the heathen, who follow nature and reason, shrink from such atrocious sins: and it can be seen as if it were not possible that such great cruelty should come into a man's heart, by which one not only does not respect his own daughters and children's children at all, but is also allowed to deprive them of all due duty and deserved reward. But this must be a cursed hypocrisy and dissimulation, which can still cover such a great sin with a beautiful appearance and pretense of kiss, embrace and great fatherly love. For Laban wanted to kiss his daughters and embrace them, so that he would bring them into the bonds of eternal servitude and keep them.
Now these are the virtues of the excellent holy man Laban, and in contrast also the sins and vices of Jacob, which he charges and reproaches him with. For this is how it is done in the world: pious people are taken for sinners, and again, sinners for pious. There is no sinner in the whole world, except the one who has God's word and believes in Jesus Christ. But those who persecute the word and are hostile to it, they are
righteous and pious, and as Christ says Joh. 16, 2. think they are doing God a service. But it also often happens that those who know nothing of the Word and do not understand it, attack and persecute the saints or believers. But Laban is not so pious that he should have sinned out of ignorance, but he knowingly persecutes the pious man Jacob. Just as the cardinals, bishops and others do now, who knowingly rage and rage against the pious, and yet want to be taken for pious holy people.
The last and most heinous sin that Laban accuses his son-in-law of is that he stole his gods from him. Then see how exceedingly great and heinous he can make the sin. The pieces, he says, which I have told so far, are hard enough and not befitting a pious man; but I let them go and will forgive you. For you may have let the great desire for your fatherland or some other lust or desire overcome you, that you have thus secretly stolen away; but this is the greatest sin you have committed, that you have stolen my gods from me. Now what will you answer to this? I will admit that you have been driven to run away from me, either out of recklessness or impatience, or because you were presumptuous; although you could not have lived better in other places or in your own country than with me, why did you steal my gods, that is, my worship? For this is an exceedingly great sin. Is it not enough that you have shown yourself mischievous toward me? You have had to stain yourself and your own with sin, so that you have become a church robber.
Now he has found another and much holier pretense that he can use, namely, religion and worship, although he has not given himself over to godliness, but only avarice and mammon service have taken over his heart. Our adversaries are also such fellows. D. Eck and the bishop of Mainz, who ask for the honor of Christ and
They do not care about the truth of the gospel, but only seek the great prebends and spiritual fiefdoms, or other great dignities and glories. So Laban is not concerned with the worship of God, but is concerned with the gold and silver of which the idols were made.
(150) Nevertheless, he acts as if he is very serious about godliness and worship. As if he wanted to say: I do not ask for gold and silver, because I could easily make other idols again. But for this reason I am sorry that you have violated my devotion, worship and prayer. Therefore you may see how grievously you have sinned by stealing from God his service and religion, and all the works of godliness in my whole family and house. This is church robbery and sin against the first tablet. As much as it concerns you, he says, you rob me and my house of religion, and thereby open the door to ungodliness and the devil; for the devil desires that we may only be sure despisers of God and the service of God.
151 Thus Laban interpreted this theft of the church, not that it was only a theft of idols, but that he had violated the worship of God and destroyed it completely. For there never was a people so foolish as to worship wood, stone, gold or silver, of which the images were made; but they took the first tablet also, and made up poems, and dreamed that God above in heaven would look upon this worship, and hear the prayer that was made before this image. Just as Jeroboam, when he erected the two golden calves, also preached such a sermon: "These are your gods who brought you out of Egypt," 1 Kings 12:28, 30. He knew well, as did the people, that the calves thus made were not the God who had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, Ex 32:4, but that they believed that the worship of such idols should be pleasing and acceptable to God.
152. and the king was pleased with it, so that he invented this image and
Therefore, the ox or the calf was the most noble sacrifice. He could not have had an image that would have been better suited for worship than this very image: therefore he does not say that the ox or the calf is God, but he ties worship to the calf-images, in which one should call upon God, serve Him and sacrifice. Therefore, the vessel there is to be taken synecdochically for the content, namely, that one should serve God in and with the calves. As God had promised that He would answer the prayer of those who would call upon Him in the tabernacle by the ark and the mercy seat. Thus all the nations of their fathers have kept their worship and adorned it, or rather adulterated it with their idolatry. At Ephesus, there was an image of Diana, the idol, of which they made a poem that it had divine power, that it heard and accepted prayer, Acts 19:35. 19, 35.
So Laban accused Jacob that he had not stolen gold or silver, but that he had robbed him and his congregation of all worship or religion, and as much as was in him, he had also robbed him and his people of the kingdom of heaven. For what is it but to deprive one of religion and worship, and thereby deprive him of God Himself, of eternal life and blessedness, and cast him straight before the devil and into hell? This sin is so horrible and evil that it can never be excused nor atoned for with any words or sacrifices.
154. But Laban does this in such an exceedingly horrible and great way, not that he thinks so much of religion or worship, as if thereby the blessedness of the people or the grace of God were harmed; But only that he might cause Jacob to be hated, and that his relatives and brothers should become so hostile to him that he could never be reconciled with them; who perhaps knew that Laban had dealt somewhat harshly and unkindly with Jacob, and that Laban had been much interested in such a faithful servant to increase his possessions and goods. Therefore, to cover the merits of Jacob and his own avarice and evil desire
and would like to conceal, then he summarizes finely all virtues or good works in the first and other table and adorns himself finely with it, that nothing might have been regarded or kept more holy according to all commandments of God than just the most holy Nabal. On the other hand, he turns all his sins to Jacob and lays them in a heap on him, when in truth he seeks or means nothing but gold and silver.
How today the papists know how to praise the name of the church, and that they are concerned that they want to preserve the true religion of the dear fathers, that one wants to remain with Christ and the true, unadulterated faith, and that one wants to show proper honor and obedience to the laws, to the church and the authorities (all this, I say, they know well how to defend), and yet they serve no one and ask for nothing, except that they provide only for the belly.
Therefore, this is an excellent description of such a hypocrite, who boasts of himself as the greatest of saints, and accuses the pious holy man Jacob with all kinds of shame, with great sins and deceit, as being worthy to be punished not with human punishment, but with hellish torture and torment. He calls him a thief and murderer, who kidnapped his daughters and plundered his house, calls him unfaithful, ungrateful, a church robber, and who destroyed religion and worship. He could not have been more horribly scolded and blasphemed.
157 And from this it can be seen what Laban thought of Jacob; how badly and shamefully he had treated him; yes, that he had abused him like a poor bond-servant, or rather like a donkey or some other poor unreasonable animal, only for his own pleasure and that his possessions might be increased by him. And now he reviles him most shamefully, but all with lies and falsehood, for his supreme diligence, toil and labor. Does this mean to be obedient to God, who forbade him not to speak unkindly to Jacob? Yes, of course, this is the most unkind thing, that is, that he should not speak unkindly to him.
Accused of sins and vices that can only be imagined or said.
Now this is written for our learning and example. For this is the rule of the wicked, that they obey God only in appearance; they confess Him in word, but deny Him in deed, Titus 1:16, and despise His commandments. Laban abstains from violence publicly and does not lay hands on him: but if he could have done so, he would not have spared his. For he is all heated with desire, that he would gladly hurt him. But the wicked are somewhat humbled and compelled by fear of punishment: therefore they do repent, but only in pretense and with feigned and false humility. As Laban does everything with pure hypocrisy, and secretly he gnashed his teeth that he was not allowed to avenge himself according to his lust and desire.
The other rule of the wicked is this: All the sins that they think of in their hearts and desire to commit, they impute to the saints; but all that the saints do, and all their right virtues, they impute to themselves. This is a common rule of all hypocrites and the wicked. Laban himself is an idolater, a thief, a murderer, a thief of men, a miser, and a monster of his time; and yet he lets himself think that he is the most honest and pious man, and accuses Jacob, who is quite innocent, simple and pious, and in addition full of very beautiful virtues and great fruits, which he brings forth and proves to the church, the world and house government for the benefit and improvement. But there is no one who sins and does wrong except Jacob alone; and no one is holy and pious except this Nabal.
160 This is very grievous and unreasonable. But it is written, "that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope," Rom. 15:4. No one sins in this world except the only begotten Son of God; but no one is righteous and pious except the devil: whatever he says or does is right and well done. That is why the heretics and pa-
The right church, however, must bear this highest disgrace that it is heretical, erroneous and rebellious. The right church, however, must bear this highest disgrace, that it is heretical, erroneous, vexatious and rebellious, and, as St. Paul says 1 Cor. 4, 13: "We are always as a curse of the world, and a sweep-offering of all men."
Since it is pleasing to God and cannot be otherwise than that such a people should be a curse for God's sake, "a mockery of men and a contempt of the people," Ps. 22:7, we should not be grieved that we are counted as such people in the world. For we have a very rich consolation from Him who said Matt. 5:11, 12: "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you, because they lie against you. Be glad and of good cheer; you will be well rewarded in heaven." This is a short time: this life is short and miserable, but the joy and glory for which we hope and wait is eternal. Therefore, since it is pleasing to God that we should be the little host, lowly and despised, let us with patient and cheerful hearts bear and suffer such miseries in this life; as Jacob suffered the reproach, shame and contempt of the Labanites, who were proud and hypocrites.
We may be held up as church robbers and destroyers of religion, or even of the common regime, even as the greatest sinners on earth: but we shall suffer this reproach without complaining; and we shall also overcome it for the sake of the Son of God, who is our forerunner and Lord, who himself also suffered such reproach and overcame it in all the saints. Let us be only of the number of the Jacobites and not of the Labanites. And let us not dispute that the devil is considered and honored by the godless hypocrites as a god who must be holy and righteous, as the whole world judges.
Now there is still a question of the Hebrew word el, since Laban says: "And I would, with God's help, have so much power that I could do evil to you. I can
But I cannot say anything certain here to explain the meaning of this word; therefore I will leave it to the Hebrew rabbis and grammarians. Although I am of the opinion that they themselves do not fully understand Hebrew grammar, especially with this word; so strangely do they mix the interpretation with one another and it is thus a confused thing. And they put together almost twenty words in order to explain the one word, among which none is the same as the other.
But there is no doubt that when the Hebrew language was still a living language, many words in the everyday language were quite different from what they are now, since we only have to pick them out of the books. There is a difference between speaking according to grammar and speaking in Latin. Therefore, we do not have to pay attention to the grammatical rules as well as to the usage of the language. However, I am concerned that the Jews' grammar is not perfect, which is why the rabbis are often lacking, especially in some words.
The word el sometimes means God, and in this place it says in Latin: secundum Deum manus mea: "With God's help I would have so much power. The grammarians and those who strictly follow the rules say that in Latin it should be: secundum facultatem: It is in the faculty. And this I will easily admit; for the text in the prophet Micah at 2. Cap. V. 1. also rhymes with it, since it says: Faciunt malum, quia Deus in manibus eorum: "They have the power," they are mighty, and as we have rendered it, "They are the lords." Item, so it is also written Deut. 28, 32: Non erit, leel, fortitudo in manu tua: "There will be no strength in your hands." Therefore it must be understood that this is a peculiar way of speaking.
166) As in the Latin language, many words have come to have a different meaning than the rules of grammar give them; such as amabo, obsecro, quaeso (oh dear), age (well), apage sis, Edepol, Hercle, with which words you would get into a great error if you wanted to interpret them straight according to grammar. For the word amabo is not understood by the common
Usage has become an exclamation. Such changes occur in all languages. The Germans say: Gelt, ich will dir es bezahlen: there the word "money" is used as an adverb. Item: Gott, du sollst es lassen; there the word "Gott" has become an exclamation.
Therefore I must not presume to make a special judgment in Hebrew grammar, only that I see how the grammarians make it so sour, and have not yet brought it out, so that the way of speaking is not the same, which the Hebrews use daily in their common language and how the grammarians have interpreted it. Those who are inexperienced in the language pick apart the meanings of words and thus make a mess of things; as they do with the word shebeth, Gen. 49:10, of which they have had many opinions beyond measure. Some interpret it as a staff, others as a scepter, and others interpret it differently. Therefore, the Hebrew language has been lost for the most part and has not yet been completely recovered; and if we did not have the New Testament, our rabbis would never be able to pick the right understanding out of the Old. The New Testament has helped a great deal in the recovery and explanation of the Hebrew language and the Old Testament.
168 I do not want to argue, by the way, where someone wanted to understand the word el so that it should mean power or God. It is certain that by the figure called syncope, el comes from the word ajal, which means strength; and from the abstractum, as it is called in grammar, they make the denominative or proper word el, that is, strong. As we have rendered it Isa. 9:6: Deus fortis, strength. Where it stands alone, without the lamed, it means strength, in Latin fortitudo vel Deus. So that God is called el by the strength.
There is no doubt that this word is rightly used by God, as one can see in the 22nd Psalm v. 2: Eli, eli etc.: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? This is where elohim comes from. This is about what the Hebrews say of this text. Where they now have the right mind
If they have not, it is the most certain sign that they still do not have a right and certain understanding of the Hebrew language. From the Old Testament they cannot confirm this interpretation; but from the New Testament it is proved that this word el means so much as God.
170 But in this place the lamed is placed before the word el, le el, which reads in Latin: Adest, vel in promtu est manus mea; in German: Da ist meine Hand oder Macht. Whether it is called God here, or only strength, that it is an abstractum, as it is called in grammar, and that the name of God has become an exclamation, and that it means so much as power or ability, I do not want to argue hard about this, but will leave the matter undecided. We have rendered it in German as follows: "And I would, with God's help, have so much power that I could do you evil. Now let this be said of the grammar. He says, as it is in Latin: Adest mea facultas; vel a Deo manus me: I have so much power from God etc.
(171) But all that the hypocrite speaks, or all that he takes from the name of God, is a thing invented and false together; for the hypocrites have no God. I would have so much power, he says, that I would have taken revenge on you, because you took my daughters from me and stole my gods. But your father's God forbade me and threatened me harshly that I should not do you any harm.
But what sin is this that I have committed, Jacob would say, that you would avenge on me? Answer: Because you did not want to be my bond-servant and my donkey forever, and did not want to endure bondage any longer, because you had to sweat day and night, because you had to walk and work all the time, and because you had to be mocked and reviled by my sons and by me: that is the great sin you have committed. You should not have deprived me of this service, in which I would have liked to keep you and my daughters always. This is truly a great and grievous sin, that one does not want to place himself in the most contemptible bondage of the cruelest tyrant.
(173) But this is the true characteristic of hypocrites, that they are wont to accuse other men, because they are in their way, and hinder them, that they may not cool their labors after their pleasure, or atone for their lust. So far we have had the description of Nabal, who is a true image of a priest and a hypocrite. He was a true pope and a false hypocrite. Now we want to hear a pious man as well.
Jacob answered and said unto Laban, I was afraid, and thought that thou wouldest take thy daughters from me: but with whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him die here before our brethren. Seek thine own with me, and receive it. But Jacob did not know that she had stolen Rachel. So Laban went into Jacob's tent, and Leah's tent, and the two maidservants' tent, and found nothing.
This is a short apology for all the blasphemies Laban had spoken and spewed against the holy man. What should I do? he says, "I was afraid. He confesses humbly, and does not apologize in detail for the robbery; but he eats up all the shame and injustice and keeps quiet about it, saying only that he was afraid. If he had been a little vehement, as many people are impatient about being wronged, he would have laid all these reproaches on him again, and would have hit him with them. He would have said: Stop, and do not curse such a man, who has done well for you. For you yourself, as God and all men consider you, are a robber of the church, a murderer, a tyrant, and a paragon of avarice, who have sold your daughters and kept them like the most contemptible bondmaids and unreasonable animals. Yes, that is even more, you have not thought to give them their due reward for their sour sweat and labor, but have wanted to repay and reward them with eternal imprisonment. This would have been an endless source of quarrel and strife.
For this reason we are admonished here,
that we should also suffer and endure with patience the disgrace, item, contempt and pride of the adversaries; nevertheless, the truth should not be concealed. And the evil that the adversaries have done to us by cursing and blaspheming will not remain unpunished in them, even though we do not curse them again. For there is One who will seek and judge them.
176 Therefore Jacob says, "What I have done in this matter, I have done out of fear and fright. Thus he does not accuse Laban, and yet he gives so much to understand that he is to be justly punished and sued, because Jacob had to fear that his father-in-law would take away his daughters by force, whom he had given to him as wives. This is truly very horrible. Therefore he accuses him of the greatest sins secretly and with a beautiful phrase, so that he accuses him much more severely by excusing himself than he could otherwise have done with an open rebuke.
For the excuses of the godly are used to be the most serious accusations of the wicked. Just as now the pope and his followers accuse us of being heretics, blasphemers, disobedient and rebellious. But if I answer: I am not a heretic, nor am I a rebel, as Christ answers the Jews clearly and with explicit words, John 8:49: "I have no devil" (which must indeed be done, for we are not to applaud and remain silent where doctrine or divine truth is reviled and blasphemed): then I accuse the pope with a brief refutation of all the sin and dishonor with which he has accused us.
178 Therefore this is an excellent excuse; for he secretly appeals to the conscience of the hypocrite himself, and accuses him from all his deeds that he is an abominable tyrant. Your own conscience, says Jacob, bears witness that you have dealt very unkindly with us, that for this reason I also had good cause to think how I might escape from it. For I thought to myself, "If Laban learns that I want to flee, I will not be able to escape.
he will take my wives and everything I have and throw me into prison. But is it fitting for a pious man to deal with a faithful man, who is holy, pious, diligent and brave, to provide everything in the crowd that is to be done in it, in such a way that he has to fear the violence and inequity of his father-in-law? Namely, that he would forget the close friendship so that they are related to each other, and also the duty and natural inclination that he should have toward his son-in-law and daughters, and take the wives from their husband by force? Is this to be praised or excused in him? Yes, it is a great shame and against all reason and respectability. For daughters who have been entrusted and given in marriage to a man are no longer under the power of their father: the father has no power to reclaim the daughters or to take them from the husband. Therefore this has been an abominable tyranny, that the good pious man has been in danger of losing his dear wives and children again.
179 And it can be seen that the tyrant has threatened him several times. If I knew," he would have said, "that you were going to go away, or that you were not going to carry out my cause faithfully, I would immediately take my daughters away from you. Moses did not express this in words, but it is nevertheless very credible and can be seen as if the Holy Spirit wanted to indicate that Jacob did not use the excuse of his flight or departure in vain, because he was afraid.
180 O holy man Laban, how shall we praise and glorify you? Is it right then that a father or father-in-law should be so minded toward his son-in-law and daughters who follow their husband and who have been taken for serfs among their father's household, by whose diligence and labor his property and possessions have greatly increased, that you intend to snatch them by force from their husband? Verily, this hypocrite is the
The most horrible monster that may live, which with its cruelty far surpasses all unreasonable animals and all tyrants; yes, it is more cruel than cruelty itself can be.
181 If there had been even a little bit of kindness or goodness in him, he should have been moved and softened by the great piety, obedience, faithfulness and patience of the pious faithful Jacob. But he was not moved in the least by all this. For that is why he is pursuing his son-in-law, so that he may bring him back to the prison of servitude or take his daughters from him by force. Jacob was afraid of this and wants to say this much: It is your own fault that we had to flee, that you oppressed us so miserably, and that you threatened if I left that you would then take everything from me; that is why I was afraid.
182) On the other hand, if you accuse me of being a robber of the church, I will do this, he says: "With whom you find your gods, let him die here before our brethren. Now the Holy Spirit describes how it is humanly about the saints. For though they are high and strong in faith and spirit, they not only err and fall short in many things, but also fall according to the flesh. Jacob thinks that he has no guilt at all, that he cannot be deceived and that there is no danger with him, and that Laban has had enough in this respect; therefore he asks that he be killed with whom he finds the idols. But in this way his dear wife is handed over to death by her own husband. For if our Lord God had not forestalled and prevented this, Jacob would have carelessly delivered his dear Rachel to the flesh bank. This has gone too far. Jacob gives in too much; but he does it unknowingly. Such is the sin of the faithful, who sometimes fall according to the flesh through ignorance or through error; just as Rachel will lie willfully afterward to save her life.
By the way, the holy man Laban should have been satisfied with this answer.
and said: What shall I seek or search much? I hear how highly you believe in your innocence, and I also accept this. After all, they are my daughters and my children's children, against whom I was somewhat harsh and unkind before; now I will no longer complain or grieve you, nor will I accuse you of any theft. A father-in-law and a pious man would have admitted this; but he cannot rest, for he is full of devils. Otherwise everyone would have been satisfied with this excuse if he had heard that someone said, "I have nothing to do with your idols. But now Jacob adds something more, so that he may not be mistaken as if he were using trickery: I admit it, he says, that you seek and turn back everything. Another would not easily have given him this power. I would have said, "I do not have your idols," and I would have left it at that, and would not have given him the power to search among all my possessions; or else I would have searched alone. Therefore it was very unreasonable that this hideous monster should have been allowed such great courage. For was it not enough for him to hear that Jacob did not have his idols, and that he so highly exalted himself that he should kill the one who stole them?
But behold, how the wicked man is not ashamed at all; for he goes on and searches in all the huts. That's why I can't leave it alone, I get very excited about it, and I'm sorry that I can't achieve all this with words and that I can't emphasize it enough with its right color. I would not have admitted anything more to him if he had not wanted to be satisfied with my confession, which was so sincere and consistent. Jacob actually gives him more than he should have done.
(185) Therefore he went into Jacob's tent first; and it would have been enough if he had found nothing there. He also went to Leah's tent and beyond that to the two maidservants' tents. Last of all there was one more, Rachel's, whom he must also cuddle. And Rachel was in great danger for her life and limb.
Therefore the Holy Spirit is now present, and soon finds a council against the permission of Jacob, who had said: "With whom you find your gods, let him die" etc. Too much was given, but a remedy will follow; for where Jacob slumbers, God and the dear angels watch.
And this is God's work and art, to change and make better that which Jacob had corrupted through error. He can make evil things good when we have corrupted and neglected them. How in such great weakness as is in men, the saints cannot be without much and great sin, into which they fall. I have indeed often done many things unwise and foolishly, whereupon I was greatly frightened, and I could not see how I could be freed again from such things, which were confused and corrupted by my foolishness, and escape from them: but the Lord has made such a way and manner, that what I had done and corrupted has been corrected.
Thus a great and certain danger was prepared for Rachel, because her husband had so unwisely admitted that Laban would seek his idols wherever he wanted. For as cruel and tyrannical as this very mischievous hypocrite was, he would either have raged against the daughter, or insisted that the son-in-law should have given himself to him in servitude, thus saving her and keeping her alive. But God rules and guides His saints in such a way that they may err and fail, but that they must nevertheless come to a good end, or else they must go without great harm. For all things must be for the good of the elect, and of them that believe, even their faults and sins. That is certain. For God is wont to make everything out of nothing; therefore he can also bring good out of that which is evil. As Augustine has especially in such thoughts air that he says: So great is the goodness of God that he would not let anything evil happen, if he could not make it good again. Jacob had indeed erred very unwisely, and as much as there was in him, he had put his dear wife in danger of the
He is shown a counsel and plot by God that is so cunning that both Laban and the devil himself are deceived with it.
Sixth part.
How Laban searches Jacob's tents for the sake of his idols and is seriously punished by Jacob after this search.
V.33-35. And he went out of the tabernacle of Leah into the tabernacle of Rachel. Then Rachel took the idols and put them under the litter of the camels and sat on them. And Laban searched the whole tabernacle, and found nothing. Then she said to her father, "My lord, do not be angry with me, for I cannot stand up to you, for I am doing as women do. So he found not the idols, as he sought.
Here Satan grabs Rachel by the throat. Laban went into her hut and searched every single thing in it very carefully. Now she could not hide the idols in the clothes or the sleeves or in the straw; there was nothing left but her own body to cover the idols. Therefore she put the teraphim under the litter of the camels, not that they could have lain there safely enough, for Laban could easily have examined the litter: but she covered them with the nastiest part of the body, for she sat down on the litter. Although this is not without danger. For Laban might have suspected (as avarice and hypocrisy are wont to suspect) that there was some deceit hidden underneath; he might have said: This must not have happened without cause, that I find you sitting here in an unusual place. How if my idols were hidden here? And if he had been able to find them, to search in the litter, the theft would have come to light and been discovered.
But she thinks up a very fine lie: she pretends that she is now going after the
Women's way. But now it is proper and necessary for the sake of health that at such times a woman should not sit on the ground, but much rather on the bed or on the straw, if she cannot have a bed. So Rachel soon found help and advice in the extreme distress and danger; as experience shows that women are very quick to invent good advice. Therefore, nature or understanding and skill, which women are wont to have, also helps Rachel somewhat. Although such skill is found in women, the female sex is not ordained by God to rule, either in the church or in other secular offices, for which a particularly great intellect and good counsel are required; but they are appointed to take care of the house and to watch over it diligently, for the longer they advise on great and high things, the more they confuse and hinder things. But the first impulse of their nature is wont to be very good and happy in sudden danger.
So Rachel's father is deceived by such a female lie and by honest cause and is deceived under such pretense. For he is not allowed to search in the places that nature has hidden, and can also not raise anything against it, but is deterred by natural shame. But God was involved there, for He has perverted his senses and struck him with blindness, so that he did not search more carefully. He believes that it is true what his daughter tells him, namely that she wanted to sit alone in a special place for the sake of her illness. After that, it was not very plausible that she should sit on the idols. For he had thought that this could not be done because of her illness. But he could not believe anything less than that his daughter, who had been brought up in his house, should steal her father's gods and worship, and hold them in such contempt that she would put them under the litter of the camels and sit on them. My daughter, he thought, would not hold my worship, in which she was brought up from childhood, in such low esteem. So
he deceives himself quite finely. The daughter told a lie, which was not a joking lie or a harmful lie, but a very useful and necessary lie, so that she would give the father cause to deceive himself.
Now this is God's work and rule in the dangerous situations and deeds of the saints. For if he himself did not strike the adversaries with avarice and blindness and confuse their senses, so that they would not think of it, which they should think of most of all, then often even the most cunning plots, which one could have thought up, would not help at all.
It is a strange thing, however, that Rachel was so stubborn and constant that she was able to despise the idols she had previously considered very sacred, regardless of the danger she encountered from her angry father. For we deal more honestly with our church images and altars than Rachel dealt with her father's idols, which she hides in the litter and puts under her body. And it is a strange speech, so that she apologizes before her father that she could not stand up before him. She addresses her father, and yet does not call him father, but Lord: "My Lord, do not be angry" etc. This is truly a grave sin, that she does not fear and honor her father, as she ought to do according to the fourth commandment. And when women have their sickness, they are not so weak that they should not be able to stand up or walk.
193. Moses does not tell this in vain, and lets himself look as if it almost sounds so that she had mocked her father as an idolater who sought his idols so exactly and senselessly. But I cannot say anything certain about it. She may well have done it so that the appearance would be so much the greater that she would have acted as if she were not only completely ready and inclined to stand up to her father as an obedient daughter, but that she would also show herself as a servant to her master with fear and anxious care, so that she would be prevented from showing her father his due honor because of her illness. For
In the holy scriptures women are used to call their husbands lords, but children are not. Elisha says to Elijah, 2 Kings 2:12, "My father," but whatever the cause was for her to call him lord, this name was intended to adorn and embellish the lie. But since Laban has threatened in vain and sought his idols in all the huts, he is becoming quite foolish and angry: therefore Jacob now refutes his words of reproach a little more sharply and with more words, for he will now again recount his good deeds and Laban's ingratitude.
And Jacob was wroth, and rebuked Laban, and said unto him, What have I wronged or sinned, that thou art so hot against me? Thou hast touched all my household goods. What have you found of your household goods? Lay it before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us.
Finally Jacob also becomes angry and relies on the divine admonition that had been given to Laban, and that God would have punished Laban himself; for he is hurt by the great injustice, and nevertheless relies more on God's judgment than on his own innocence. From this he takes courage and comfort, and thus wants to say: God has seen my misery and affliction, and has punished you because of your tyranny, which you have practiced on me; for if I had been guilty of any sin before God, I would have had to suffer the punishment and you would not. But now I am sure of my innocence, and I know that the work I have done with my service has pleased God, and that your ingratitude and all your doings have displeased Him. This is Jacob's comfort and glory, that he has God's judgment on his side, who considers him righteous and his adversary unrighteous. In addition, there is also the very certain testimony of Laban's experience and conscience. For he describes the whole life, both of himself and of his father-in-law, and proves it so that Laban will also be convinced and convicted that he is an unjust man and a terrible tyrant.
195 Therefore he answered the fool according to his foolishness; but yet so that he also keepeth that which Solomon saith in addition, Prov. 26:4, 5, "That thou be not like him also; but that the fool be not presumed to be wise." For Solomon tells us that we should instruct, punish and rebuke sinners and fools in season and out of season, so that they do not think they are wise, that is, that they do not remain in the opinion that they have done right, that they have sinned; but the punishment of God should be held up to them, and their lives and evil deeds should be exposed to them, so that they may feel and understand that they have sinned, and that they repent. But he that punisheth the fool so as to be like him, as if I would lie to him again, and blaspheme him, I should be like him. But he shall be punished so as to make him ashamed of his foolishness; and this is a divine punishment. Your own conscience and your whole past life punish you; therefore see that you recognize your sin etc.
196. Jacob uses such a punishment against Laban, saying: "What have I done? what have I transgressed? what is my sin? Thou hast spoken exceedingly many reproaches and accusations against me; thou hast pronounced me a thief, a cattle thief, a robber of the church, and that I have destroyed thy religion and worship: let the pieces prove me but one thing, and convict me of it, and I will suffer my due punishment for it; but if thou canst not do this, then now thou showest thy levity and thy courage with lies. For by your silence you confess that you have lied; indeed, you are overcome by God's and your own conscience's testimony. You cannot say that I have sinned or that I have failed to do something that I should have done. All your reproach is a loud blasphemy, it is a vain lie and only nonsense. For you are disgraced and condemned by your own judgment and conscience.
have God as a witness to my innocence and your own conscience as well. So one should louse the fool with pistons.
Where are now the great glittering words and the invented vices: You have stolen my heart, you have become fugitive, as he said above, v. 26, such words uttered with great anger and reluctance? They all disappeared like smoke. But the foolish Laban did not want to understand this, since the Lord admonished him in a dream that he should not speak harshly or unkindly to Jacob. Therefore Jacob adds the gloss here and lays out the words of the Lord for him, saying: "You have accused me unreasonably and falsely of such great sin and vice, and all the things for which you accuse me belong to you more cheaply; for God has said this, and your own conscience also convinces you of it.
198 So Laban the fool, or Nabal, had to be combed and cured, so that he could see that he had erred and sinned. And that means to answer the fool according to his foolishness, so that he does not let himself be thought wise, as Solomon teaches in Proverbs, chapter 26, v. 5. For one should not be averse to the devilish evil words that are spoken against the true religion and against God Himself. Religion and against God Himself, one should not remain silent, but one should punish and refute them. And such refutation is not a sin: it is not an anger that is unreasonable or punitive; but it is a holy and righteous anger and a Christian zeal that is angry at the ungodly being and at sin.
Such punishment is useful so that people do not remain in error and in their sins, and thus remain in bondage to the devil who drove and possessed them; but they are to be punished so that they may be converted and delivered from the power and tyranny of the devil. As we punish the pope as the antichrist and deceiver of the whole world; yes, we punish and condemn all kinds of ungodly beings and idolatry. We are angry about it, not out of our own vengefulness, but out of right zeal, and that we are heated in our conscience to save and preserve the glory of God.
200. but Jacob presses hard on his
Father-in-law and now stuffs his mouth with questions, so that he says to him: What have I sinned? What have I done wrong? What sin have I committed? Here I will recommend to those who have an understanding of the Hebrew language that they examine the difference between the two words, pesha and cheth; for the rabbis bring together thirteen words, all of which mean sin and transgression that do not belong here. But these two words, which Moses uses, are to be distinguished thus: the word pesha means guilt, when one does not do what one is obliged to do (culpa omissionis); but cheth means sin, when one does what one should not do (peccatum commissionis): and these words comprehend in themselves original sin, pescha, as said, is when one does not do what one ought to do (omittere facienda); but cheth, when one does what one ought not to do (facere omittenda,).
201 Thus it is written in 2 Kings 3:5, Praevaricatus est Moab in Israel, that is, "The Moabites fell away from Israel." For the Moabites were subject to the people of Israel, that they should pay tribute unto them; but they fell away from them, that is, they would no more obey them, nor pay tribute unto them. Item, so it is written in the prophet Isaiah at the 1st chapter v. 2: Praevaricati sunt in me: "They have fallen away from me", that is, they should fear and honor me, should be obedient to me as their father; but the obedience, which they owe me, they let go. I have adopted them as my children to serve me, but they fall away from me and choose strange gods. What they ought not to do, they do; and what they ought to do, they leave undone. Item, also Jer. 2, 13: Duo mala fecit populus meus etc.: "My people commit a twofold sin: they leave me, the living spring, and make them wells" re. They should honor me and serve me as the living spring, but they leave me: after that they seek other wells; they should not do that.
202 So Jacob also says here, "There are two things for which you could have punished me, namely, where I had done something.
which I ought not to have done; or else, where I have omitted to do something which ought to have been done by me: prove me only one of the two. You say that I have disobeyed you, that I have stolen your idols, that I have kidnapped your daughters; all these are obvious lies, and you yourself must prove and testify to my innocence by words and deeds. In addition, there is the divine testimony and your own conscience: yes, you yourself are guilty of both sins; for you have sinned in that you have not done what you ought to have done to me and your daughters for their honor and restitution; you have not given them a dowry or a portion of the inheritance. Then you also sinned by chasing after us and thinking to do evil. These are great and grave sins, which you should truly recognize and ask for forgiveness.
Thus the great honor of Laban was changed into the highest shame and dishonor. And Jacob now recounts his sins in particular, one by one. You are angry with me," he says, "you have not only reproached me or persecuted me, but you are also inflamed and furious with great anger toward me. For this is the meaning of the Hebrew word dalak in other places; as in the 7th Psalm v. 14: Sagittas suas ardentes effecit ignitas etc.: "He has prepared his arrows to destroy", he wants to shoot fire, to set fire to a city. So he scourges the great guilt of Laban not only by describing it in detail, but also by giving it strong names. You have persecuted me," he says, "with your friends, both your own and others; you have been fierce and furious; you would have gladly attacked me with sword and fiery arrows, as one possessed by the devil.
(204) He scolded him harshly enough, as if to say, "Because you found no sin in me, either that I had not done what I was supposed to do or that I had committed what I was not supposed to commit, you should not have persecuted me so fiercely and so hotly, but should have thought of our relationship, that I was your son-in-law and that your daughters were my wives and daughters.
We are your children. But regardless of such kinship and love, you have raged against us with such great nonsense that you have even forgotten that you are the father of your daughters. But even if I am not your son-in-law, I am still your sister's son, for you are my cousin and not only my father-in-law. Therefore we could not be nearer related to each other, but I would be your son, born of your womb. And if Jacob had died, Laban would have been his father according to the law. So now we are related to each other both by blood and by blood; but you not only do not honor us with any gift, but you also presume to deprive us of the goods given to us by God, which is contrary to all love and friendship.
Therefore he says rightly, "You are not angry with me in a human way, but you rage in a completely devilish way and are full of hellish fire; you are even heated against those who are innocent and very close to you. If I had a pious and honest son-in-law and at the same time an unrighteous son, I would certainly want to steal all my possessions from the unrighteous son and give them to my son-in-law. But Laban turns it around and reverses the order of all works of love and the whole nature: he robs his honest daughters and the very pious man, his son-in-law. Now this has been the first thing.
Now Jacob says further, and makes it still greater, what Laban has done: "You have touched all my household goods," that is, all my possessions: but the same is not due to a wise or honest man to deal in this way especially with the goods of his son or daughters. For it is a disgrace to look at everything in particular in this way, to touch it, and to examine it so closely as if it were one's worst enemies: indeed, no one would behave rightly toward his enemy in this way. But what have you done with it, says Jacob, or what have you found with such diligent searching? Only that you have shown that you are so senseless and hot-tempered for no reason at all.
Anger. And if you do not ask anything about my judgment, nor can you conclude with certainty whether you or I are wrong, then let us let the matter go to some arbiters and let our brothers judge between the two of us. He offers him justice. But Laban is overcome by his own judgment and disgraced, so that he may not open his mouth.
(207) Thus shall the wicked and hypocrites be dealt with: but the righteous shall be found blameless and free, and the wicked shall be put in his place: for the evil that he hath threatened to inflict upon another shall come upon his own head. As it is written in the 7th Psalm v. 17: "His calamity shall come upon his head, and his iniquity shall fall upon the top of his head."
(208) But for the brethren there is a question: What does Jacob mean by saying, "Present this to my brethren and to thy brethren? How did Jacob have brothers in this pilgrimage, since he served alone for twenty years? And afterwards (v. 46.) it also says: "He said to his brothers: Pick up stones" etc. This is my opinion. For where we do not have a certain clear text, we must guess, and get thoughts and opinions out of the text as best we can. It can be seen that the whole of Mesopotamia was almost pastureland, and the people lived there, as they still do, tending their cattle in the pastures: therefore there were shepherds in all the villages and towns. And it is well to be believed that Jacob had among his servants many blood friends of the house of Laban, who served him as well as his father-in-law. And the service was divided; some served Jacob, and some Laban. Those who went with Jacob were undoubtedly devout and godly. As was said of Abraham's household, of Hagar and Abraham's servant, who joined him because of the religion that was pure with him.
209. so now he understands by this the brothers who were of the friendship of Nahor and Tharah, who went again with Jacob to his fatherland, and he has taken them.
He was allowed to have them tend his herd, because his two wives were busy raising and caring for the children, who were still young and weak. But he alone could not feed such a large herd, he had to have servants and maids. He calls them brothers in this place. Well, he says, let us both choose some of our relatives and blood friends who may decide this quarrel. This is very fair that Jacob offers him such a condition. And so Laban is overcome by the divine judgment, by his own conscience, by his former life, and by the common testimony of all men and of his own brothers or relatives; so that now he cannot find anything to answer, since he is so overcome and disgraced.
These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and goats have not been barren; the rams of your flock I have never eaten; what the animals tore I did not bring you, I had to pay for it; you demanded it from my hand, it would be stolen from me by day or by night. During the day I paled from heat, and at night from frost, and no sleep came into my eyes. So I have served in your house these twenty years, fourteen for your daughters, and six for your flock; and you have changed my wages tenfold.
Jacob not only scolds his father-in-law, but also reproaches him for his terrible ingratitude by emphasizing all the circumstances and how he had such a difficult service with him. For he recounts his work and good deeds and emphasizes them, so that Laban's wickedness and ingratitude would be increased. But Moses presents us with a perfect example and image of a pious and faithful servant, the like of which is not found elsewhere in any history. But in our time, God help us, how mean it is that almost all the fathers of the house lament the unfaithfulness and wickedness of their servants.
I have served you, says Jacob, with such diligence that your sheep and goats have never been barren.
211. But can the shepherds bring this about, so that the cattle do not become barren? Answer: A faithful and diligent shepherd is indeed very important. For it is well known how wicked our shepherds are now, who, either by wicked arts or by their carelessness and negligence, cause the sheep of their masters, the fathers of the house, to die, become barren and lean; but that which is their own must give much milk and cheese, and also bear much wool and many lambs. Therefore it is very important for a shepherd's piety and faithfulness that he does not miss the time when the sheep are running, and that he also takes good care of them; for where the sheep are well cared for, it happens naturally that they also tend to be fruitful.
Therefore Jacob says, "Your sheep have not been barren": I have brought this about with my faithfulness and diligence, that the flocks have borne many lambs; in twenty years they have never been barren. For in these lands, as in some places in Italy, sheep are wont to bear twice a year. This requires diligent maintenance, so that the flocks are not missed when the time comes for them to run. Therefore, I say, this is an example of a faithful servant, which has no equal. How could Laban not have become rich because of this, even though he himself was already sleepy and idle, since the faithful servant did nothing but add to his master's goods and only ever provided his benefit?
Secondly, he says, "I have never eaten the rams of your flock. For shepherds have the right sometimes to slaughter a sheep, or at least to eat the milk or cheese from it, and to clothe and cover themselves with the sheepskin or wool. Jacob, however, did not want to make use of this, but rather let it all be used to his master's advantage to his detriment; therefore Rachel also said above (v. 15) not in vain that her father had eaten her wages.
Thirdly, Jacob says: "What the animals tore, I did not bring you. It was not proper to do so, although by all rights he should not have included in his account that which was torn by wolves or other animals. And I have not, he says, been able to keep the flock so diligently that the wolf should not have taken one or the other sheep at times; therefore I should not pay for the damage. But because you accused me that this had happened through my negligence, that I had let the wolf fall into the sheepfold, I had to compensate and pay for the damage.
215 So Laban suffered no harm, neither that the flocks should have been lost in the running, nor that his flesh should have been eaten up, nor that the beasts should have torn him to pieces. I alone had to bear the guilt, says Jacob, I had to have done it, I had to pay and reimburse everything that was lost. That was truly a very hard service and great tyranny, that one must also pay for that which cannot or may not be preserved with the greatest diligence. It is often impossible to prevent a dog from taking or eating something in the house or doing any other damage. But it is a wonder where Jacob took it from, so that he paid for it and made restitution for what was lost from the pile. We cannot deduce this from history, but we can guess it, because either Isaac, his father, sent him money, or Laban may have given him some small reward, which he spent almost entirely on ensuring that his master, the miser, would not be harmed.
216. fourth, Jacob says, "It would be stolen from me by day or by night." For so it reads according to the Hebrew. Although the rabbis say that the letter is superfluous in this place. But I do not hold it everywhere with the Rabbins. But this is the meaning of these words: All that the people stole by day and by night, that must have been stolen by my fault and neglect; I had to complete the number again and fulfill it, it would be
I had to replace everything that was lost, not even a handful of wool. Nothing was lost to you, not even a handful of wool; I had to replace everything that was lost. So Laban has become rich through someone else's care, great toil and sweat, even to the detriment and disadvantage of this faithful shepherd. But this is cursed property, which is acquired with other people's sour sweat, and in addition with tyranny, so that others are burdened.
217 So Jacob uses beautiful words and preaches the law to him, so that he may bring him to the knowledge of his sin. But the hypocrite wants to be righteous alone, and makes himself believe that he cannot sin in any way. Therefore, it is impossible to bring such people to the knowledge of sin and to right repentance.
Fifthly, he says: "During the day I pined away because of heat and at night because of frost" etc. This was more bearable for him during the first fourteen years than during the last six years, when he had to serve himself and his wives and children to increase his property and to provide for his house. For this reason, it has been very difficult for him to suffer heat and frost at the same time, and he has not been able to sleep or rest. For the body needs to have its rest and sleep, so that it does not become tired and weakened when it is too tired. But why did he suffer so much? Answer: Because thieves and wolves do not pay attention to heat or frost and do not ask about day or night. Therefore," he says, "I had to keep watch over the herd night and day, I could not excuse myself because of the heat or the "too great" frost: I had to leave; and all this happened for your benefit and profit, because I had to do hard work and sweat, so that only your herd would grow and increase when you slept.
219. But where will you find an example today like this wonderful faithfulness that was in Jacob? For both the nobles and the peasants who handle livestock complain about the great unfaithfulness of the shepherds, saying thus.
that the sheep of the lords become barky and barren and suffer other damage, and are torn apart by the animals; but the sheepherds' sheep are not so, so that they take less care of those sheep and do their own good and good to the detriment of their lords. And they commonly tell, whether it be a fable or a story, that one of the nobility had a shepherd imprisoned for his wickedness and theft; but now that he was to be hanged on the gallows, the nobleman is said to have asked him: Does he not know of another shepherd, pious and faithful, whom he may put over his sheep? The thief is said to have said: He knew none at all, and they were all just as pious as he, indeed, some were even a little worse. They say that the nobleman was moved by this answer to give this shepherd his life and keep him, because he could not find a better one.
220 Therefore, the manners of the servants of this time explain very well the virtue and faithfulness of this pious shepherd Jacob. For it is a very special example, and it is easy to see and accept how great the trouble is today with housekeeping, since people are so exceedingly unfaithful. But one must bear with such damage and be silent until God demands and brings us out of this life into a better one, and punishes the sin in the wicked unfaithful people. For such faithfulness as Jacob showed to an unjust and unfaithful master, no one will be able to show to another, unless he truly believes in God and completely clings to the Word with faith.
221. Jacob says still more. "So I have served these twenty years in thy house, fourteen for thy daughters, and six for thy host; and have changed my wages tenfold." Laban was not satisfied with the fact that he had become rich during the fourteen years through Jacob's work and faithfulness; he also wanted to deprive him of his due wages. Therefore Jacob scolded him as much as he could, so that he could bring him to this.
would like him to recognize his sin. But Laban has such a heart, which is harder than a diamond or an anvil.
And from this it may be seen how great patience and also great faith the patriarchs had. It is true that the martyrs suffered much and horrible torture and torment: but all this cannot be compared with the very hard work and great danger of the patriarchs. For that is great patience, to suffer whole twenty years such great tyranny and violence. But how it happened with the change of the wages, has been said above.
V. 42. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had not been on my side, you would have left me empty-handed. But God has looked upon my misery and trouble, and has punished you yesterday.
223. "God has seen my misery," says Jacob, "and has punished you." In Hebrew it is written in such a way that there is no accusative, and in German it reads: GOtt hat es gesehen und deshalb scholte. For Laban was such an abominable tyrant that he would not only have let Jacob go empty and naked, but he would also have brought him by force back into hard service, where God had not threatened and hindered him; as was said before. This, by the way, is a very apt text, the like of which we have not yet had, for the sake of the name "the fear of Isaac." The word pachad, among the Hebrews, means to be afraid or terrified. As in the 14th Psalm v. 5. it is written, "There they fear," etc., the hypocrites fear, because there is no fear; or as in another place, Prov. 28, v. 1. it is written, "The wicked fleeth, and no man chaseth him." So it is commonly interpreted. But it must be understood in terms of worship.
But what does the Holy Spirit mean by calling it the "fear of Isaac"? There is no doubt about it, he wants to understand God by it; because he adds: "The God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac. The word "fear" is connected with the word "God", therefore it must mean as much as God. Therefore the fear of
in this place simply GOtt. But where this word should mean something other than God, Jacob would not have connected it with the word "God". For one may not turn the honor, or the service of God to another. But there are innumerable questions and interpretations, why he called it the fear or honor of Isaac, and why he did not give this name also to Abraham, but only to Isaac. But I will follow the simple and common understanding that he called it that way because of the excellent and special service of his father Isaac, who feared and honored God with special godliness. This is the common sense and I am pleased with it.
225. But above this one must also notice these words, which Moses has set in such a way that they have a special emphasis, as I have often reminded of this in other places. As it is written in the 2nd chapter of this first book of Moses, v. 21: "God, the Lord, made a woman out of the rib that he took from man. There he could have used another and perhaps a better word, as it seems. But by this fuller expression he meant to indicate that a woman is a divine building, not only for the sake of the mystery of the church, but also as far as housekeeping is concerned. For all Scripture uses this way of speaking of women, as Exodus 1:21 says of the blessing that God blessed and rewarded the mothers of women: "God built them houses" etc. And Rachel has written above, Cap. 30, v. 3, said to Jacob also thus: "Lie with her, that I may be built up by her." This means that I may have children and heirs in the house or in our family. For for this purpose the woman was created, that by her the house might be built up, and that children and heirs might be born.
226 Likewise Jacob says in this place that Laban was punished, and the same is also spoken very emphatically; as shortly before, v. 16, Rachel also said how God had stolen her father's wealth etc. For the tenfel with the evil angels and also with evil men is only
He is eager to prevent and destroy all good works. Wherever anything good happens, it tends to happen in such a way that God punishes the devil and evil men, fights against them and has to snatch the good out of their mouths, as it were. These and similar ways of speaking, which are so emphatically and with special diligence, should be well noted in the Scriptures.
227 Therefore I consider it that in this place the understanding according to the letter is the best, namely, that God is called the "fear of Isaac" because of the excellent service which Isaac performed. The others interpret it thus, that Isaac was afraid, because he was to be sacrificed. But the reason does not rhyme at all and is ungodly. For Isaac was not afraid, nor was he frightened, but willingly obeyed his father and God. For it is not to be ascribed to the saints that they should fear, but it. is to them a voluntary obedience and bravery. For fear is called the sin that reigns, which sin Isaac did not have, but the Spirit was obedient in him; and though the flesh was opposed, yet the Spirit retained the victory and reigned, which subdued the flesh to him.
But moreover, I believe that Christ is also implied here. For the fathers expressly distinguished this blessing from the bodily one: "In Isaac shall the seed be called unto thee," says St. Paul Rom. 9:7, who also lays special emphasis on the first word. For the blessing of Ishmael with the twelve princes that were to come from him was bodily. But "in Isaac shall be called thy seed"; which is no other seed but Christ alone, who is the right seed. For the fathers, above the bodily blessing which Ishmael and Esau had, looked chiefly to the spiritual blessing, which is Christ Himself. That is why I understand the Holy Trinity here, and the same in other places, where I can only take this mystery from the words of the Old Testament.
229 So the "fear" here is called the Son of God, who became man, to whom the patriarchs and prophets looked in the promises and about whom they taught and reported to the people. As he was initially promised in this first book of Moses Cap. 3, v. 15: "The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent." Item Cap. 12, 3. and Cap. 26, 4. "By thy seed shall all nations be blessed." This seed the fathers feared and served, which is, as it were, the right gem and kernel in the bodily promises, which were like husks or chaff given to them to strengthen their faith, that they might have heirs for Christ's sake.
230 Therefore the Holy Spirit wants to indicate that Isaac waited for this seed with great desire and served him. And Jacob boasts here of the future Lord Christ, whom his father served. So we should diligently remember that such noble passages and sayings must be drawn to Christ, as we have had several of them in the promises above. And hereafter in chapter 49, v. 10, it will be said of the future Shiloh, who is born a son of his mother's womb. And let us not follow the interpretation of the Jewish rabbis, who hideously obscure Christ the Lord. For the fathers took diligent care of this precious stone, which was included in the bodily blessings, and held it in honor; otherwise Jacob would not have said here, the "fear of Isaac. For this is the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who became man in the other person. And he does not say that there is another God than the God of Abraham, but to indicate the mystery of the Trinity.
In this way these emphatic words, which Moses now and then mixes into his writings like precious stones, become very sweet and pleasant to us, provided they are only drawn to Christ; for the other interpretations are cold and lazy, like that of the sacrifice of Isaac.
232 And this is also the right and beautiful ornamentation of these histories, in which the holy
The Holy Spirit describes such low and contemptible works of the holy patriarchs that the hypocrites and papists make themselves believe that they are despised and ungodly: but they understand in themselves the highest wisdom and right faith. Therefore all that the saints do, however small and insignificant it may seem, is great and glorious. For they do all things in faith and in the Word, that is, in innocence and holiness. For thus saith Christ, Luc. 8:50, Only believe, and thou shalt be saved, and shalt be clean and holy; and whatsoever thou doest shall be clean, holy, and profitable. Just as there is nothing useless in a sheep, for even the dung and the legs have their use, and not only the milk or the wool: so where the saints still murmur out of impatience, that is the dung; but it does no harm to the saints, but must all serve them for the best; for they live, do, and suffer by faith in the word. "Thy word," saith Christ John 17:17, "is truth." Whoever takes hold of the word and believes it is truly holy and righteous. On the other hand, all opponents of the word, no matter how holy they may appear to be, are rejected and condemned.
Let this be diligently remembered for our comfort and for the teaching of the whole church, that we may know that our lives are pleasing and acceptable to God, even in the little works of the home. For reason and the world do not know about this, which only relies on strange visions, enlightenments and strange speculations, and also deals with hard and abominable works, such as fasting and vigilance. Hence the monks, and among the pagans the philosophers, came who wanted to precede others in such strange works, and thus wanted to make the common people esteem them highly and hold them in great honor; but the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God.
So Jacob lives in marriage and servitude without any appearance of special works, and seems to be despised before God, as he is poor and miserable in the world. For the world does not see what faith is and what it is able to do: so much as a
He is hidden and unknown to reason, according to Christ's saying John 14:17: "The world cannot receive the Holy Spirit," does not see or hear Him, nor does it understand anything about Him with any sense. But we should make it our concern that the godly may be taught and awakened to faith in the Word, so that they may always be found in the love and practice of the Word. For then all their works, so that they may manage both the world and the home, are very good: you walk, you sleep, or you watch, it is all pleasing to God; for the word, the faith, and the spirit that dwells in you are good.
Finally, it is also a comfort to us that Jacob says that his father's God was on his side etc. and looked upon his misery and work. But what is his work but small, weak, and unworthy works, which have been described so far in him as a poor shepherd? Of these works the Holy Spirit wanted them to be held up as an example and strengthening to the church and the faithful, so that they might know for certain that God looks at all the works of the saints and the godly, even that He has counted all their hairs, as has been said many times. He has such great sorrow and concern for those who hear the word and believe.
This comfort is especially necessary for the church and congregation of God, because the devil with the whole world and our own flesh miserably afflicts those who have the word. Therefore, we must not hope for comfort or protection from the world and the rulers of this world, and we must not seek carnal counsel from ourselves, for all this is in vain. But those who nevertheless seek such counsel or hope for it, must learn that in the 116th Psalm v. 11. it says: "All men are liars"; item in the 146th Psalm v. 3.: "Do not rely on princes, they are men, they cannot help." But the whole world goes along as if it were blind, and corrupts in its vain counsel and presumption; for it will not suffer the devil, the wicked, and its own flesh to persecute it.
Therefore God must look upon His own and provide for them, who otherwise are forsaken and know neither help nor counsel, but look only to His word; for they bear the cross and have sorrow and affliction; as Jacob is afflicted not only by the devil, but also by his father-in-law and blood relative himself. Therefore let us learn this and realize that God counts all our works and thoughts, however small and despised they may be, if only we believe in Him. For if we take heed to His word, He in turn takes heed to us, and cares for us in all adversity and distress that the world and Satan put in our way.
Seventh Part.
Laban's response to Jacob's punishment, and how he makes a covenant with Jacob.
Laban answered and said unto Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and the herds are my herds; and all that thou seest is mine. What can I do to my daughters today, or to their children whom they have borne?
So far Moses has given us an example and a picture of a holy man and a pious and faithful servant, namely of Jacob, what he had done and how much he had suffered, how he had endeavored according to love to win over his adversary and to bring him to the knowledge of his sin or to repentance, and thus had done what a holy and pious man should do; but what he had done with it, we will now hear further.
239 For Moses describes to us an example that is quite contrary to this, namely, a very wicked hypocrite. Although he has described him clearly enough, how he behaved against his son-in-law, daughters and children, let us now see, after he has been admonished and punished by God and also by Jacob, how much he has improved in his life. He says first: "The daughters find my daughters....
-ter, and the children are my children, what can I do to them now?" O holy man, St. Laban! You don't hear a word of repentance or confession of his sin. He does not say, "My dear Jacob, I recognize and confess my sin, for I have treated you too cruelly and not fatherly enough, and have not behaved toward you and my daughters as I should have. You will never be able to wrest such words from a hypocrite, or even rarely. For a hypocrite is such a monster that cannot sin at all, nor can he be converted. A hypocrite does not allow himself to think that he can sin or err, when he is already so admonished for his sin and error that he can grasp it with his hands.
240 For such an image is also held up to us in some others, as in Pharaoh and Saul; or, though they sometimes confess their sin in words, they seldom do so, or do it hypocritically and falsely. He alone who is holy and righteous must be a sinner. Yes, that is even more, the unrighteous and godless want to have the name that they do not sin or do evil, especially when they have power and authority. As, Heinz Mordbrenner, the bishop of Mainz, Doctor Jeckel and Grickel do not do wrong, they are righteous and holy before men.
241 This is now a great temptation and injustice, which greatly vexes and afflicts the flesh. But these examples are written to comfort and strengthen us, that we may know that it cannot be otherwise, that we must live with such hypocrites, and that we may bear and endure with so much greater courage when we must hear such perverse judgments of carnal men. Jacob alone must be a sinner; but Laban is pious and righteous. So now we Wittenbergers must also be sinners alone, even though we give an account of our doctrine to anyone who demands it of us. We prove and defend our doctrine, we refute the opponents' doctrine and overcome them according to their own judgment and conscience. Nevertheless, we do not do anything with it. They are pious and just; we
must be ungodly and unjust. Now, anyone who cannot suffer and endure this cannot be a Christian. They must be right, Christ and Christians are wrong.
242 Now let us consider the words of Laban, which we will not interpret falsely, but sincerely, not according to the opinion of his heart, according to which everything seems to be spoken with great pride and scorn. For that he saith, The daughters are my daughters, is well true; but he had now given them to Jacob, that they were his wives. Likewise also the herd was his deserved reward, which he had acquired with great labor and sweat. Therefore Laban lies and I would like to interpret his words better in this way, but I do not want to follow such a hard mind. We want to understand the words as if he had spoken them from a fatherly heart. As if he wanted to say: My dear son, you have everything you have from me; I am the father, why should I harm my own? I have given you my daughters, sheep and oxen; you have received everything from me; the Lord bless you, that you may grow and become great, and that you may use your possessions godly and blessedly, so that it may go well with you. For thus a sincere pious father is wont to speak to his daughters and son-in-law and children's children. This hypocrite also uses such words. But it is all false and a vain invented thing. And let us prove it with two arguments.
243 First, he does not yet recognize his sin and robbery, which Jacob accused him of. For he accused him of theft and many other grave sins, and that he had behaved abominably and unkindly toward him and his daughters; but he does not recognize or confess any of these things, but wants to be righteous and pious. Therefore, although such hypocrites use the words of pious sincere people, as Laban can also finely repeat the words of a pious faithful father, yet they do not speak from the heart what they speak, they are not sincere.
244 Secondly, it would also have been proper for the father to have given any gift to his daughters and his children's children. My dear Rachel, he should have said, see,
You have ten guilders etc. for the dress of honor. Reuben, take this, I will give it to you, so that you may remember your grandfather. But he does not confess his sin, nor does he give them any gift as a testimony to his fatherly love and benevolence. Everything is aimed at deceiving and deceiving the good, pious man, so that the wives and brothers may change their judgment of Jacob, forget all injustice, and praise the kindness of the father-in-law; but the fruit clearly shows what kind of tree it is.
For God wants above all things that he should confess what he has taken from him and that he should also give it back; then that he should also give a sign of righteousness and uncontaminated love. But he does not do so; the pious hypocrite persists in his righteousness and yet gives no sign of righteousness, neither yes nor no. So it is all in vain and for nothing that Jacob punished him. Now this is the first thing, that we interpret it sincerely and let go of the hard and hostile mind. But now he continues and becomes spiritual and holy. He is not satisfied by defending his righteousness against Jacob, who must be unrighteous, as if Laban had not sinned against him: now he will have to be lifted up to heaven among the choirs of holy angels.
V. 44. Come NOW, then, and let us make a covenant, I and thou, which shall be a testimony between me and thee.
246 The hypocrite often repeats and introduces this piece, saying, It is a testimony between me and thee, as the whole narrative will show. For this is what hypocrites do: although they bear no fruit, they have many leaves, like the fig tree that Christ curses. He repeats this often to the point of great exasperation, saying, "May God be a witness between me and you. Item: The mountain, the pile of stones and the mark are witnesses between us. But there is no real reason or truth behind it. To this art of
Hypocrisy must get used to those who want to live in the world.
And now he begins to make the pious man hateful and to weigh him down with suspicion. For he poses as if he fears God, and that he also wants to provoke Jacob, as one who is not very God-fearing, to fear God with his admonition. He wants to make a covenant before God, wants to set up a stone, and makes a very precise agreement with him concerning the borders, so that Jacob will not go over them and cause him any harm. But what is the use of being so concerned about such a man, whose faithfulness and diligence he had known and experienced very well for twenty years? What does it matter that he wants his faithful son-in-law to take an oath against him and that he makes such a big fuss about the bond? He had previously entrusted him with his daughters in marriage and had also entrusted him with his possessions: why is he now afraid of him, since he lives in a foreign country?
It is nothing else but an outward pretense and useless show, so that he tries to disparage the pious holy man and to bring him into suspicion, as if danger threatened him from Jacob. He arrogates to himself great innocence and righteousness, and pretends that he must be very afraid of your wicked rascal Jacob, as if he intended to do him violence and injustice. If he were a pious and faithful man, he would rather have said thus: Go, my dear Jacob, the Lord bless you and yours; where I can serve you in your affairs, I will do so gladly, and where there is any danger or trouble, let me know, and you will know that I love you fatherly and dearly. I will never leave you, nor my dear daughters and children. But he does not promise them anything; indeed, he still complains about Jacob by making him hateful, because he acts as if he should be afraid of him. For he goes about it wanting to have the appearance and name as if he were holy and God-fearing, but Jacob is to be considered suspicious by everyone.
as if he wanted to harm Laban. So, since he cannot justly overcome and punish him for any sin, he nevertheless tries to falsely put a sting on him, that he should go with such suspicion, as if he would like to do him wrong and is such a man who does not ask anything about God.
But it also occurs to me that I think Laban must have been somewhat upset, as the wicked are wont to be, who know themselves guilty, and are also wont to be frightened by a rustling leaf. As Solomon says Prov. 28, 1: "The wicked fleeeth, and no man chaseth him." And the poets write of Orestes, how he had become senseless. And Juvenal has very well described and depicted the people who are tortured by their own conscience, as he says: "Cur tamen hos tu evasisse".
putes, quos diri conscia facti mens habet at-
tonitos? etc., that is: You should not think that those have gotten away unpunished, whom their own conscience accuses and makes frightened. Hi sunt, he says further, qui trepidant
et ad omnia fulgura pallent: These are the fellows who are thus terrified, and are even discolored and turn pale at every flash of lightning. For this is the punishment that follows sin.
250 Therefore it could well have happened that (although Laban knew that no danger threatened him from his son-in-law, whom he knew by experience to be faithful and pious) he was nevertheless afraid of others, namely of Jacob's parents, relatives and friends. But the most noble thing was that he wanted to adorn himself with such pretense and hypocrisy and to weigh Jacob down and make him suspicious.
Now the godly must deal with such people in this world, whom they deceive both physically and spiritually, and this under the appearance of holiness, righteousness, godliness and spirituality; and only then do they tend to triumph and be happy, when they can deceive us with the false delusion, as if they mean the right religion and serve God rightly, but we sin against the same. Therefore
Now Laban alone is righteous and holy, in the first and second table. This is the right conterfei and image of the world.
V. 45 Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a mark.
252 Jacob is willing to make a covenant with him, only for the sake that he may come easily and soon from the very mischievous hypocrite. For it is very burdensome for all the godly to deal with hypocrites; and indeed it is easier for anyone to deal with an open enemy than with such a hypocrite, who outwardly presents himself as if he were a friend and would gladly do good, and yet inwardly bears enmity and disfavor in his heart. There is nothing more burdensome or annoying than to deal with such a man, to live with him, to eat with him, who at the same time sees every opportunity to blaspheme and rob only one, and yet cannot be publicly convicted of dealing in violence or deceit, but whose hypocrisy and secret deceitfulness, if he has it behind him, must be tolerated and endured; Yes, such a hypocrite still swears nobly and highly that he is the best of friends, and completely inclined and inclined to true godliness; or even if you will punish him with lies and reproach him with his hidden and deceitful heart, he can still pretend and deny everything so that he remains unconquered. Therefore Jacob simply enters into the agreement and hurries so that the covenant is established, and he himself takes a stone with his hand and sets it up as a mark and a memorial of the covenant, thinking: "If only God would let me get rid of this boy soon! Yes, he exhorts his brothers to pick up stones and make a heap. We must do the same, we must flee the community of hypocrites, in whatever way it can or may happen.
V. 46. 47. And he said to his brothers: Pick up stones. And they took stones, and made a heap, and did eat thereon.
heap. And Laban called his name Jegar Sahadutha: but Jacob called his name Gilead.
253 And Jacob called the shepherds and his kinsmen brethren, according to the custom of the scripture, even they that came from Nahor. And they might well have been satisfied on both sides, since they had made the covenant; but the most holy Laban wants to be assured still more. It is not enough that they have erected a stone as a sign and memorial of the covenant, but he is the first to give the cairn a name in the Syriac or Chaldean language, only so that it may strike the conscience of his son-in-law. For he will say, Behold, we have made a covenant, we have gathered up stones, we have made a heap, and we have given a name to the heap; now it behooves thee to remember this covenant also. Now behold, how great and strange spirituality he can pretend, how this covenant should and must be kept: for he has changed the reward ten times, because he had become one with Jacob; indeed, if he had not been punished by God, he would not have made a covenant with him at all, but he would have brought Jacob again by force into the previous bondage.
The Hebrew word gal means heap. Ed means witness. Jacob is looking at the eighth commandment, that one should not bear false witness. But the Syriac word means as much as the Hebrew, a mound of stones or earth.
255 He does not call it a heap of testimony in vain; for he means this much: Remember this heap that is set up; let it be to thee an everlasting memorial in thine ears and in thine heart, that thou forget not this covenant; for if thou wilt not keep it, this heap shall stand against thee for a glorious testimony in heaven and in earth. It would not have been necessary for me to make and raise up this multitude, for I am pious and righteous: but we have danger to fear from thee. So he is only pretending to be spiritual and righteous, and secretly wants to make Jacob suspicious and to make him fear the danger.
He is a man who is unfaithful and does not keep the faith. This cannot be read without great and cheap anger. But it is not enough that he has given a name to the bunch, he must repeat the same thing many times.
V.48. Then Laban said, Let the multitude be a witness this day between me and thee (therefore it is called Gilead).
He is still continuing to impress the memorial on Jacob, and orders everything very diligently, determines not only the place, but also the time, and then he will also indicate the person to him. He is a very good notary, he can keep the instrument well.
257. But Moses added this piece, "Therefore it is called Gilead." For it is a very famous name in the holy scriptures, as, in the prophet Jeremiah and in other places more. And is also metaphorically applied to the city of Jerusalem, which is therefore called a heap of testimony, because it is a holy city and a city of God, in which one has had the worship, the word and the promise of God. It is a hill that is elevated and a divine house in which many witnesses of God have dwelt, who have heard God speak and testified of Him with their confessions, sermons, and thanksgivings. In this way, the prophets applied this word as a generic word to the city of Jerusalem and the whole Church, when the people came together and heard God's word and testimony.
But it is not enough for Laban that he has repeated this; he cannot sufficiently strengthen the covenant they made, as the hypocrites and heretics do, for it is only useless talk. As can be seen in the case of the sacramentalists, who are very rich in words and cannot make their thing great enough and decorate it; but they make our doctrine very small and cruel. Therefore he adds still more and says:
V. 49. And be a absorbent cotton, for he said, The Lord look between me and thee, when we come one from another.
Mizpah is also a famous place in the holy scriptures (because after that it became the proper name of a city), not far from Gilead, as can be seen in the book of Joshua. But as a generic word it denotes a place where one can stand and see the enemies coming, likewise when a fire comes up and where something else can be seen. Therefore it is not enough in the heap of testimony, but because he once dared to depart from me, Laban thought, and to snatch away my daughters from me, so perhaps he would come again some day and take my life, therefore a lookout is needed. Yes, that is even more, he also indicates the name and the presence of God. "The Lord," he says, "look into it between me and you." Not only do I take as my witness the multitude here on earth and among men, but I also call upon God Almighty, who is to be our witness and see into it. Help God, how there is so much spirituality and holiness in this man! How he is so constant and sincere in the worship and invocation of God!
(260) Yes, so those who do not repent, but are hardened and stubborn in their sins, are to boast of God and godliness. For this hypocrite is quite unrepentant and quite sure against the pious holy man Jacob, and showers him with heavenly and earthly testimonies, so that he wants to weigh down his conscience. But what should Jacob say or do about this? Laban is all too holy, and may call God as a witness and that he should look into it. When we come from each other," he says, "that is, when you will go to your fatherland and I will go home again to my house, and you would start something without my knowledge, when I cannot see your secret cunning beforehand, so that you might stalk me; therefore, instead of a certain protection and fortress, I will let this heap remain here between me and you, and after that also the waiting place between us and God. So he calls both God and man to witness.
These memorials of the covenant are certainly enough. Who now wanted to say,
that Laban should not be a holy man, because he can so confidently call upon God and rely on His help and protection? But he only does this so that he can frighten Jacob and conjure him up; he conjures him up as high and as dear as he can, since he had previously experienced that he was very pious and faithful. But this is how hypocrisy is wont to adorn itself, and to despise and disgrace all other people beside itself. Then all hypocrites are liars, too, so Laban does not stop yet, but adds an incantation to testify to him.
V. 50. Where you insult my daughters, or take other wives over my daughters. There is no man here with us; but behold, God is the witness between me and thee.
Behold, what an artful poet it is to me to invent all sorts of causes. That you do not offend my daughters, he says; this he has only pretended and is a vain poem. For the reason he gave above, v. 44, is more like the truth, namely, that either Jacob himself or his relatives would do him harm. And now he complains again to the very pious man and accuses him secretly of adultery, as if he had suspected him of the same before and that he must now fear that he would abandon his daughters and go away.
What should the very pious holy man do, who loved his wives and children so much that he served both wives for fourteen years and endured such hard service for so long; who also took the other, whom he did not love, nor desired as a wife, and who rendered much service to his father-in-law, more than was due to a son-in-law or servant? Who would accuse or suspect such a pious man of treating his wives unkindly?
Now Laban pretends to be so fatherly-minded and to have a right inclination and love for his children. Alas! he says, how will my daughters fare now that they are being led away so far from me!
See that you remember this covenant and do not offend them with words or deeds. So he is still accusing the pious Jacob with poisonous blasphemies, and yet he is inventing and lying in everything he says. And you do not hear a word from him to show that he recognizes his sin or wants to make amends to his son-in-law and his children's children for the violence and injustice he has done to them. He pretends to care for his daughters in a fatherly way. But he does not show any more kindness or charity towards them than he did before.
And he adds to this that he says: "There is no man here with us," we two are alone with this heap. But one may well ask: Did they talk alone with each other, that no arbitrators were present, or did they talk with each other, that all their relatives were present and the strangers alone were excluded? It can be understood in both ways. Howbeit I let the understanding be best, that he excluded the strangers. Even though we are alone, he says, and there are no people here for you to be afraid of, God is still with us, looking in and being a witness between me and you. It all comes to this, that the pious innocent man, Jacob, shall be afflicted, if not with public shame and disgrace, which he would gladly inflict upon him, then at least that he shall be resented and envied. This is the hypocrite's way; as the poet says: Crimine ab uno disce omnes etc.: By one sin thou mayest know them all.
V. 5i. 52 And Laban said unto Jacob, Behold, this is the heap, and this is the mark, which I have set up between me and thee. Let this same heap be a witness, and let the mark also be a witness, where I pass over unto thee, or thou passest over unto me this heap and mark to hurt.
He repeats the same thing that he said before and makes it great and decorates it with fine words. But at last he reveals the real reason why he made the covenant so precisely and carefully.
after he had thundered so horribly against Jacob with his words. Now he does not remember his daughters, but indicates that he is afraid that Jacob will do something evil against him, or that his relatives will one day want to avenge such violence and injustice. Where I pass over unto thee," as if to say, "I will not pass over unto thee; though thou be in need of a drink of cold water in time of trouble, I will not be with thee to give it thee: but where thou passest over to hurt me, this company and this time shall punish thee. For because he knows himself guilty, he is afraid, since it is certain everywhere; he trusts no one, and yet knows how to adorn himself finely with the name and title of religion or worship and the covenant.
But in truth, such terror and fear is the greatest punishment of the hypocrites and the wicked. For an evil conscience cannot rest or be quiet. It is a little dog, which is called in German Reuel; if it already roars in life, it comes in death and barks. So Jacob had a very good and certain testimony of his conscience, as Laban himself secretly believed. Laban, however, knows himself guilty of much inequity and unfaithfulness, which he showed his son-in-law for his very great good deeds, so that he had increased his possessions and goods. For Jacob was satisfied with a small reward and made do with the fact that Laban had let him go empty-handed. Therefore Laban thinks, "What if he remembers this injustice and wants to bother me with his friends one day, and perhaps wants to claim from me what is left over from his inheritance or his earned wages? Therefore, he wants to keep himself safe, so that he does not cross over and make any noise or do any harm. But if he should return to his former bondage and misery, he would rather be satisfied. But I will not pass over to thee, says Laban: I will not come to make thee rich, or to do thee good, as thou camest to me.
V. 53: Let the God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, and the God of their fathers be judge between us.
268 How can the drip make it so hot! With such words, which are like thunderclaps, he tries to frighten the pious holy man and to slander him as an unrighteous and godless boy, but on the other hand to praise his holiness, which is quite angelic. But he uses the name of the Lord uselessly, and with all his gossip he betrays to himself that he is a hypocrite and a loose beggar at heart. v. 23: "Where words are used, there is lack," and as it is said: "Many words, nothing behind them. etc. Laban, however, understands the "God of their fathers" whom Tarah and Abraham served while he was still idolatrous in Ur in Chaldea; the same idolatry of their fathers he mentions here, of which it is said in the book of Joshua in 24 Cap. V. 2: "Your fathers dwelt in time past beyond the waters, Tharah, Abraham's and Nahor's father, and served other gods" etc.
So far we have had the image of a hypocrite and idolater, who makes up everything so that he can get around, and uses the name of God uselessly. As we have heard in the hypocrite only vain words, so Jacob makes his speech short and is full of godliness and the best fruits. That is why he does everything well recently, because he has punished Laban severely enough before. But because he persists in his security, hope and godlessness, he lets him go, for the hypocrite speaks nothing but vain blasphemies against God and abusive words against the pious and holy man Jacob.
V.54. 55. And Jacob sware unto him by the fear of Isaac his father. And Jacob sacrificed in the mountain, and invited his brethren to eat. And when they had eaten, they tarried in the mount overnight. And Laban rose early in the morning, and kissed his children and his daughters, and blessed them; and he departed, and returned unto his place.
270 Jacob does not swear by the "God of Nahor" or Tarah, but swears by a closer God, that is, by the God whom his father Isaac fears and serves, namely, by Christ, according to the commands and promises of God. For the hypocrites also serve God; but with commandments and statutes of men, as the prophet Isaiah in 29 Cap. V. 13. and Christ Matth. 15, 8. say: "This people draws near to me with their mouth, but their heart is far from me." No one approaches God more with his mouth, no one uses the name of God more and more often than the hypocrites do.
But God says their worship is idolatrous and false. I hear my name well, he says; I am called by them a creator of heaven and earth; but all against the other commandment. For they call me not so from the heart; yea, that is more, they pervert the service of God with the commandments of men. They challenge me to be right, and want to be right with God, as it is written in the prophet Isaiah in chapter 58, v. 2. V. 2. But I will not have them serve me with such service and doctrine as men have chosen: but in the fear of me I will be served, that is, that thou mayest receive my word with faith, as it is written in the last chapter of Isaiah, v. 2: "I look upon the wretched, and the broken in spirit, and fear my word"; such people shall serve me. Item Isaiah on 8. cap. V. 13: "Sanctify the Lord of hosts. Let him be your fear and dread, and he shall be sanctification."
If Christ is to be our fear, that is, if we are to serve Him, we must have the word and promise of God. And such fear or terror is the right service of God, which brings about and works in us to despise all other terror and fear, as Isaiah Cap. 8, 12. 13. says: "Do not be afraid, but sanctify the Lord of hosts," who will protect you; remember that the only one to be feared, honored and served is the one who speaks to you; if you do this, I, the Lord, am your fear, for you have a sure and strong word.
you keep to it, you will not err in worship.
This is how Isaiah understood this text, since he calls God our terror or fear because of the service rendered to God according to His commandments and promises, not with the mouth alone, as the hypocrites fear God and serve Him without word with the commandments of men.
In such faith and confession Jacob sacrifices, which the hypocrite does not do; for he makes himself believe that he is more pious and holy, than that he should need the sacrifice or the invocation; for he still wants to have done right with his sins. But Jacob gives thanks to God, sacrifices and prepares a meal that was required for the sacrifice: he calls his friends to come together, and there he will no doubt have preached a sermon. Laban does not pay attention to the sacrifice, although he may have also eaten; but Jacob praises GOd and the
The fear of his father, that is, Christ, that he got rid of this boy. Now that the meal is over, Laban leaves. Now we are also rid of the loose drip.
Before he leaves, the hypocrite still kisses his children and daughters, not out of paternal affection or heart, but only outwardly as if he were so affable and friendly, as is proper according to the way and custom of all peoples. For he lets them go without any gifts. He blesses them with words, but in his heart he carries such envy and bitter enmity that he does not grant them even what they had obtained through God's blessing without his gifts. Now these are two opposite images, namely, of a very abominable hypocrite who sins without ceasing, and is an example of all sin, idolatry, hypocrisy, avarice and final impenitence; then of a very pious and holy man who had to fight with such a monster.