What a mess. Jacob had been a trickster all his life, and now he had met his match. He wanted to marry Rachel, the woman he loved (Genesis 29:18), but his father-in-law had tricked him into marrying Rachel’s sister Leah as well (Genesis 29:23-25). Oh, and Laban also got Jacob to work for him for 14 years as part of the bargain.

And after the 14 years were over, Laban tricked Jacob yet again. Jacob agreed to keep on taking care of Laban’s flocks, only taking the spotted and speckled sheep and goats for himself (Genesis 30:32). Laban agreed, but before Jacob had a chance to collect his wages, Laban told his sons to cull out all the animals that matched Jacob’s description, and take them so far away that Jacob couldn’t find them (Genesis 30:35-36). Jacob was left with a flock of white sheep and black goats – again, on the losing end of a bargain.

But that wasn’t the end of Jacob’s troubles. For his two wives were quite naturally jealous of one another. Leah was upset because Jacob didn’t really love her, and Rachel was jealous of all the children Leah was able to bear. So the two sisters competed with one another, even giving their maidservants to their husband as concubines so they could boast about the number of sons they gave him.

But however big Jacob’s troubles may have been where he was living, the idea of going back to his father’s house had to have seemed even worse. Remember, he had gone to live with his uncle Laban because he had deceived his father and his brother, stealing away the blessing Isaac had meant for Esau. If Laban didn’t like him anymore (Genesis 31:2), Esau had promised to kill him (Genesis 27:41).

So, why was Jacob willing to go back to the Promised Land? It wasn’t just because God had told him to go (Genesis 31:3). No, the difficult years in Laban’s house had taught him some valuable lessons. He had learned the limitations of relying on his own trickery – being on the receiving end of the same kind of deception had to be a humbling experience. But more importantly, he had seen how God had kept His promises, even through the same situations that had caused Jacob so much pain.

Think about it. If Jacob had had his way, if he had ended up married only to Rachel, he would have only had 1 son, Joseph, by the time he went back to the Promised Land. Instead, God used Laban’s trickery and the two wives’ jealousy to give Jacob 12 sons, each of whom would become the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel. Moreover, God made sure that all those white sheep and black goats Jacob was tending ended up having lots of speckled and spotted lambs and kids (Genesis 31:7-9). Through all the strife in Jacob’s family, God thus kept His promise to protect Jacob and to give him many descendants (Genesis 28:14-15).

Our God still keeps His promises. And our God is still able to use the difficult circumstances of our lives to bless us and to increase our faith. Will we trust in Him today?

Genesis 31:1-16 (ESV)

Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.”
2 And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was
5 and said to them, “I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me.
6 You know that I have served your father with all my strength,
7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me.
8 If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped.
9 Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.
10 In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled.
11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’
12 And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.'”
14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house?
15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money.
16 All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”