After 20 years, Jacob begins returning home.

When reading the Bible, we must remember that these are real people like us. They have dreams, hopes, plans, feelings and live in an environment filled with temptations. Yes, it is an ancient text, but some problems and struggles stretch across all times and cultures. Today, we will be looking at Genesis 30:25-31:55.

Jacob asked to be sent back to his own land with all the wives and children he earned from his service to Laban for such a long time. Laban rightly observes that God has blessed Laban because of Jacob. It seems like Laban is offering more to Jacob to get him to stay longer so that the blessings will continue to flow Laban's way. Jacob agrees that his 20 years of service have caused Laban to be blessed and asks him when he will start earning for himself and his family. To read more about Jacob's proposal to Laban's request, I encourage you to read Jacob’s Odd “Breeding" Program of Genesis 30 by Troy Lacey.

As Genesis 31 begins, God tells Jacob to finally return to the land of his ancestors. Jacob calls for his wives, Leah and Rachel, and explains the decision to them. In a rare occurrence of agreement, they are entirely on board. As they are preparing, though, Rachel steals her father's teraphim. Meanwhile, the deception one-upmanship between Jacob and Laban continues because Jacob has yet to declare to Laban what God has told him. Instead, they rise early one morning and leave before anyone notices. It's not until three days later that it is noticed that Jacob is gone. Laban goes in pursuit, but it takes him and his traveling company a week to catch up to Jacob and his family, but before he does, God warns him in a dream to be careful how he speaks to Jacob, that his speech does not turn evil against him. Laban disguises his criticism as a lament that he did not get to say goodbye or give them a sending-off party. Laban also inquires as to why his household gods were stolen. Jacob says he left the way he did because he feared violence from Laban if they tried to go with his knowledge. Then he says, "With whomsoever, you find your gods—he must not live," having no idea that Rachel took them (31:32). Rachel hides them under where she is sitting and lies during the search saying that she can't rise for anyone to search under her because she is on her period. At the end of the chapter, Jacob and Laban make a covenant.

There are many important things to learn from these chapters. What this has reminded me of is the importance of trusting God as your ultimate source and not one's own plans. All the planning in the world can't account for the uncountable number of variables that can occur at any given time. We must trust the Lord with all and for all. We can save ourselves much stress, anxiety, and headache when we do that.