Genesis 30:29 – 43 ”Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock has thrived under my care. Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?” “What can I give you?” Laban asked.
“You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flock. 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. These will be my wages. So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.” “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”
That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So 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, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.
Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches. But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.”
Between Jacob and Laban, it’s a toss – up to know which one is trickier! Laban pretends to be the generous uncle but really wants to cheat Jacob again. Jacob really has been a very faithful shepherd and has taken good care of Laban’s flocks and herds for many years. When the two agree that Jacob will have the dark and speckled and streaked or spotted sheep and goats as his wages, Laban immediately goes through the flock before Jacob can get there, removes all the sheep and goats that should have gone to Jacob and sends them far away. But Jacob concocts a plan to expose the strongest of the remaining sheep and goats to speckled and spotted poplar rods when they breed. “What?” you ask “How ridiculous! That won’t work!” Actually, you are quite correct; however, while Jacob thinks he’s being tricky, obviously God is intervening. The net result is that Jacob prospers despite all Laban’s machinations.
How does this story relate to God’s forgiveness? Remember that God has chosen to work through Jacob, even though Jacob has cheated his brother. Jacob has had an encounter with God that has left him a changed man. God has forgiven Jacob and is blessing him in this situation.
APPLICATION: Do you feel cheated at your work place? Has a supervisor brought a bad report about you or threatened you? The question is this: have you been a faithful worker? Have you fulfilled your duties as well as you can or have you slacked off, using lack of motivation as an excuse? Search your heart and ask God to show you if there are any areas in which you have failed to perform as well as you could. Then ask God to show you how you can improve. Remember that God keeps the records and God is the One who rewards, not whatever company for which you are working.
1 Corinthians 4:2 “Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”
1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”
Forgive that boss/supervisor/coworker who has made your life miserable. In the end, you will not answer to them but you will answer to God.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us. Please open our eyes to the ways in which we may have failed to discharge our duties properly by using other people’s criticism as an excuse. Thank you that it is your desire to bless us and to help us grow into the fullness of your grace. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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