4 So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock. 5 He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know how hard I have worked for your father, 7 but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. 8 For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young. 9 In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.
10 “One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 11 Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
12 “The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you. 13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”
Genesis 31:4-12 (NLT)
Immediate obedience
Yesterday Jacob confirmed that he needed to get out of that situation and return home. We see today that God previously appeared to him in a dream and told him that He had been with him, blessing him, but now it’s time to get ready to leave. Jacob got the clear message from the Lord yesterday to leave. He immediately takes action and calls his wives to him in the field to tell them the plan. His grandfather, Abraham, was a man of faith and immediate obedience. Jacob has inherited a portion of his character.
Proof of blessing
Jacob recounts to his wives how God has been blessing him – even though their own father has been trying to rip him off. The end result, with God’s blessing is, “God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.” (v9) How did the Lord bless Jacob? He revealed it in a dream – God directed the reproduction of the flocks to match the opposite of what Laban desired. It seems He did it each of the 10 times Laban changed Jacob’s wages.
God reveals Himself
At the end of the dream, the Lord revealed Himself – that He is the same who appeared to Jacob when he left Cannan. The Lord reminds Jacob of his conditional vow to serve the Lord if He will bless and protect him. Even though God didn’t have to do according to Jacob’s wish and expectation, He mercifully did. Why? As we’ve learned before, God has a plan and purpose. He’s made a promise and He will keep it.
RЯeflection
“It is good to remember times and places where the LORD did great works for us and has met us in wonderful ways. As we remember them, God reminds us He is still the same God who met our needs then and wants to meet our needs now.” (enduringword.com)
