Genesis 24:29-30 (ESV)
Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out toward the man, to the spring. As soon as he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and heard the words of Rebekah his sister, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he went to the man. And behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring.
People love to mooch off other. Proverbs says it this way:
Proverbs 14:20 (ESV)
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
but the rich has many friends.
The above text is part of the story of Abraham sending out his envoy to find a wife for his son, Isaac. When the servant of Abraham arrives in the country he was sent to find the wife, he comes to this well. Rebekah, the soon to be wife for Isaac, shows the servant of Abraham great care and generosity. However, when Rebekah’s brother, Laban, sees the riches the man brought, he, too, befriends him. Whereas Rebekah had her eye on the care of the man to care for his camels, Laban had his eyes on the cargo of the camels. Laban will later be the one who speaks for the family and the one who receives the goods from the man:
Genesis 24:50-53 (ESV)
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has spoken.”
When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD. And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.
Rebekah will go with the man to become Isaac’s wife and give brith to Jacob, who will later be renamed, Israel. So, this exchange at this well is a big deal in the redemption story. But, like all stories in includes someone full of greed. Later when Jacob (Rebekah’s son) runs away from his brother and back to Laban we will see even more the corruption in Laban’s heart. Even though we have a story of God arranging the lives of people to accomplish His purpose, we have also have a story of man’s sin and greed. Laban was a mooch. When God gives blessings to one, we find a mooch following. We see that mankind wants to have the blessings of God but not because they walk with God or desire to fellowship with God and obey God. But, because they just want the blessing. Laban is full of envy. When he “saw” the ring and the bracelet and the camels and the goods, that is when he was hospitable and ready to give his sister to marry Isaac. How tempting was it when he heard that Abraham was rich and all that Abraham had would be Isaac’s goods someday. That meant his sister would be rich. There are no sweeter words to a mooch than that your closest relative just hit the lotto. God sees the hearts of man and gives us, in this story, a glimpse of what envy can do in your heart.
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