The central theme to Genesis is exactly what the word means: beginnings. This is important to keep this in mind when reading the story of Jacob and Laban. When Jacob arrives at Laban’s home, it symbolized his attempt to start a new life, with a wife and children. However, if we want to dive deeper into the story, the most important character represented in this text is Laban. Because of Laban’s intense need for control over his family, chapters 29-32 of Genesis accurately depicts the negative consequences of the inability to let go and accept change and new beginnings in life.
Father of both Leah (the eldest child) and Rachel (the youngest), Laban takes on the protector role in this story. When Laban breaks his promise with Jacob, he gives the excuse that it is against tradition to allow the youngest daughter to marry before the eldest. This could be depicted as pure trickery to get Jacob to work longer for him, but this is actually a symbol of Laban looking out for his eldest daughter. As a father, he must look out for the interests of both children, and in this scenario, both daughters would benefit. However, the use of deception shines a light on the wrongness of planning out every detail of life. I believe the phrase “let go and let God,” is very pertinent in this scenario because although it is difficult not being able to control what will happen in the near future, God always has a plan, which is why this story is very important in Genesis.
Later on in the story, after working for Laban for 20 years, God sent an angel to Jacob and stated, “Lift up now thine eyes…for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.” (Genesis 31:12). Jacob then put his wives and children onto camels and fled from Laban. God at this point in the story is finally putting an end to Laban’s tight grip on Jacob and his family. This is very important because the readers are shown that no matter how much effort can be put in in order to resist change, new beginnings are inevitable. When Laban follows them to Galeed, Jacob and him are able to come to make a covenant, and Laban leaves willing, allowing Jacob and his daughters to move on to the next chapters in their lives. Laban finally is able to let go, and the audience is shown how much happier he is when he allows change in his life.
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