Read with Me
Genesis 31:1-18 (HCSB)
Now Jacob heard what Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s and has built this wealth from what belonged to our father.” And Jacob saw from Laban’s face that his attitude toward him was not the same.
Then the LORD said to him, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”
Jacob had Rachel and Leah called to the field where his flocks were. He said to them, “I can see from your father’s face that his attitude toward me is not the same, but the God of my father has been with me. You know that I’ve worked hard for your father and that he has cheated me and changed my wages 10 times. But God has not let him harm me. If he said, ‘The spotted sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born spotted. If he said, ‘The streaked sheep will be your wages,’ then all the sheep were born streaked. God has taken away your father’s herds and given them to me.
“When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females. In that dream the Angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Look up and see: all the males that are mating with the flocks are streaked, spotted, and speckled, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you poured oil on the stone marker and made a solemn vow to Me. Get up, leave this land, and return to your native land.’ ”
Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Do we have any portion or inheritance in our father’s household? Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? For he has sold us and has certainly spent our money. In fact, all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has said to you.”
Then Jacob got up and put his children and wives on the camels. He took all the livestock and possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, and he drove his herds to go to the land of his father Isaac in Canaan.
Listen with Me
As Jacob’s share of the flocks and herds grew, Laban’s share diminished. Laban had thought that he had designed a method that would keep Jacob subservient to him for years, never able to strike out on his own. But the method had backfired. No matter how many times Laban changed the rules, the majority of the strong offspring of the sheep and goats ended up belonging to Jacob.
Despite Jacob’s belief that it was his own cleverness and machinations that were resulting in the increase to his flocks, God revealed in a vision that it was actually His own hand that was the cause. God had promised to watch over Jacob, to provide for him, and to bring him safely back home, and He was keeping His promise.
Leah and Rachel had no problem with leaving and going back to Canaan with Jacob. Laban’s attitude toward them had cooled as well as he watched his wealth drain away to Jacob. It showed in the harshness of his words, and even in his eyes as he spoke to them, or, more often, as he didn’t speak to them at all.
Laban was a three-day journey away, shearing the sheep he kept on his other property. So, right then was a perfect opportunity to make their escape. They quickly folded their tents, packed their possessions, loaded up the camels, and were on their way in just a few hours.
Pray with Me
Father, it is good that Jacob was finally in a place where he could not only hear Your voice, but where he could also understand that it had been Your hand all along that had made him wealthy. Indeed, for someone who had left home with only the clothes on his back just twenty years earlier, his rise to wealth had been nothing short of stunning. But now he had to acknowledge that You were the source of all good things, and he had to obey your command to return to his father in Canaan. Even today You are still at work among the people You have called and who obey Your voice. I acknowledge You as a source of every good thing in my life. Forgive me, Lord, for the those times when I have gotten in Your way through my own clumsy efforts to improve my lot, accomplishing far less in years than You could provide in a moment! Amen.