Jacob Prospers
Genesis 30:25-43 “Now after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return to my homeland. Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.”
But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.” And he added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”
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. 42But 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.”
Until Jacob reached Haran, he probably fancied himself as being a little bit smarter than everybody else, but that was before he met tricky Uncle Laban. Uncle Laban has already managed to marry off an unwanted daughter with an eye problem, no mean achievement. Now Uncle Laban has realized that God is blessing all of Jacob’s efforts. Notice Laban has reached this conclusion by divination, not by prayer. Notice also what Jacob says about his time with Laban. “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?”
Jacob proposes to Laban that he will be paid with all the speckled, spotted, and dark sheep and goats. Laban thinks this is a great idea and immediately culls all such animals out of his herd, sending them a three-day journey away from the place where Jacob is minding Laban’s other herds. So far, Laban is winning. But Jacob places peeled branches in front of the water hole when the herds are coming to mate, timing things so the strongest animals will see the peeled branches and give birth to streaked, spotted, and dark offspring. Does this trick actually work? Who knows? While there’s no scientific basis for the results, the outcome is that Jacob winds up with the strongest animals while Laban owns the weaker ones. Jacob also prospers, owning large flocks, maidservants and menservants and camels and donkeys. Clearly, God is blessing Jacob and protecting him from Laban’s tricks. Anybody who has already resorted to divination will not hesitate to descend into witchcraft to attack a rival, and Laban is probably attempting to curse Jacob.
The story of Laban’s attempts to dominate Jacob and to impoverish him brings out an important point: If you are walking in God’s will, He will protect you and prosper you. Here in Ghana, curses and witchcraft are common. Many market days, someone will leave a calabash with various herbs and other things in it at a crossroads to curse passersby. We have prayed over so many people to break off curses that we have a standard prayer in which we break off ancestral curses, generational curses, multiplying curses, and curses tied to any action. We soak the person for whom we are praying in the Blood of Jesus, the Love of Jesus, and the Fire of the Holy Spirit, and we send the Blood of Jesus, the Love of Jesus, and the Fire of the Holy Spirit back along the lines of communication to consume the connections between the individual invoking the curses and the person being cursed.
Dean Sherman, one of the original YWAM missionaries, emphasizes that there is more power in one drop of the Blood of Jesus than in all the forces of hell. Sherman continues that the victory over Satan has already been won at Calvary; however, we must pray, enforcing that victory and invoking the Blood of Jesus. One important thing to remember is Proverbs 26:2 “Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.” The Message translation reads, “You have as little to fear from an undeserved curse as from the dart of a wren or the swoop of a swallow.” We don’t have to live in fear, even when we find ourselves in a witchcraft-ridden environment.
All of Laban’s efforts to subdue Jacob are coming to naught. Even though Laban has realized that God is blessing Jacob, he has no idea of God’s greatness and power. Meanwhile, Jacob continues to prosper despite Laban’s best efforts. Today, you may find yourself in a situation similar to that of Jacob. Someone you have assumed wants to help you is actually trying to dominate and impoverish you. Are you in the center of God’s will for your life? If you know that you are doing God’s will, then you can trust that God will help you, guide you, and protect you. But beware! There is always a temptation to manipulate and force events. Be certain that you are also waiting for God’s timing, for if you do, you will have peace.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us find ourselves in difficult situations. Those who should be helping are attacking us, and we are stressing out. Lord, help us remember that if You have led us into these situations, You can protect and deliver us. Help us to trust You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
May 21, 2024 at 1:08 am
Seems like all the people of the old testament were scamming each other! I did the children’s sermon and used three languages of the Lord’s Prayer. I thought you might speak Swahili there, so I included it! God Bless, Martin