All the changes in Jacob's environment were indicators that he should go back home. Jacob did go, but not in a noble way. Do you think that Jacob fled from Laban in a proper way? No, he stole away from Laban. But what would have happened if he had not fled from Laban in the way he did? Laban would have exercised his power to detain his daughters and their maids and all their children. He probably would have told Jacob, "Jacob, if you want to go, then go, but you must leave everyone and everything with me." Because Jacob feared this, he stole away.
Although Jacob's way of leaving was not the right way, God allowed it to happen. Because he was not yet mature, Jacob had a weak point. Why did Jacob not put his trust in God? Since God is all-powerful and all-capable, Jacob should have trusted Him to protect his wives and children. It is easy to talk about trusting God, but it is not easy to practice it. Trusting God is not a doctrinal matter. If you had been Jacob, would you have dared to go to Laban and say, "Uncle Laban, I am leaving"? It is not easy to do this, for it requires the maturity of life and a measure of faith. In order to have the necessary measure of faith, we need the growth in life. Jacob, however, did not have this. I do not condemn Jacob; rather, I wholly sympathize with him. Many times we also have been placed in situations where we had no choice except to flee, to steal away. It would be easy to rebuke Jacob for not leaving Laban publicly in an honorable and noble way. But if we examine ourselves, we shall see that many times we have done things without letting our husbands or wives know about them.
In this chapter we are told that Jacob stole the heart of Laban (v. 20, Heb.). While Jacob stole Laban's heart inwardly, Rachel stole the household images outwardly (v. 19). Even among those God-fearing people there were still idols. These were not the temple idols but the household idols, the idols which they worshipped in their homes. Because they were considered so important, Rachel stole them and Laban searched for them. Do not think that because Jacob was a saint called by God that he had an upright family. Apparently some of us have a very proper family, but God knows that we still have some household images. If the Bible did not mention these idols, no one would have ever believed that Laban or Jacob had idols in his family. But even Jacob's weakness in stealing Laban's heart was permitted by God.
We all make mistakes, but God can never be mistaken. Certainly it was not noble of Jacob to run away, but even this was under God's permission. Do not regret your mistakes, for even your mistakes work for your transformation. None of us is absolutely honest, noble, faithful, or upright. Only the Lord Jesus is such a person. We all have our weak points, our natural weaknesses. Jacob fled from Laban because he was weak in faith and weak in the ability to sacrifice. Perhaps Jacob should have said, "Regardless of what I would lose, even if it would be my life, I must be honest with God." It is easy to say this, but try to practice it. When the time comes, you will also flee and steal another's heart. All our mistakes, even our wrongdoings, are under God's sovereignty, and He uses them to transform us. Now I am not encouraging you to make mistakes. I hope that you do not make any mistakes. Forty years ago, I charged people not to make mistakes. But I no longer do this, because I realize that it is foolish to do so. However strongly I encourage you not to make mistakes, you will continue to make them. No one wants to make mistakes. I can testify that day after day and year after year, I have prayed to the Lord that He would keep me from making mistakes. Although I hate mistakes and have no intention of making them, I still have made some big mistakes. What then is the use for me to charge others not to make mistakes? If I were a teacher of ethics, I would command you not to make mistakes. But I am not a teacher of ethics. I am one who is helping you to be transformed.
In order to transform us, God will use our mistakes. I can testify that if I had not made certain mistakes, I would not be as transformed as I am today. The greatest amount of transformation in my life has come about through my mistakes. Nothing troubles me more than my mistakes. Whenever I thought that I was all right, the Lord allowed me to make a mistake. Nothing helps us to be transformed like our mistakes. This does not mean that I am saying that we should do evil that good may come. No, if you intentionally make mistakes, those mistakes will not help your transformation. They will depress and condemn you. But as we try our best to avoid mistakes, we may pray, "O Lord, keep me in Your presence and never allow me to be mistaken. Lord, I fear and tremble in Your presence." Although we may pray like this, after a period of time we may still make another mistake, and the Lord will sovereignly use it for our transformation.