Genesis 31: “Return to the Land of Your Fathers, and I Will Be with You”
1. The Growing Tension
“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.’ And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favour as before.” (Gen 31:1–2)
Success breeds suspicion.
The envy that once consumed Rachel and Leah now appears in Laban’s sons. Human jealousy shadows divine blessing.
St Bede the Venerable comments:
“The prosperity of the just is the trial of the envious. Yet the jealousy of men cannot hinder the promise of God.” (Commentary on Genesis, 31)
Providence often unsettles worldly security; when God calls us forward, former allies may turn into obstacles.
2. God’s Command to Return
“Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.’” (v. 3)
This is Jacob’s second divine word — the first being at Bethel.
Now the God who promised companionship commands obedience: leave Mesopotamia and go home.
St Augustine remarks:
“He who had once promised, ‘I will be with you,’ now proves it by calling him to trust again. For faith matures not by sight but by repetition of obedience.” (City of God XVI.40)
The same God who accompanied the fugitive now leads the patriarch. The journey of grace is cyclical: return where you began, but changed.
3. The Secret Council with Rachel and Leah
“Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was, and said to them, ‘I see that your father does not regard me as he did before… but the God of my father has been with me.’” (vv. 4–5)
Jacob speaks with calm and confidence — a marked contrast to his earlier fear and cunning.
He recounts Laban’s deceit but credits God’s faithfulness:
“Your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me.” (v. 7)
Faith has ripened; Jacob sees divine providence even in injustice.
St John Chrysostom observes:
“He does not boast of skill but of grace. For when the righteous prosper, they attribute all to God, not to cunning.” (Homilies on Genesis LVIII.1)
Rachel and Leah, though rivals, now agree with him — unity born of shared experience:
“Whatever God has said to you, do.” (v. 16)
Even within flawed families, grace can produce harmony when obedience replaces envy.
4. Jacob’s Flight
“Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels, and he drove away all his cattle… to go to the land of Canaan.” (vv. 17–18)
The long exile ends with an exodus. Like Israel in the future, Jacob departs secretly, taking with him his household and possessions.
The Fathers saw this as a type of the soul’s deliverance from servitude to sin.
St Ambrose writes:
“Jacob fled from Laban as the soul flees from the bondage of the world; for one cannot serve both the covenant and the contract of deceit.” (On Jacob and the Happy Life 10)
Obedience sometimes requires departure — not rebellion, but the courage to move when God calls.
5. Rachel’s Theft of the Household Gods
“Rachel stole her father’s household gods.” (v. 19)
This troubling act reveals the lingering shadow of idolatry — attachment to familiar symbols, even after divine revelation.
Rachel’s motive is uncertain: superstition, protection, or nostalgia.
St Bede the Venerable interprets spiritually:
“Rachel took the idols that she might remove them; yet she hides them in ignorance, not faith. For conversion begins with rejecting evil, yet not all ignorance is gone at once.” (Commentary on Genesis, 31)
The Church Fathers saw in this a warning: even when leaving sin, remnants of the old life cling to us; purification is gradual.
6. Laban’s Pursuit
“It was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled. He took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead.” (vv. 22–23)
The chase is relentless — the oppressor unwilling to lose control.
Yet before confrontation, God intervenes:
“But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, ‘Take heed that you say not a word to Jacob, either good or bad.’” (v. 24)
Providence guards Jacob even while he sleeps — the same divine protector who appeared at Bethel now defends him in Gilead.
St Augustine notes:
“The same God who taught him by a dream now defends him by a dream; for the Lord speaks to the humble in ways suited to their need.” (City of God XVI.40)
Dreams in Scripture signify revelation adjusted to human frailty — God stooping to communicate gently.
7. The Confrontation
“Then Laban overtook Jacob… and said to him, ‘Why did you flee secretly and cheat me?’” (vv. 25–26)
Laban accuses Jacob of deceit — irony from the deceiver himself.
Jacob answers with composure:
“Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.” (v. 31)
For the first time, Jacob speaks truth plainly without manipulation. Fear is acknowledged, but faith directs his tone.
St John Chrysostom comments:
“He defends himself not by trickery but by truth. The man who once fled by deceit now stands by integrity.” (Homilies on Genesis LVIII.2)
Grace does not erase personality overnight but transforms it gradually through trials.
8. The Search for the Idols
“Now Laban had gone into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s, and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent, and entered Rachel’s. Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat upon them.” (vv. 33–34)
Rachel’s deception mirrors her husband’s past — a reminder that sin often perpetuates its own patterns.
She excuses herself: “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” (v. 35)
Thus, by providential irony, impurity hides idolatry — the false gods sit beneath what is unclean.
St Bede comments:
“So it is that idols are shamed by impurity; for the unclean hides the unclean. God allows deceit to expose deceit.” (Commentary on Genesis, 31)
9. Jacob’s Protest of Innocence
“Then Jacob became angry, and upbraided Laban; Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is my offence? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?’” (v. 36)
Jacob’s anger, though righteous, is measured — he defends his honesty with a conscience newly purified.
He recounts his twenty years of faithful service:
“By day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.” (v. 40)
This speech is one of the most moving in Genesis — the confession of a man who has learned endurance.
St Ambrose remarks:
“Jacob’s words reveal the dignity of the just man: patient in toil, constant in injustice, strong in faith. His speech is not pride but testimony.” (On Jacob and the Happy Life 11)
The man who once schemed for blessing now claims nothing but integrity.
10. God’s Rebuke to Laban
“If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked you last night.” (v. 42)
The title “Fear of Isaac” is unique — reverent awe made personal.
Jacob now speaks the language of covenant — his faith has become that of his fathers.
St Augustine explains:
“The Fear of Isaac means the holy dread of the faithful, which keeps man from sin and binds him to God.” (City of God XVI.40)
Faith matures when reverence replaces manipulation — the fear that perfects love.
11. The Covenant of Mizpah
“Laban answered Jacob, ‘The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children… But come now, let us make a covenant, you and I.’” (vv. 43–44)
Though spoken from pride, Laban’s words lead to peace.
They erect a heap of stones as witness:
“This heap is a witness between you and me today.” (v. 48)
Mizpah means “watchtower” — a place of mutual oath.
Though born of suspicion, it becomes a sign of divine oversight.
St Bede interprets:
“The heap of witness signifies conscience, which stands between God and man; for in every covenant the true witness is the Lord.” (Commentary on Genesis, 31)
12. The Sacrifice and Farewell
“Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his kinsmen to eat bread; and they ate bread and tarried all night on the mountain.” (v. 54)
As Isaac once made a covenant with Abimelech, so Jacob ends his exile with a meal of peace.
Laban departs the next morning — the oppressor finally gone.
The Fathers saw this as prefiguring the Eucharist: peace sealed by sacrifice and shared meal.
St Ambrose writes:
“The covenant meal upon the mountain foreshadows that table where the true peace is offered — the Body of Christ, who is our reconciliation.” (On Isaac 13)
Through worship, human enmity becomes divine friendship.
13. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| God’s command | Obedience guided by promise |
| Laban’s deceit | The world’s bondage to greed |
| Rachel’s theft | Lingering attachments of the converted soul |
| Divine protection | God’s presence in every danger |
| Jacob’s integrity | Virtue matured through suffering |
| Covenant of Mizpah | Peace under divine witness |
St Augustine summarises:
“Jacob’s deliverance shows that faith, once tested, grows firm; for he leaves not rich only, but righteous.” (City of God XVI.40)
14. Moral and Spiritual Application
Trust God’s timing of deliverance. When opposition mounts, it may be the hour to move — but under God’s command, not impulse.
Leave false securities. Laban’s household symbolises worldly compromise; faith must sometimes flee what flatters.
Be purified from hidden idols. Rachel’s theft warns that even hearts seeking God may cling to old habits or unexamined superstitions.
Speak truth with patience. Jacob’s calm testimony teaches us to defend ourselves without malice.
Seal peace with sacrifice. True reconciliation ends not in argument but in worship.
15. Christ the True Deliverer
Jacob’s exodus from Laban anticipates Christ’s redemption of humanity:
| Jacob’s Story | Fulfilment in Christ |
| Command to return home | Christ’s mission to return mankind to the Father |
| Laban’s pursuit | The world and the devil opposing the Redeemer |
| Divine protection | The Father watching over the Son in His Passion |
| Covenant meal on the mountain | The Last Supper and the Eucharist of peace |
| Heap of witness | The Cross, standing between God and man as eternal covenant |
St Bede writes:
“Jacob freed from Laban prefigures Christ freeing the Church from the bondage of sin, leading her through covenant to peace.” (Commentary on Genesis, 31)
16. Closing Prayer
God of Jacob, Deliverer of the exiled,
You are faithful to those who trust in Your promise.
Teach us to leave the Laban of this world,
to renounce deceit and hidden idols,
and to walk in the freedom of Your grace.
Guard us from envy and injustice,
and make our hearts a Mizpah — a watchtower of peace.
Through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,
who leads us from bondage to blessing,
and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 