It has been a few days since my last post... SORRY!
I will do better.
Genesis 30:25 - 31:55
It's time to go home...
After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob went to Laban and asked for Laban's permission to take his wives and children and go back to his own homeland. Laban told Jacob that all of his livestock had really done well under Jacob's care and he really wanted Jacob to stay. Jacob even told Laban, "the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been".
Realizing the blessings of God, Laban told Jacob that he would pay whatever price Jacob asked to get Jacob to stay.
Jacob told Laban that the little livestock that Laban had when Jacob arrived had increased greatly under Jacob's care because of God's blessing. Jacob saw this as an opportunity to do something for HIS family. Jacob told Laban "Don't give me anything,"... "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 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. 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." Laban agreed to Jacob's request.
Laban immediately 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 sent them away with his sons, without Jacob's knowledge, so that Jacob could not take them. See what has happened here? Laban went right back to his deceiving ways. Even though Jacob had agreed to continue serving Laban, Laban, again, cheated Jacob.
Jacob continued with his agreement tending Laban's flocks. While tending the flocks Jacob 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. 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, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 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. 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, 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.
God honored Jacob and multiplied his flocks. Jacob became rich with large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.
It wasn't too long before Jacob heard that Laban's son's had began to accuse Jacob of taking everything that Laban owned to build wealth for himself. Jacob, noticing that Laban's attitude towards him had changed, quietly sent word for his wives to come meet him in the fields. He told them that their father's attitude toward him had changed, that he had always been honest with their father. Even though Laban had changed his wages ten times, cheating him, Jacob continued serving in honesty and integrity, giving his best. He told them about a dream that God had given him, assuring him that God had seen the way that Laban was treating him, and that God was blessing him in spite of the way that he was being treated. He also told them that God said that it was time for them to go home, back to Jacob's native homeland. Both Rachel and Leah agreed that it was time to leave.
Jacob gathered his family and his belongings and quietly left without Laban knowing it. But, before they left, Rachel snuck into her father's tent and stole his idols and hid them in her things. She did this without Jacob, or anyone else, knowing it.
When Laban realized that they had left he chased them, finally catching them after seven days. After catching them, Laban asked Jacob why he left without telling Laban, why he didn't let him say goodbye, kiss his daughters and his grandchildren, why he left with no notice. He then asked Jacob, "why did you steal my gods?"
Jacob told Laban that he left secretly because he was afraid for his life. He was afraid that Laban would take his daughters away so they could not leave and kill Jacob. Jacob then told Laban, but, I did not steal your gods and no one with me dd either. He told Laban that if Laban found anyone that had stolen his gods, Laban could kill them (REMEMBER... Jacob did not know that Rachel had taken them). Laban searched everyone's tents and belongings. Finally he got to Rachel's tent. Before Laban entered the tent, Rachel put the gods in her camel saddle and sat on it. When her father came in, he searched everywhere but found nothing. Rachel looked at her father and said, "Don't be angry... I can not stand in your presence; I'm having my period". Laban never found the gods.
Jacob was very angry for having been falsely accused (so he thought). He told Laban that he had worked with honor and integrity for 20 years, giving Laban the best, putting his own needs aside, preferring Laban and his needs.
Laban and Jacob then made a covenant that God would keep watch between them while they were away from each other. They offered a sacrifice and had a meal. The next morning Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren. Then he left and went home.
What I have seen throughout this reading is that if we remain honest, if we do what is right, if we honor those in authority over us, God has our back! God will honor us. He will protect us. And, He will bless our integrity and honesty. He did this with Jacob. In spite of the fact that Laban kept cheating Jacob, Jacob stayed honest. Laban deceived Jacob by giving him Leah as a bride instead of Rachel... Jacob took her and worked seven more years for Rachel. Laban changed Jacob's wages ten times... Jacob kept on working without complaining. Jacob operated from a place of integrity, and God blessed Jacob and he became a rich man.
The hand of man, the hand of manipulation, the hand of deception can never gain anything even close to the blessings of God!
If God be for us, who can be against us...
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