Gen. 31:4-234And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. 6And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. 8If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. 9Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. 11And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. 12And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. 14And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? 15Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. 16For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. 17Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; 18And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. 20And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. 21So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead. 22And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob was fled. 23And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead. (Genesis 31:4‑23)
“AND JACOB sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before.” v. 4. Leah and Rachel were well aware of all the rough treatment Jacob had received at their father’s hands and needed little persuasion to agree with him to leave the land. “And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? For he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.” vv. 14-16.
It is particularly delightful at this turn in Jacob’s life to see him in a spirit ready to hearken to God and to acknowledge that God had been with him at all times, so that he could say, “The God of my father hath been with me.” True, a higher expression would have been: “My God hath been with me.” Yet, it was a new experience for him to make such a confession as he did. At this time he also told his two wives of the dream in which he heard these words: “I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto Me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.” v. 13.
God knew how to touch Jacob’s heart, just as He knows how to touch your heart and mine. With Jacob it was to bring to remembrance the scene at Beth-el, more than twenty years before, and to remind him of his vow: “If God will be with me.” Now he had to confess that God had indeed been with him and although not yet entirely able to act on his own bargain, “Then shall the Lord be my God,” it was, at least a step in the right direction to be attentive to the heavenly voice and to act upon it.
“Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; and he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting ... for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.” vv. 17,18. “And Jacob stole away unawares to La-ban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead.” vv. 20,21.
But Jacob was not yet through with Laban, who, on the third day, learned of his departure and discovered, too, that some of his idols had been stolen. Laban therefore set out to overtake them, which would not be at all difficult, for this company of men, women, children and flocks could not conceal themselves in the wilderness and must, of necessity, move very slowly. Laban had vengeance in his heart as he took out after his son-in-law. It was a keen disappointment to him to lose the valued services of Jacob, and although he had seen his son-in-law’s prosperity, he well knew that much of his own personal riches were the result of Jacob’s hard and conscientious labor. Perhaps he was particularly angry to think the one he had used so deceitfully had turned the tables and slipped away without his knowledge.
ML-10/30/1966