Today Jacob fled from Laban. He heard Laban talking in a way that was not favorable to Jacob, as it had been before. He was saying that Jacob had taken everything that was theirs to gain all his wealth. The Lord told Jacob to return to his land.
He talked to Leah and Rachel about this. They were worried that their inheritance was gone, and told Jacob to listen to the Lord. When Jacob arose he sent his wives and sons and their possessions away. Before leaving though, Rachel stole her father’s “household gods.” I have no idea what that means.
Laban felt tricked because Jacob had not told him that they planned to flee. Laban chased after them, but God told him to “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” Laban found and overtook Jacob.
And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly.”
-Genesis 31:26-28
Laban wanted to do harm to Jacob, but remembered what God had said to him. But he wondered why he had stolen his gods. Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. They searched everywhere for them, but did not find them, for Rachel had hidden them underneath her on the camel.
“Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.”
-Genesis 31:36-42
Laban responded with wanting to make a covenant. They took stones and set up a pillar and made a heap. The heap and pillar were signs of witness between the two men to not pass over them and do harm to each other. In the morning, Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren and returned home.
Jacob feared going home to face Esau. He sent a messengers to his brother saying that he was coming.
“Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.”
-Genesis 32:4-5
Jacob’s response was that he was on his way there with four hundred men. Jacob became very afraid and distressed. He sent a whole herd of miscellaneous livestock as a present for his brother in hopes he would calm down. Everyone that would pass him was told to say, this is a present for Esau and your servant Jacob is behind us. Hoping if this happened enough, it would appease Esau.
Jacob stayed the night in camp while the present went on ahead. That night he ended up wrestling with God. When the man saw that he could not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as they wrestled. The man asked to be let go, but Jacob would not until he would bless him. He also changed his name.
“Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel (he strives with God, or God strives), for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
-Genesis 32:28
Jacob asked the man’s name, but he wouldn’t tell him. He blessed him and Jacob called the place Peniel (the face of God).
“For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”
-Genesis 32:30
As the sun rose, he continued on, but was limping because of his hip.
“Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.”
-Genesis 32:32