Genesis 31:1-21 - Work for the True Inheritance

Genesis 31:1-21

Jacob Flees from Laban

1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.” 2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. 3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, 5 and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. 6 And you know that with all my might I have served your father. 7 Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me. 8 If he said thus: The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked. 9 So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.

10 “And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. 11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. 16 For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

17 Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. 19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. 21 So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead.

Flee!  That is Jacob’s first instinct to do when he heard that his father-in-law was pursuing him after leaving in good faith.  They slandered Jacob by telling their father that he had stolen their inheritance and made himself rich at their loss.  He saw the look in Laban’s face and ran home at the insistence of the LORD who spoke to him quite pointedly.  God also promised to be with Jacob, an assurance he well needed as he headed away from trouble with all his family and flocks of his wages that had been kept from him for four years.  Jacob gathered Rachel and Leah to meet away from listening ears in the field to explain why they had to leave and how he had faithfully served their father all those years.  He also told them he prospered and was protected because the God of his father had been on his side the entire time to keep him.  He explained how Laban had deceived him, changing his wages ten times, but how God did not allow him to hurt Jacob through it all, facts which they undoubtedly knew already.  Through Laban’s constant deceit and Jacob’s sincere hard work, he had gained larger flocks as Laban’s dwindled away, effectively taking them from Laban to bestow on Jacob.  The plan to increase his numbers came by instruction in a dream from the LORD of the way to obtain the streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted lambs by the stick trick.  God reminded Jacob that He had seen the deception of Laban and provided for him as a promised one as He had Abraham before him.  He reminded Jacob of the vow he made (Genesis 28:18, 20-22) at Bethel and commanded him to leave the place where he was and return home to the promised land of his father Isaac.  Both Rachel and Leah heard and agreed because they knew their inheritance lay with Jacob and that there was nothing more for them with their father.  They saw they were even strangers in his sight, sold off to Jacob and that the money Jacob earned with the stick trick was right and good and fair.  They told him to do exactly as God had told him to do, firmly on his side.  So they packed up all their household goods and flocks and left without a word on their camels to go to the homeland of Isaac in Canaan.  What Jacob was unaware of was that Rachel for some reason stole her father’s idols before they secretly left.  That clinging to idolatry would almost undo them later on their travels home.  Rachel should have trusted the God of Jacob and Isaac and Abraham instead, but clung to her roots she grew up with under Laban, which explains why her father acted so unfairly to them.  We must always work hard at our best to earn a fair wage as we keep following and worshipping the Lord God and no other to prosper our way.  Clinging to worldly idols for protection or comfort brings only suffering and problems with God and man.  We should work for the true inheritance given us by faith at the only cost of God’s good grace and not rely on anything but the Lord in doing what is right.  He will provide the wisdom and way for us and safely lead us to our home in the heavenly country (Matthew 25:34, John 14:1-2, Hebrews 11:16, 13:14-15) to come.