Laban separates the flock. Laban says, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” Laban’s enthusiastic acceptance of his plan should have sent up some red flags for Jacob. On the same day that Jacob and Laban make the deal, Laban goes out to the flocks himself and collects all of the spotted and speckled animals. The agreement was that Jacob was to do this. Well, either Laban does not trust his son-in-law or he just wants to put him at a disadvantage at the start, or maybe both. Whenever Jacob went to separate the herds he would find that there were no animals that would belong to him. He would have known instantly that Laban cheated him, which Laban apparently has no problem with. Laban put his own sons in charge. All the sheep that Laban removed from the herds he gives to his sons to care for them and then he has them move the animals a three days journey away. Laban has just brought his sons into this whole mess. We will see later on how this will impact their lives. Before we move on, let’s stop and think about Laban for a moment. He knows that God has blessed him because of Jacob. Wherever Jacob goes, blessings come. Laban said this himself. So, why does he decide to cheat Jacob? It’s as if Laban is trying to prevent Jacob from cheating him even though he knows Jacob is prospering because of God not because of cheating. It makes no sense. Wouldn’t you try to get on his good side as the Philistines did with Abraham and Isaac? This is how a person that does not know God thinks. As Paul says in Romans 1, he has become futile in his thinking.