At age 77, Jacob reached a critical juncture in his life. He would be leaving the land of Canaan, where he had lived his whole life, and heading over 500 miles away to Haran, where his mother had grown up. At this time God brought encouragement, appearing to Jacob in a dream to emphasize that he would be with him throughout his travels (Ge 28:12-15).
We have not been told anything up to this point about Jacob's relationship with God. There are a couple of details that may indicate this relationship was not yet well developed. One is the fact that God revealed himself to Jacob in a dream---as he did to people like Abimelech (Ge 20:3) and Pharaoh (41:1)---rather than in, say, a vision, as he had appeared to Abraham (15:1).
Fifty three years later, God did appear to Jacob in a vision (Ge 46:2). By that time Jacob had been walking with God for many years.
A second detail is the vow that Jacob makes after his dream. Jacob vows that if God is with him and brings him back home, then he will worship God and give him a tithe (verses 20-22). At this point Jacob's relationship with God seems rather transactional; the wording of the vow suggests that Jacob is trying to "cut a deal" with God.
After receiving reassurance from God, Jacob makes the long walk to Haran with spring in his step. Genesis 29:1 says that he "lifted his feet" as he continued his journey. He will have many lessons to learn during his sojourn with Laban. Some of them he will learn the hard way.
In particular, Jacob the deceiver will be the victim of deception. When Jacob believes he is marrying Laban's daugher Rachel, Laban subsitutes his older daughter Leah on the wedding night. One midrash imagines a later conversation between Jacob and Leah. When Jacob asks Leah why she posed as Rachel, she reminds Jacob that he had once posed as Esau. He had received a classic "measure for measure" consequence of his actions. (Whoever was being deceived in Genesis 27, Jacob's intent had been to deceive his father.)
Through this lesson and others, Jacob will grow through experience.
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