"And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also? And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: I will pass though all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban's cattle. And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses." (Genesis 30:25-43)
The tables are turning once more! Laban deceived Jacob into working for him 14 years instead of 7 (in fact, Jacob has been there close to 20 years now), and now Jacob will exact his own price for those years. In truth, Jacob cannot go back to his own country again (400 miles away, where Isaac still lives) without cattle to sustain his family which consisted of at the least: two wives, two concubines, and twelve sons. Jacob knows this; but Jacob, who is still Jacob after all, cannot go honestly, he must still find a way to deceive. And so he does.
Once more Jacob uses carnal methods in his attempt to help bring about the promised blessing of God in his life. Goad has already promised He would bless Jacob. Just as wearing the hair of a kid goat on his hands and neck was not necessary to receive his father's blessing, for God had already promised it and was able to fulfill it without Jacob's help; so it is still that Jacob's applying superstitious methods to achieve specked and spotted cattle is not necessary, for God would bless him without any effort on Jacob's part – simple because God promised it and would perform what He promised.
Laban is characteristic of so many folks in the world who don't mind being blessed by God through His people, but will not commit themselves to become one of God's own. He is like the parent who sends his child to Sunday School and church, but will never go himself. Laban recognizes that Jacob is indeed blessed by God, and he even recognizes that the fallout of that blessing has showered down upon himself; but still his heart his hard towards giving himself over to Jacob's God. In fact, Laban is an idol-worshipper…a popular thing in Mesopotamia (what is now known as Iran).
Regardless of Laban's idol-worship, God's blessing over Jacob does cause an increase to come to Laban (God's rain falls on the just and the unjust); and regardless of Jacob's carnality, God's promised blessing does bring an increase to Jacob as well.
Some might want to believe that perhaps God instructed Jacob to use the rods the way he did in order to bring about God's miracle; but that would not be consistent with Jacob's carnality. Jacob has been loved by God before he was born (while in the womb); he has been chosen by God not because he deserves it, but because God so desired it. And Jacob is blessed simply because God always fulfills his promises once spoken. The blessing does not mean Jacob is doing everything right in obedience to God, nor does it mean that he even could do that if he wanted to…not yet at least; for Jacob is still in the driver's seat. He is not 100% trusting in God yet. No, the blessing that Jacob received is simply because he has been shown favor and has been chosen by God, to be loved by Him.
A transformation is coming, but for now the blessing Jacob is receiving is just God's goodness and grace being poured out on to one that He loves….no matter his carnality and devious methods. In fact, even when the transformation comes, while it will bring glory to God, it will not earn God's blessing; for Jacob to earn God's blessing would diminish God's goodness towards Jacob.
So it is with us also. Think about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment