Jacob’s Escape

*from Bible Exposition Commentary

Genesis 31:1-21

Jacob had been away from home twenty years, and it was time he returned to his roots. His father Isaac and his brother Esau were still alive, and Jacob had some “unfinished business” to settle with both of them.

How did the Lord tell Jacob that it was time, to leave? The same way He leads His people today: through the inner witness in the heart, the outward circumstances of life, and the truth of His Word.

Six years before, God had put the desire in Jacob’s heart to return to his own country (30:25), and that desire had never left him. While not every longing in the human heart is necessarily the voice of God (Jer. 17:9), and we must carefully exercise discernment, the Lord often begins to speak to us in that way.

Along with the desire within us, God also directs us as He did Jacob through the circumstances around us (Gen. 31:1-2). Toward the end of those six critical years, Jacob noticed that his in-laws weren’t as friendly toward him as before, largely because of the increase in his wealth. Circumstances aren’t always the finger of God pointing out His way (Acts 27:1-15), but they can be significant indicators of God’s will. When God wants to move us, He occasionally makes us uncomfortable and “stirs up its nest” (Deut. 32:11).

The third and most important way God leads us is through His Word. God had already spoken to Jacob in a dream (Gen. 31:10-13), but Jacob remained in Padan Aram to acquire his wealth. Then God said to him, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you” (v. 3). As the story of Jacob unfolds, you will discover that God spoke to him at every important crisis in his life: leaving home (28:12-15), returning home (31:1-13), meeting Esau (32:24ff), visiting Bethel (35:lff), and moving to Egypt (46:1-4). God leads us in the paths of righteousness if we’re willing to follow (Ps. 23:3).

But Jacob took time to share his thinking with Rachel and Leah; for after all, he was asking them to leave their people and home and go with him to another land and people. Even though the Word of God is our primary source of wisdom in making decisions (119:105), it’s good for us to consult with others and weigh their counsel, particularly those closest to us. Both Rachel and Leah agreed that their father hadn’t been fair with Jacob or loving toward them, and that it was time to make a new beginning. Not only had he treated their husband like a common slave, but also he had used up their own dowries (Gen. 31:14-15).

But instead of facing Laban honestly and trusting the Lord to keep His promises and work things out, Jacob fled with his family like a criminal escaping justice. This was an act of fear and unbelief, not an act of faith; for “whoever believes will not act hastily” (Isa. 28:16, NKJV). In fact, Jacob later admitted to Laban that he had departed secretly and quickly because he was afraid (Gen. 31:31). It isn’t enough to know and do the will of God; we must also do His will in the way He wants it done, the way that will glorify Him the most.