God's call

1 And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory.  2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.  3 And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.  4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,  5 And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.  6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.  7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.  8 If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked.  9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.  10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled.  11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.  12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.  13 I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.  14 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?  15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.  16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.  17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; 18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan (Genesis 31:1-18).

     We learn here several things.  It was God’s will for Jacob to return to the land of Canaan, and God had provided for Jacob by blessing him.  Also we learn that Laban’s daughters were by this point ‘no fans’ of Laban.  They were apparently angry with him as well.  Jacob responded to God’s call by leaving and going to where God desired him to go.  When God calls, He intends for us to answer and act as He has directed.  While God certainly has given people specific tasks and has called individuals to certain areas, God has given other commands to all.  The clearest example is to preach the good news of the Gospel to all peoples. Our job, as was Jacobs’, is to answer God’s call through obedience.