"And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. And He took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the 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 either good or bad. Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword? Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp. And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images." (Genesis 31:22-35)
Laban is angry that Jacob has escaped without his knowing it…and escaped is as good a word as any as to Jacob it is as though he were held prisoner for all these twenty years that should only have been seven at most, except for Laban's deceptions regarding both wives and wages. No wonder that Jacob decides to leave secretly, distrusting Laban so much that he feared Laban would try to forcibly take Jacob's wives from him. And no doubt Laban might have tried that very thing or more, had not God warned him to beware how he spoke to Jacob, His own. Fortunately for Jacob, Laban believed God's word in that dream. But that left Laban in a rather difficult position of choosing his words very carefully; and in the end, the most he could do was complain that he was unable to kiss his children and grandchildren good-bye…AND question Jacob about why he took his gods.
And we come back to "his gods." The Hebrew word used here is not teraphiym this time; instead it is elohiym. Elohiym can mean God with a capital G when used in the singular (in other words the one true God). But the Hebrew word is not used in the singular here. It is used in the plural, and in the plural usage the Hebrew word means "gods" with a little "g;" in other words, false gods or idols. It is clear in this statement that these "gods" were valuable to Laban; we still don't know whether the importance attached to them was because they were made of precious metal such as gold, or whether it was because he relied upon them, such as superstitious people rely upon a rabbit's foot or some other object on which they look to protect them; or whether he worshiped them as idols. If he did worship these idols as gods, then he is exceedingly foolish since the very gods he trusts in cannot even protect themselves from being stolen.
But we must be concerned more about Rachel than about Laban. What was her motive in stealing his gods from him? Did she steal them merely to get back at her father? Or did she rely on them as well?
When Jacob proclaims death to whomever it was that stole Laban's household gods, he had no idea it was Rachel. Unfortunately, once spoken it could not be unspoken; it was only Rachel's quick cleverness that prevented an outcome that would have devastated Jacob. Or perhaps it had something to do with God's timing as well.
After all, there was one more son to be born to Jacob in order for the future "twelve tribes of Israel" to be established. The LORD was not yet finished with Rachel; it was not possible for Rachel to die before that son was born.
Sadly, what Jacob has so passionately pronounced will yet be fulfilled.
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