Genesis 31:3: “Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”
A cool north wind marked the change of season. It was far into the fall, and the animals were in heat. Jacob’s herds were blessed with healthy and strong offspring and had multiplied exponentially in less than three years. Jacob no longer actively worked for his uncle. He had to take care of his own, as his livestock was about to outgrow his uncle’s. He had acquired a number of female and male servants to help him with the task. “Twenty years I have been here”, Jacob mused, “and most of the time I lived a life of toil for a marginal existence.” He sat by the fire wrapped in a blanket when his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep.
In a dream Jacob looked up and saw streaked, speckled and spotted goats mating with Laban’s flock. Then the angel of the Lord spoke to him and said: “Jacob!” And Jacob replied: “Here I am.” The angel pointed to the male goats, saying: “Have you noticed that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted? This is the Lord’s doing because He has seen how your uncle has treated you.” And in order to clarify who sent the heavenly messenger, God confirmed with Jacob [Genesis 31:13]:
“I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.”
Startled, Jacob awoke and realized it was a dream. Right there by the fire he worshipped the Lord and prayed: “Thank You for Your faithfulness! It’s a mystery to me. Sometimes You seem a million miles away and yet You continue to work behind the scenes.”
In months to follow, Jacob began to prepare for the trip home and purchased more camels and donkeys whenever he had an opportunity. He decided to keep his plans of leaving Mesopotamia to himself and waited until early summer of the following year, when Laban and his sons were shearing their sheep. It was then that he had a secret meeting with Rachel and Leah.
Jacob had no idea how his wives would feel about moving to Canaan, so he proceeded with caution and said: “You know that your father and your brothers have been unkind to me. As of lately, their attitude towards me has cooled to the point that I am excluded from all family functions and we barely talk anymore. I’m assuming this has to do with the prosperity we have been blessed with in the past several years.”
So far, Jacob could not read anything into his wives demeanor, and so he continued: “Everything we have comes from God. If it weren’t for Him, we would have nothing. Your father cheated me many times over and changed my wages ten times. But the Lord has been gracious to us and he has blessed us nonetheless. Now the Lord of my father Isaac and my grandfather Abraham tells me it is time to return to my homeland, where I was born.”
Leah and Rachel silently listened to what Jacob had to say and took the news with composure. “Well, the writing has been on the wall. Honestly, I’m not surprised”, Leah ventured, and Rachel nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. “Our father has sold us like cattle and consumed the bride price all by himself”, Leah added. “We owe him nothing. So – when are we leaving?” Jacob was relieved that his wives were in agreement. “We will leave today,” he replied, “Our sons will help you pack while my men and I will see to the animals. We need to be out of here before your father and your brothers return from sheep shearing.”
The sisters returned to their campsite. Joseph, a six-year-old at the time, ran to his mother Rachel all excited. “We’re leaving Mom!” Bilhah and Zilpah with their sons were busy packing while Leah’s eldest sons had already started tearing down some of the tents. Leah walked up to her sons and asked them: “How long have you known?” Reuben replied: “Dad told us today.” Leah tried to read her sons’ faces, saying: “Are you guys ok?” Pausing from their frantic activities, Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah looked at their mother. Levi flatly stated: “Who cares? Apparently Dad doesn’t.” Simeon gave his younger brother a little push and said: “Come on, Levi. We need to get going.” Meanwhile Judah wrapped an arm around his mother’s shoulder and said: “I’ll help you pack, Mom. Your tent is next.”
During the commotion nobody noticed Rachel disappearing for a while. Leah looked up briefly and saw her sister adding a bulky bundle to her personal belongings. It was carefully wrapped in linen.