GENESIS: A Word from God can Change Anyone's Actions; God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.”

And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.” (Genesis 31:22-24)

We studied previously that Jacob fled from Laban for two reasons.  First and most importantly, because he had to return to the promised land.  Before he had arrived in Haran, the Lord told him, “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:13-15)

The second reason was because Laban's attitude changed towards him, he became jealous of Jacob. Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.” And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.” (Genesis 31:1-3) And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead. (Genesis 31:20-21)

So Laban pursued and caught up with Jacob, but God warned him to be careful what he said to Jacob. As children of God, He will intervene on our behalf, even if he allows us to experience trials and tribulations.  Just like He warned the devil about Job, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” (Job 1:12) And a second time, He warned him, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” (Job 2:6) The lesson learned is, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” (Psalm 105:15) If we've wronged someone, we need to ask their forgiveness.  If someone has wronged us, we need to go to them and try to resolve the issue peacefully.  But if a resolution can't be agreed upon, as the Apostle Paul taught, Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? (I Corinthians 6:7-9)

So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” (Genesis 31:25-30) 

Laban started out, And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. But after having an encounter with God, Laban only desired that his stolen property be returned. Unbeknownst to Jacob, before they fled, Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s. (Genesis 31:19) The wife he so loved, who was the most outwardly beautiful, had caused Jacob the most issues.

Then Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.’ With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, into Leah’s tent, and into the two maids’ tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them. And she said to her father, “Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is with me.” And he searched but did not find the household idols. (Genesis 31:31-35) Rachel lied that she was on her menstrual cycle, so that she wouldn't be expected to get off the camel and stand up for Laban to search her saddle.  But this is the woman Jacob so loved. 

Then Jacob was angry and rebuked Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: “What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued me? Although you have searched all my things, what part of your household things have you found? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both! These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was! In the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.” (Genesis 31:36-42) Jacob had had enough, and he pleaded his case to Laban, quite convincingly.

And Laban answered and said to Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and this flock is my flock; all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between you and me.” So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. Then Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. And Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore its name was called Galeed, also Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!” (Genesis 31:43-50) 

So Jacob and Laban made an agreement, and instead of signing a treaty like enemies do today, they built a physical manifestation of their covenant, that the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. In other words, God watch both their backs that the one won't come after the other when they leave that place. Then Laban said to Jacob, “Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. (Genesis 31:51-54) 

A pile of stones and a pillar can't make a person keep his word, no more than having someone sign a piece of paper.  What causes us to keep our word is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Even though Laban intended to do Jacob harm, after God spoke with him, he couldn't do it, even though he still wanted to. The Holy Spirit, "He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:..." (John 16:8) Without God intervening on our behalf, we wouldn't be able to trust the word of anyone. But because of God, "... let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37) And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place. (Genesis 31:55)