This was part of our lesson today.
30:27 And Laban said unto him, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, `tarry': `for' I have divined that Jehovah hath blessed me for thy sake.
Laban and Jacob are both tricksters. We all know the story of how Laban deceived Jacob into marrying Leah even though he wanted to marry her sister, Rachel. Thus, Jacob was stuck with two wives, but he didn't love Leah. Leah felt rejected all those years and tried to use many pregnancies to obtain Jacob's love. Jacob was getting a taste of his own medicine because he had deceived his own father, Isaac and received Esau's blessing. And let's not forget that Jacob's mother, Rebekah, helped him deceive Issac.
Okay...back to Laban. Jacob ended up working for Laban for over 14 years. Laban saw that God was with Jacob and was blessing him. As a result, Laban too was being blessed. This is why he didn''t want Jacob to leave.
30:28 name your wages, and I will give it."
30:29 Jacob said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me.
30:30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly; and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?"
30:31 He said, "What shall I give you?" Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything; if you will do this for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it:
30:32 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.
Laban, the trickster, met up with the trickster of all tricksters, Jacob. This is what Jacob did with the help of God (believe it or not). Isn't that something? Jacob followed the leading of the Lord and asked for all of Laban's spotted sheep, dark-colored lamb, and spotted goat. Laban agreed. Laban thought Jacob was silly for making such a deal. Maybe there weren't a whole lot of spotted animals. Laban didn't quite know Jacob and Jacob's God.
Here are the steps Jacob took in order to obtain prosperity (don't forget this was supernatural...we do serve a supernatural God, right?) Jacob first cut open the branches of the poplar/almond/plane trees. The animals thought this was a treat when Jacob put the open branches in their trough. Then the animals would drink from the trough and made baby animals in front of those branches. Jacob also had his animals face Laban's striped and all black flock. In addition, Jacob placed the branches in front of the stronger animals, so they could stare at the branches and produce spotted baby animals. Furthermore, Jacob watched for the stronger animals and secured them, and made sure Laban got the weaker animals.
30:37 Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the rods.
30:38 He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the runnels, that is, the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink,
30:39 the flocks bred in front of the rods and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.
30:40 And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and did not put them with Laban's flock.
30:41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding Jacob laid the rods in the runnels before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the rods,
30:42 but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
30:43 Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and asses. Things you can learn from this story: Deception will hurt others. Laban hurt his daughter by tricking Jacob into marrying her even though Laban knew Jacob loved Rachel. Nevertheless, Jacob had to go through this process of learning that God was in control, not him. Clearly, Laban was selfish, but so was Jacob who caused conflict in his home before running off to find Laban. Because of Jacob's selfishness, his father and mother couldn't see him anymore. However, as messed up as this story is, God was allowing all of it to happen because the prophecy was that Jacob, the younger child, would lead Esau. The blessing started with Abraham, went to Isaac, and fell into the Jacob's hands. This was the making of God's peculiar people.
Another thing you can learn from this story is that if God is for you, no one can come against you.God was with Jacob and blessed him EXCEEDINGLY!!! Jacob came from a family of deceivers and he was under that generational cycle, but God delivered Jacob, and He will deliver you too. Jacob needed supernatural intervention, and God provided that for him even with all Jacob's flaws. There is nothing too hard for God. He can do the impossible in your life too. Always remember Jacob, the branches, and those few spotted animals when you feel like you can't make it through.
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