- Jacob lied to his father and stole from his brother.
- Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
- Jacob cheated Laban, his father-in-law.
Yet, when God called (Genesis 31:3), Jacob responded.
Our passage for study today: Genesis 31:17-18
17 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. [1]
How did Jacob come to be in Paddan-aram?
Both Jacob’s parents sent him to Paddan-aram.
Rebekah wanted her son Jacob to leave because she had learned Esau, Jacob’s twin brother, planned to kill Jacob. (Genesis 27:41-46.)
Why was Esau planning to kill Jacob?
Jacob first purchased Esau’s birthright with a bowl of lentil stew (Genesis 25:29-35). Then, with the encouragement and planning of their mother, Rebekah, Jacob stole the blessing Isaac intended to speak over Esau. (Genesis 27:1-40).
Rebekah appealed to her husband, Isaac, to send Jacob away to gain a wife (Genesis 27:46).
Isaac agreed Jacob should go to Paddan-aram to get a wife from the daughters of Rebekah’s brother, Laban. (Genesis 28:1-2).
Prior to Jacob departing to Paddan-aram, Isaac transfers the Abrahamic covenant blessing to Jacob.
3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham![2]
Scripture then tells us the Lord appeared to Jacob in a dream one night while he camped for the night in Luz (Genesis 28:19), as he traveled toward Paddan-aram. In this dream, the Lord also offers the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob:
I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”[3]
Who does the Lord say he is the God of in the verses above?
Jacob’s response to this dream is one of fear and awe. (Genesis 28:16-19)
He then makes an interesting vow to the Lord.
If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” [4]
What does Jacob ask of God in this vow?
And what does Jacob promise to God in return?
Interestingly, Jacob does not ask God to provide for him a wife, just food and clothing to sustain him until he can return in peace to his father Isaac.
Perhaps the “in peace” part includes the request for a wife, since that is the ruse with which Jacob’s mother had used to encourage Isaac to send Jacob away.
Chapter twenty-nine simply states: Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east.[5]
Upon Jacob’s arrival, he meets Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother. (Genesis 29:1-14)
After seven years, Jacob marries Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel. He fathers eleven sons between Leah, Rachel, and their two maidservants over the next several years. (Genesis 29:15-30:24)
Jacob prospered by acquiring large flocks of goats through some suspect practices in response to how Laban had tricked him into marrying Leah. He also gains camels, maidservants, and menservants. (Genesis 30:25-43)
About twenty years have passed and the Lord, not Isaac or Rebekah, tells Jacob to return to Canaan. (Genesis 31:3)
After sharing this news with his wives, Jacob does what the Lord instructed.
Genesis 31:17-18
17 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. [6]
Why did Jacob head back to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan?
What parts of Jacob’s request of God in Genesis 28:20-22 occurred at this point?
Review and Reflect
- Jacob lied to his father and stole from his brother.
- Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
- Jacob cheated Laban, his father-in-law.
So why did God bless Jacob and call him to return to his father Isaac in the promised land of Canaan?
Consider the apostle Paul’s perspective on Jacob.
10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.[7]
Though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad is the key to understanding Jacob’s story in Genesis 25-31:18.
The story is a reminder that even when we fail in our behavior, he still calls us to return to Him.
- God’s mercy is more powerful than our failures.
- God’s love is more abundant than our selfishness.
- God’s grace is the call we are privileged to respond to every moment of our lives.
When has God blessed you even when you’ve performed poorly, like Jacob?
Who will you encourage this week with the good news that God loves them?
Are you responding to the God who calls? Why or why not?
How has this study on Genesis 31:17-18 and the backstory encouraged you today?
Leave a comment below to continue the dialogue.
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn
Share Responding to the God Who Calls–Genesis 31:17-18.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 31:17–18.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 28:3–4.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 28:13–15.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 28:20–22.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 29:1.
[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 31:17–18.
[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ro 9:10–12.