relationships (Genesis 30:25-43) Putting Our Trust in the Lord

(Genesis 30:25-43)  Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the Lord has blessed me on your account.” 28 He continued, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” 29 But he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31 So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock: 32 let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 33 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.” 34 Laban said, “Good, let it be according to your word.” 35 So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons. 36 And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods. 38 He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. 39 So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40 Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41 Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods; 42 but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Jacob, wisely and considerately, waited until none of his women were pregnant before he began discussing a move back home.  When Laban asked Jacob to stay longer, they made a deal that he would tend Laban's flocks for a while, and then after that, everything spotted, speckled and black would be his wages.  Laban agreed, but then immediately removed everything spotted, speckled and black, thinking that the all-white flocks in Jacob's hands would only reproduce all-white (because he wanted more for himself).

Jacob was a seasoned shepherd and knew how to stimulate the animals to reproduce.  He also understood selective breeding, although he probably would not have known about latent genes in DNA structure.  Ultimately, he did trust God in this, and gave God the credit for his success - as one should!

Laban used divination to determine things, which is not just a sin, but it can obviously be misleading.  Although - one doesn't need to resort to worldly gods and demonic methods to realize that anyone can be blessed just for the simple fact that they are near someone who is a believer - who - is near to God.  It is also clear here that Laban was just selfish and greedy.  He could have turned to God himself at any time, and then God would have blessed him directly. 

When non-Christian friends ask me to pray for them, I do, but then I also ask that as God answers, He will make it obvious to them that it was all because of Him!  Soon after, those friends will tell me, "Your prayers worked!"  This usually allows me to share with them a little more about God and how He works.  They often end up saying, "Well, that's fine for you.  I don't need God."  But what they don't realize just from the simple fact that they asked me to pray for them because they were at wits-end - is that - they do need God!  And there are so many more benefits in putting our trust in the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord Jesus Christ, and having a close relationship with Him!!!