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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." ~ Genesis 31:1-3
Today, we transition into Genesis 31 where we see Jacob growing in his faith in the God of the Bible. Jacob left Canaan and he actually spent 20 years in Haran. Jacob served seven years for Leah, seven years for Rachel and then it took another six years to build up his flocks.
Before Jacob left Canaan for Haran, the Lord promised to be with him wherever he went. As Jacob's story unfolds we are seeing that God is doing exactly what He promised. God has always kept this promise to the Patriarchs of Israel down through the years and He will on into eternity. God's prophetic word affirms the faith and trust of the believer and it is a witness to all who have yet to believer. When I look at the Cross of the Lord Jesus, I see God’s incredible faithfulness. Nothing, not even the instinct to spare His own Son, has caused Him to turn His back from all who believe.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "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.'"
Today's events happened in approximately 2265 BC. While the previous chapter began with jealousy from within the family directed toward Leah, this chapter begins with jealousy outside Jacob’s immediate family toward him. Interestingly, jealousy was actually used both times to bring about God’s purposes in the life of Jacob and his family. God's design the first time was to grow Jacob’s family while the second time it precipitated their departure from Haran.
The accusation of Laban’s sons was inaccurate because Laban still had his sheep. Jacob had more than what Laban had because Jacob worked at multiplying his flock. Laban's sons were jealous and envious of Jacob, falsely accusing him of stealing from Laban. We know Laban still had flocks because the original flock was divided 6 years earlier. Laban’s sons used the word "wealth" which means heavy. Jacob had become heavy with wealth due to God's blessing upon him.
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before."
Laban was jealous along with his sons. Six years earlier, it was he who had accepted the terms of the agreement which Jacob proposed. And he didn’t only accept them, he jumped at them. They were the delight of his heart when he heard them. They were an offer too good to be true, but now that Jacob had more flocks, Laban and his sons were jealous. Jacob was industrious, crafty, and blessed by God in his work and it had paid off for him. The jealousy of Laban and his sons resulted in increasing Jacob's ability to hear God's voice better.
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.'"
Yesterday, I quoted Psalm 37 which reminds us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. That means when we delight ourselves in the Lord, the desires that we have will have been desires that God had put within our heart as we were delighting in Him. God should receive all the credit for any good that comes out of us. A sign that we are growing in grace is that we are quick to bring Him glory.
The desire within Jacob to go back to Canaan was born out of this tension in the family. Due to Laban's son's jealousy which was followed by accusations, the nest was getting stirred up for Jacob and his family to fly away. God used this trial to convince Jacob that he really needed to leave. What Jacob felt in his heart was now being confirmed by the circumstances around him.
When life takes a turn for the worst, we are always tempted to feed the flesh and complain. This is not to be found on the road to God's blessing. We often question God by asking Him why He would He allow these things to happen to us. In these moments we forget that all things are useful to God to bring about His will for us. There are times that the Lord stirs things up by circumstances and most of the time fear creeps in but we must remember that the Lord will always be true to His word and we can trust Him with the outcome.
The key when we find ourselves at this point is to turn to God and expect Him to direct us through His word. The first four words in v.3 are: "Then the Lord said." The Word of God will always confirm to us the call of God on our lives. That which Jacob felt in his heart went along with the circumstances that were going on around him. This is when God told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers. So when life turns sour, God may have some sweet blessings right around the corner. Don't complain. Don't moan. Consider that these unwanted circumstances will render opportunities to realize the will of God for you.
