How did Jacob know it was God’s will for him to go? First, “Jacob heard …” (v. 1) Then, “he notice …” (v.2) “God said to him …” (v. 3) And there was a desire within Jacob that he wanted to leave. There was an agreement with his family. Finally, there was a favorable opportunity for them to leave. And God was behind the scene to protect him. When we try to discern God’s will, we should also pay attention to the environment, the desire in our heart, what God said in the Bible, the agreement within our family and finally the open door before us.
Notes: The Bible doesn’t give us reasons why Rachel stole his father’s idol. There are several possibilities: A household’s idol is for the right for inheritance. Rachel wanted to keep this right. Or, this idol is for protection. Rachel wanted this idol to protect her journey or she wanted her father lost protection from this idol. Or, Rachel stole it because of its monetary value or just a revenge to her father. No matter what was the reason behind, God made Laban unable to find the idol and Jacob could justify his leaving.
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