Divine Guidance | Genesis 30:25-43
Humans are imperfect. Part of human imperfection is the habit of taking advantage of others. Have you ever heard the expression, “Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me?” In this life we definitely live and learn from others who have taken advantage of us.
Jacob has learned that his father-in-law (Laban) is a deceptive, manipulating person. In response, Jacob has decided to put some distance between his father-in-law and his family. Jacob begins to put his decisions into action, however, once more, Laban says and does all he can to keep the blessing upon Jacob’s life bound to his estate.
What is a person to do?
Jacob did something that was unfounded for his time - he manipulated the breeding of the flock by peeling bark off of some sticks, and exposing them to the flock. Sounds weird right? How did Jacob know to do this?
The answer is partly found in Genesis 31. Jacob explains how God came to him in a dream and revealed the condition/future of the flock. The point that Jacob makes here is that God was his counsel and guide - not his own ingenuity.
Maybe you are in a pinch.
Maybe you are being taken advantage of.
Maybe you can’t seem to find a way forward.
Good News! God’s word encourages us that He has direction for our lives. Sure, you can go it alone, live and learn, strive to sustain all of your accomplishments. Or, you can do what Jacob did and dedicate your life and your earthly success to God. (Gen. 28:20-22)
Take a moment and give your item of oppression, frustration, and entanglement to the Lord today!
Bible Reading:
Genesis 30:25-43 (NIV)
25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”
27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 28 He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?”
31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.
“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen.”
34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.
37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches, 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.