在创世记二十九章，拉班接待雅各（创二九14）。拉班可能发现雅各相当精明，对他会非常有用。他装作仁慈，对雅各说，“你虽是我的弟兄，岂可白白的服事我？请告诉我你要甚么为工价？”（创二九15）。拉班也许已经觉察雅各爱上了他的女儿拉结。当拉班问雅各工价的时候，雅各说，“我愿为你小女儿拉结服事你七年。”（创二九18）。为着要得拉结，质押自己作七年工。拉班满意雅各的题议。然而，当七年期满，拉班没有作甚么叫拉结与雅各成婚，这显示拉班根本无心。因此，雅各迫不得已说，“日期已经满了，求你把我的妻子给我，我好与她同房。”（创二九21）。但拉班却将利亚代替拉结给了雅各。当雅各发现这事时，拉班为自己辩护说，大女儿还没有给人，先把小女儿给人，在他们那地方没有这规矩（创二九26）。关于拉结，拉班说，“你再为她服事我七年。”（创二九27）。这里我们看见拉班的压榨。
拉班既狡诈又奸滑，雅各无法击败他。雅各两次说到，拉班曾十次改了他的工价（创三一7，41）。雅各向拉班抱怨说，“我这二十年在你家里，为你的两个女儿服事你十四年，为你的羊群服事你六年，你又十次改了我的工价。”（创三一41）。此外，雅各又对他说，“若不是我父亲以撒所敬畏的神，就是亚伯拉罕的神与我同在，你如今必定打发我空手而去。”（创三一42）。雅各在拉班压榨的手下经过了何等的苦难！
拉班在许多方面压榨雅各。他设下圈套，使雅各因他两个女儿为他劳苦十四年，然后嘱咐雅各为他的羊群劳苦六年（创三一41）。虽然如此，雅各忍受过来了。除此以外，拉班还使雅各白日受尽干热，黑夜受尽寒霜（创三一40）。因着拉班这样对待雅各，雅各能说，“我…不得合眼睡着。”（创三一40）。雅各牧养拉班的羊群是在露天，没有地方可睡觉。白日没有遮荫之所，黑夜没有避霜之处。最后，拉班想要扣留他的妻子、孩子和羊群（创三十26，三一14-15，42）。我们没有一个人会愿意为拉班这样的人工作，雅各却为拉班工作了二十年。
信息重点：拉班利用雅各对拉结的爱，使雅各服事多年，并十次改变他的工价。雅各在拉班手下经历长期的压榨和苦难。
应用祷告：主啊，使我在受压榨和不公平的环境中，不失去对你的信靠，学习认识你的主宰。
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Laban’s Exploitation (1) — Gen. 29:25-26
In Genesis chapter 29, Laban received Jacob (Gen. 29:14). Laban probably discovered that Jacob was quite capable and would be very useful to him. He pretended to be kind, saying to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” (Gen. 29:15). Laban may have noticed that Jacob had fallen in love with his daughter Rachel. When Laban asked Jacob about his wages, Jacob said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter” (Gen. 29:18). In order to obtain Rachel, he pledged himself to seven years of labor. Laban was satisfied with Jacob’s proposal. However, when the seven years were completed, Laban did nothing to have Rachel married to Jacob, showing that Laban had no real intention of doing so. Therefore, Jacob was compelled to say, “My time is completed; give me my wife, that I may go in to her” (Gen. 29:21). But Laban gave Leah to Jacob instead of Rachel. When Jacob discovered this, Laban defended himself, saying that in their place it was not the practice to give the younger daughter before the firstborn (Gen. 29:26). Concerning Rachel, Laban said, “Serve with me for another seven years” (Gen. 29:27). Here we see Laban’s exploitation.
Laban was both crafty and cunning, and Jacob could not overcome him. Jacob twice mentioned that Laban had changed his wages ten times (Gen. 31:7, 41). Jacob complained to Laban, “These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times” (Gen. 31:41). Furthermore, Jacob also said to him, “If the God of my father… had not been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed” (Gen. 31:42). What suffering Jacob went through under the exploiting hand of Laban!
Laban exploited Jacob in many ways. He set a trap, causing Jacob to labor fourteen years for his two daughters, and then instructed Jacob to labor six more years for his flock (Gen. 31:41). Even so, Jacob endured it. In addition, Laban caused Jacob to be consumed by heat in the day and by frost at night (Gen. 31:40). Because of the way Laban treated him, Jacob could say, “…my sleep fled from my eyes” (Gen. 31:40). Jacob shepherded Laban’s flock out in the open, with no place to sleep. There was no shelter from the heat by day nor from the frost by night. In the end, Laban wanted to withhold his wife, his children and his flocks (Gen. 30:26; 31:14-15, 42). None of us would be willing to work for someone like Laban, yet Jacob worked for Laban for twenty years.
Message Focus: Laban used Jacob’s love for Rachel to make Jacob serve for many years, changing his wages ten times. Jacob experienced prolonged exploitation and hardship under Laban.
Prayer: Lord, in situations of exploitation and unfairness, keep me from losing my trust in You; teach me to recognize Your sovereignty.