Genesis 31:22-30

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22 And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. 23 Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead. 24 But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.” 25 So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob: “What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? 27 Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? 28 And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. 29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ 30 And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” ~ Genesis 31:22-30

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 31 where Jacob and his family have finally departed for the Promised Land which is a term designated for the region of the world that God promised as a heritage to His people, Israel. The Promised Land was an endowment from God initially made to Abraham, the father of the Jews, who had been chosen also to be the father of all who would believe in the God of the Bible. God promised to bless Abraham and lead him into the land from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River that would belong to his offspring as an everlasting heritage. The physical blessings have always been for the advancement of the spiritual blessings. What profit is there if we gain the whole world and yet forfeit our soul?

In v.22-23 of today's passage we read, "22 And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. 23 Then he took his brethren with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the mountains of Gilead."

Previously, Laban’s flocks were kept three days journey apart from Jacob’s so that they would not get intermingled with Jacob's flock. Because of this, it took three days for Laban to hear the news that Jacob had departed. And since Laban took his brethren with him, it was six days after Jacob left because it would have taken three days for the brethren to get to Laban. This is why it took Laban and his brethren seven days to catch up to Jacob.

With a smaller group, Laban moved much more quickly than Jacob. Still, it took a full week before Laban caught up within sight of Jacob's caravan. It was on Mount Gilead that Laban finally caught up to Jacob and his family. This is the first mention of Gilead in the Bible. The name "Gilead" comes from the contraction of two words, one means "spring," and the other "perpetual." It was at the perpetual spring that Laban met up with Jacob. I can hear the Lord Jesus' words to the woman at the well, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

A careful reading of the Bible reveals there are three scriptures that reference the balm of Gilead. But unless the verses are considered together, it is easy to miss their significance. The first is found in Genesis 37:25-26 which reads, "As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelite traders coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm, and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt." These verses record the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. The traveling merchants purchased Joseph, then delivered him to Egypt. Although it might seem as though the mention of spices, balm, and myrrh are superfluous details, they are recorded intentionally. 

The other two references to balm are found in the book of Jeremiah. They concern the prophet’s lament over God’s impending judgment of Israel in Jeremiah 8 & 46. Based on those passages, we discover that the balm produced in the region of Gilead was both valuable and rare. And, although the balm brought physical healing, it really represents spiritual health. Even though God had delivered Israel from slavery and they had walked through the Red Sea, the people still looked elsewhere for spiritual fulfillment. They even worshipped other gods. Eventually, we discover in the New Testament, all of this points us to the only One who provides real and lasting fulfillment, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 But God had come to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.' 25 So Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead."

Similar to the way Laban ran down Jacob, God ran down Laban in a dream. Through this dream God told Laban not to harm Jacob. The wording in v.24 is quite awkward, the meaning is that Laban was not to threaten Jacob. God was not only with Jacob but He also was protecting him. Who knows what Laban would have done to Jacob in those mountains had God not run down Laban. Revealing is the fact that according to Joshua 20:8 Ramoth Gilead which means "Highest Gilead" would later be a city of refuge for those who would have accidentally harmed another. All of the cities of refuge whispered of the Lord Jesus long before He came to be born of the young teen-aged girl in Bethlehem.

In v.26-30 of today's passage we read, "26 And Laban said to Jacob: 'What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? 27 Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and harp? 28 And you did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. 29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.' 30 And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?"

Laban’s comments to Jacob came from a man who seemed to have come to rescue his stolen daughters. In an attempt to get the upper hand in their negotiations, Laban talked about the things he would have done had he known they had left Haran. Jacob and his wives knew better; Laban was a scam and probably hadn’t kissed his daughters since the night of their wedding, if he even did it then. 

The way Laban spoke to Jacob was different because God had told him in the dream to not harm Jacob or else. Laban told Jacob that he was his own source of power and he could have harmed him. But Laban found out that there is a much greater Power. Amazingly, even though God revealed Himself to Laban like He did, Laban was still preoccupied with his idol gods. For some, it doesn't matter how much revelation of Himself that God gives, they are just not going to believe in Him and bow themselves before Him. Aren't you grateful that we came to that place where we entered into a personal relationship with this God who is so good? Having done so, we are now in the family of God.

Genesis 31:19-21

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19 Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee. 21 So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead. ~ Genesis 31:19-21

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 31 where we find Jacob preparing his family and his flocks for their long journey to the promised land. As indicated in our passage, Rachel and Leah went back home to gather whatever things they planned on taking with them on this journey. While their father, Laban, was shearing his sheep, we are directed to the theme of today's study which is idolatry. 

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the household idols that were her father’s."

While Jacob's wives were gathering their things and their father Laban was shearing his sheep, Rachel stole the household idols that belonged to her father. That which is described as "idols" here is referred to later in this chapter by Laban as "gods." To Laban they were good luck charms. Also, later in this chapter, Rachel will show her contempt for the "idols." Her actions will clearly show that she certainly wasn’t expecting to benefit from them. What Rachel will do to these "idols" is known as iconoclasm which is what people do when they turn away from idolatry by destroying their idols. In reference to idolatry, Charles Spurgeon once said, "Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else."

Idolatry is more than thinking our idols bring us good luck though. Idolatry is when we love something or someone more than God. It’s the misdirection of our worship. It’s our hearts clinging and confiding in that which does not or cannot bring us what we long for. It is the elevation and glorification of anything other than God, which eventually leads to personal emptiness and separation from true life. An idol could be a girlfriend, good grades, the approval of other people, success in business, and it could be a hobby. In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul put it like this: Idolatry is when we exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the created.  

King David wrote in Psalm 115 idols are useless. They have mouths but they can't speak. They have eyes but they can't see. They have ears but they can't hear. They have hands but they can't touch. They have feet but they can't walk. They have mouths but they can't speak.

In v.20 of today's passage we read, "And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he intended to flee."

Jacob left Laban in the very same way that he had left Canaan before coming to Haran. He departed during the middle of the night. Here in this verse Moses used a form of the same word which was used to describe Rachel when she stole Laban’s idols. Literally the first four words of this verse reads, "And stole Jacob Laban’s heart." 

The "heart" in the Bible is the center of everything. Mentioned hundreds of times, our heart is presented as our "control center" from which all of our decisions are made. The heart is the place where our deepest being is found. Our heart is the place where we make all of our decisions. Our heart is that place where we make connection with God who brings life and light into our souls. The heart that opens itself to other, impure influences becomes blind and confused when it comes to discerning between good and evil. 

What we give our heart to is what we worship to a certain degree. And, if we are not in the habit of giving our hearts to the Lord, we will be controlled by that which is out to destroy us, including ourselves. Jacob took that which Laban's heart was set upon which was himself. Laban loved himself more than anything, and as is most of the time the case, our idols are clearly a reflection of us.

The problem is that we miss the whole point of our existence, the very purpose for which we were created. God made us for the relationship of His perfect love. He doesn't have the need, we do. But if we’re always chasing after other things, we’ll never experience the fullness of His love. And the fullness of His love is His holiness. There’s a big difference between a half-hearted approach to God and whole-hearted devotion. That half-hearted approach is where Jacob had been all of his life, but he is about to be shaken to his core. After the shaking will come a greater degree of love for God in Jacob.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "So he fled with all that he had. He arose and crossed the river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilead."

Beginning in this verse we see Jacob leading his family, his servants, and his livestock back to the Promised Land in response to God’s command earlier in this chapter. Jacob had obviously entered into a personal relationship with God. God was now clearly defining Jacob to some degree. God’s command to Jacob, and his obedience was no small thing because Jacob still believed his brother intended to kill him. Jacob was literally risking his life to obey God. 

The river referenced here is the Euphrates and some argue over how he could have gotten his family, camels, flocks, and goods over that river at that time. But getting over the Euphrates river wasn’t a difficult task. There have been rope-pulled ferries for eons and there are rope made bridges spanning rivers around the world. There would have been routes of travel that included these or other ways of crossing and the speculation isn’t difficult to think through.

It is rather instructive that Jacob and his family went in the direction of Gilead which is mentioned 132 times in the Bible. In his book Jeremiah mentioned the balm of Gilead which comes from several herbs that are part of the mint family of plants. This balm is related to the tree the balsam poplar and it is considered a myrrh-like resin/chemical compound found in the Arabian Peninsula, specifically in ancient Israel east of the Jordan River. It was used for medicine. Jacob was being directed by God to go to the place which represents healing.

The balm of Gilead is also metaphoric. It, like almost everything in the Bible points us to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can truly satisfy us on this earth and into eternity. Everything else only promises but never truly delivers. He is the One who came to save us from our disastrous state. JC Philpot once said, "There is more in the balm to heal than there is in guilt to wound; for there is more in grace to save than there is in sin to destroy." The author of such grace is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 31:14-18

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14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. 16 For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it." 17 Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. ~ Genesis 31:14-18

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 31 where after 20 years of serving Laban and being conned by him for that long, Jacob is leaving town for the promised land. The people of Israel are a people united to each other and to God in a singularly unique way. But Israel is more than a people, Israel is a concept of uniting and restoring God to the people of the world. For 20 years Jacob had been in a form of exile and will now he will follow the leading of God and return home. 

In v.14-16 of today's passage we read, "14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, 'Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. 16 For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.'"

When Rachel and Leah got married, their dad, Laban, gave each of them one maidservant. He could have given them more and they knew it but he didn't. They felt that they had gotten a raw deal from their dad. They knew that whatever inheritance they otherwise could have gotten would never come. They knew that they were entirely excluded from the inheritance. They didn't need Jacob to convince them that their father was a selfish man, they knew that all of their lives. 

When Jacob showed up, Rachel and Leah were given a great contrast to their dad. These two girls believed in Jacob so much, they quickly were ready to follow him. When God created this world, He put into place a spiritual law called the law of sowing and reaping which applies to every aspect of our lives. A farmer sows cotton seed in the ground and eventually reaps a harvest of cotton. When we sow our time and energy into reading Scripture, we will reap the fruit of faith, wisdom, and understanding.

The father of Rachel and Leah was a man who fed the flesh regularly. When we feed a stray cat, we know it’s going to come back. The truth is whatever we feed follows us. The same principle applies to feeding fleshly desires. The Bible says that feeding the flesh leads to death and destruction. The fruit of feeding our desires becomes rotten and is out to destroy us. However, when we feed the Spirit, He leads to life, peace, and joy. 

As Laban's daughters looked back over the past 20 years they realized that their father actually sold each one of them for Jacob’s labors. They were his hired hands, just like Jacob. As Jacob’s wives, they were in the same position that he was. Just as Jacob was a stranger, they are reckoned in the same way. And Laban didn’t only sell them, he consumed all the profit he made off of them. This is where feeding the flesh gets us with those whom we "love."

Jacob had acquired all of his livestock and wealth from Laban’s flocks. These were his wages and what came about was agreed on in advance, even though Laban changed the terms time and time again. Laban was a manipulative man but the Lord made sure that everything always came out in the favor of Jacob. God was with Jacob and He surely had blessed him.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan."

Once the decision was made, the action is taken. It didn’t matter how large Jacob's camp was, they completely emptied it in just a few hours. There was nothing left but holes in the ground where the tent posts had been. At this time, the oldest son, Reuben, was no more than about 12 years old and the youngest, Joseph, was about 6. So all the family mounted camels and started their journey towards Canaan.

It is very clear that Jacob hadn’t swindled Laban to gain his wealth. He had "gained" or "acquired" his family and possessions legitimately. The word "gained" in v.18 which is used five times in the whole Bible is used twice in this verse to indicate that Jacob took only what he had gained. Everything that went with him was acquired by him and nothing stolen. Later, we will see later that Jacob left with enough to give away more than 580 animals as a present. That, along with everything else he had would have made him a very wealthy man.

As we look back on Jacob's twenty years in Haran, we see that he had learned the importance of obeying the Lord. This is why he separated himself from Laban, who was a picture of the world without the Lord. This story demonstrates the foolishness of idolatry and the need for believers to separate ourselves from the world. Oh, we must maintain relationships with the people of the world but we must not be defined by the world. The Lord said it plainly, "Be in the world but not of it." 

Jacob's story while in Haran demonstrates also the protective hand of God in his life. In the same way that God protected Jacob in his departure from Haran to return to Canaan, so He had protected others, like the nation Israel in its departure from Egypt to return to Canaan. All of them were prone to idolatry but the Lord was committed to them. He is no different toward you and me and we are no different than those in the Bible. We will never earn His favor, we don't even maintain His favor. But, if we do not obey Him, we can surely miss out on His blessings.

Genesis 31:10-13

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10 And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. 11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, "Jacob." And I said, "Here I am." 12 And He said, "Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family." ~ Genesis 31:10-13

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 31 where Jacob is given revelation from God through two different dreams. Unlike all of the gods out there in this world that people worship, the God of the Bible is personal. The personal name of God, as we have seen in the Genesis narrative, is YHWH. The revelation that God grants to us is always couched in a personal encounter that He grants to us. The ultimate desire of God for us is that we know Him in an ever increasing way. 

The Apostle Paul tells us that our faith in God grows as we hear and recognize His voice. The Lord Jesus informed us that His sheep hear His voice and they follow. That is hearing God not with our ears but with our hearts. Of course, when we hear or read the Word of God, the Bible, it will always parallel what God tells us through His spoken Word. God will never tell us to do something that is not consistent with His Word, the Bible. 

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted."

Jacob's first dream took place at the beginning of his last six years of labor unto Laban. God spoke to Jacob here through two dreams. In the book of Joel God tells us that in the last days "Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." And, in Job 33 Job said, "14 For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds." 

God desires the best for all of us. When man does not access God's truth and therefore walks in that which isn't true, he finds himself outside of His love. When we are beyond the grasp of God's love, we will be the recipients of His wrath. Of course, the only thing that moves us into God's love is the performance of the Lord Jesus on our behalf on the cross and our faith in Him as our Savior. When the child of God does not walk in the truth, he will not be the recipient of God's wrath, but he could be the recipient of Satan's wrath.

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.'"

Although revelation given by God is awesome and mind-blowing, growing in intimacy with Him is even greater. Through Jacob’s second dream the Angel of God spoke to him and he responded. This was not only revelation, this was also relationship. The "Angel of God" here was the Lord who spoke to Jacob at Bethel. This was further confirmation from God to Jacob that the first dream was actually from God Himself.

Since revelation is God’s self-disclosure to us, He reveals Himself to us so we may grow to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him. When we respond in the affirmative to the revelation that God gives us, we should expect more revelation to come from Him. This is how any relationship rolls out and this is why Christianity is not a religion. While religion is man trying to earn God's favor, Christianity is a personal relationship with God that was granted through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 And He said, 'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.'"

In this dream that God gave to Jacob, he used a different word to describe Jacob's sheep. "Gray-spotted" speaks for itself. God introduced a new color to reveal that He was the One producing the changes in the sheep all along. God is the arbiter of the truth, what He says is what makes anything true. When we know the definition of anything from God, we then know the truth. It is then that we can walk in the truth and the truth is God's definition of anything. When we respond to the truth, it shows up as obedience from us or that we are walking in that which is right and true.

Like his grandfather, Abraham, it was only when he had responded to the previous revelation that God gave Jacob more revelation. Abraham’s departure from Haran was key to the release of the promises that God had in store for him beyond God's initial revelation to him. With Jacob, God was no different. Like Abraham, Jacob's obedience opened the door for God to deliver to Him further revelation of and from Him.

And sure enough, just as Jacob’s dream showed the mating rams’ colors, the Lord confirmed his dream. The Lord knew that Laban had cheated Jacob and would continue to cheat him, and so He directed the flocks according to His wisdom as the Creator. Everything that happened had been at the Lord’s direction. The dreams were meant to be an encouragement to Jacob so that he would commit himself to what God would have him do next.

These reassuring words echoed for Jacob back some 20 years when he first left Canaan. He traveled through Bethel and had a vision where the Lord told him, "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." And true to His promise, God had been with Jacob, kept him, and was now directing him back to the land of his birth. 

The believer in Christ can expect the same from God. Once entering into a personal relationship with God by inviting Him into our lives, we will then begin to pray to Him and read His word regularly. To the believer in Christ the Holy Spirit has been given. He is the One who lives in the hearts of believers and never leaves. He counsels, teaches, and changes the heart of each believer. Without the Holy Spirit, we would not have the ability to have this personal relationship with God. If you have not entered into a personal relationship with Him, let me encourage you to talk to Him right now. Begin by admitting to Him that you know that you are a sinner and that your sin has separated you from Him. Believe that the Lord Jesus paid the penalty for your sin. And, invite Him into your life.

Genesis 31:4-9

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4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, 5 and said to them, "I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. 6 And you know that with all my might I have served your father. 7 Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me. 8 If he said thus: 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: 'The streaked shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked. 9 So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me." ~ Genesis 31:4-9

Today, we return to our study of Genesis 31 where Jacob and his family are preparing to travel to the promised land. They were about to do so because they had chosen to be defined by the God of the Bible and He had told Jacob to travel there. It was in this context that Jacob was dealing with tensions in his broader family. His father-in-law and his sons accused Jacob falsely of stealing from his herd. We view others through the lens of the way we see life. Like Laban, Jacob's father-in-law, if we are deceptive we will think of others as deceptive. This is the on-going context of today's passage.

In v.4-7 of today's passage we read, "4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock, 5 and said to them, 'I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me. 6 And you know that with all my might I have served your father. 7 Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.'"

Jacob called for Rachel and Leah in that order. Even though she was Jacob's second wife, Rachel was the one beloved most by Jacob. Throughout this narrative Jacob favored Rachel more than Leah. Showing favoritism within our families is a dangerous thing because it is the unfair practice of treating one better than another. Jacob did this because his idea of love was less than it should have been. Jacob's idea was tainted with the self because it was conditioned by what he would get out of the relationship. Jacob's idea of love was less than due to the fact that his ability to evaluate was cheapened by his self life.

The words translated "favoritism" in the Bible literally means "to receive according to the face." To show favoritism is to make judgments about another on the basis of their outward appearance. Of course, given the circumstances and the fact that Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his first daughter Leah, one can understand the difficulty Jacob was in. Having said that, favoritism eventually bites us in the rear end. We tend to put everyone in some kind of category. Most often, it has to do with appearance and status. According to James 2:9 when we show favoritism, we commit sin. Favoritism is not simply disrespectful of people, it is sin against God. It is sin because it is contrary to the character and command of God. Because favoritism is sin, we are wise to hurl it out of our lives. 

Over and over Laban deceived Jacob to stay on his homestead for 20 years. Jacob worked so well that Laban received much good work from him. If Jacob had slacked off at any time during those 20 years, Laban never would have kept him around. But he did. When he did, Laban said that the Lord had blessed him because of Jacob’s work. And, the last six years were no different, except that the blessings went to Jacob and not to Laban. 

When we live our lives at the level of the world, we will eventually see that this was a very unwise decision. If we waist our time feeding the flesh rather than the Spirit, we will only be miserable at the end of the day. The most exciting way to live is to simply trust and to trust simply. Jacob trusted God and look at what happened, Jacob was blessed abundantly. For the person who truly by faith in the God of the Bible, life is an adventure to be received from the most incredibly creative God. At the end of this life, having trusted the Lord with the outcomes, we will look back with others and marvel. Perhaps with us will be those who came to faith in our God because we trusted Him.

The phrase "ten times" is an idiom indicating  fullness of time. In the case of Laban, whenever Jacob’s flock began to grow, Laban would change the rules of his wages. The gracious nature of Jacob's response to Laban's mistreatment revealed the fact that God was changing Jacob from the inside out. We call this sanctification which is different than justification. Justification is what gets us into heaven for we are only justified in the eyes of God through believing in the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. Sanctification is getting heaven in us now so that we might grow in the wisdom of God and that we might be able to be effective witnesses for God while we remain on this earth.

In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "8 If he said thus: 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: 'The streaked shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked. 9 So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me."

The original agreement between Laban and Jacob was that all of the abnormally colored flocks would be Jacob’s. However, it quickly became apparent that the majority of the new births were abnormally colored. So Laban changed it to only a portion of them. Then, the next season, only speckled would be born and so Laban would say, "Ok the speckled will be mine and the spotted will be yours." The next season, they would come out all spotted. There was more than just genetic engineering on Jacob’s part involved in this scenario. With the colors always coming out to Jacob’s advantage, it had to be by the providence of God. Laban was fighting a losing battle because he fought it in the flesh, his weapons of complaining and accusing were losing weapons. 

God knows every detail about or us and we can trust Him with every detail of our lives. There are nine planets in our solar system. Each faithfully orbits around the sun every day. The sun is a star in the Milky Way. The Milky Way has 200 billion more stars that are just like the sun. Planets and moons orbit around each of them. God has a name for every one of them. In addition to that, there are 100 trillion galaxies in the universe, each with 200 billion stars. Such vastness! If God can operate such vastness out there then He can navigate the details in our puny lives. Our responsibility is to place our hand in His everyday and resist the urge to pull it out.

Genesis 31:1-3

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1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has acquired all this wealth." 2 And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you." ~ Genesis 31:1-3

Today, we transition into Genesis 31 where we see Jacob growing in his faith in the God of the Bible. Jacob left Canaan and he actually spent 20 years in Haran. Jacob served seven years for Leah, seven years for Rachel and then it took another six years to build up his flocks. 

Before Jacob left Canaan for Haran, the Lord promised to be with him wherever he went. As Jacob's story unfolds we are seeing that God is doing exactly what He promised. God has always kept this promise to the Patriarchs of Israel down through the years and He will on into eternity. God's prophetic word affirms the faith and trust of the believer and it is a witness to all who have yet to believer. When I look at the Cross of the Lord Jesus, I see God’s incredible faithfulness. Nothing, not even the instinct to spare His own Son, has caused Him to turn His back from all who believe.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, 'Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has acquired all this wealth.'"

Today's events happened in approximately 2265 BC. While the previous chapter began with jealousy from within the family directed toward Leah, this chapter begins with jealousy outside Jacob’s immediate family toward him. Interestingly, jealousy was actually used both times to bring about God’s purposes in the life of Jacob and his family. God's design the first time was to grow Jacob’s family while the second time it precipitated their departure from Haran.

The accusation of Laban’s sons was inaccurate because Laban still had his sheep. Jacob had more than what Laban had because Jacob worked at multiplying his flock. Laban's sons were jealous and envious of Jacob, falsely accusing him of stealing from Laban. We know Laban still had flocks because the original flock was divided 6 years earlier. Laban’s sons used the word "wealth" which means heavy. Jacob had become heavy with wealth due to God's blessing upon him. 

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before."

Laban was jealous along with his sons. Six years earlier, it was he who had accepted the terms of the agreement which Jacob proposed. And he didn’t only accept them, he jumped at them. They were the delight of his heart when he heard them. They were an offer too good to be true, but now that Jacob had more flocks, Laban and his sons were jealous. Jacob was industrious, crafty, and blessed by God in his work and it had paid off for him. The jealousy of Laban and his sons resulted in increasing Jacob's ability to hear God's voice better.

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.'"

Yesterday, I quoted Psalm 37 which reminds us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. That means when we delight ourselves in the Lord, the desires that we have will have been desires that God had put within our heart as we were delighting in Him. God should receive all the credit for any good that comes out of us. A sign that we are growing in grace is that we are quick to bring Him glory.

The desire within Jacob to go back to Canaan was born out of this tension in the family. Due to Laban's son's jealousy which was followed by accusations, the nest was getting stirred up for Jacob and his family to fly away. God used this trial to convince Jacob that he really needed to leave. What Jacob felt in his heart was now being confirmed by the circumstances around him. 

When life takes a turn for the worst, we are always tempted to feed the flesh and complain. This is not to be found on the road to God's blessing. We often question God by asking Him why He would He allow these things to happen to us. In these moments we forget that all things are useful to God to bring about His will for us. There are times that the Lord stirs things up by circumstances and most of the time fear creeps in but we must remember that the Lord will always be true to His word and we can trust Him with the outcome.

The key when we find ourselves at this point is to turn to God and expect Him to direct us through His word. The first four words in v.3 are: "Then the Lord said." The Word of God will always confirm to us the call of God on our lives. That which Jacob felt in his heart went along with the circumstances that were going on around him. This is when God told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers. So when life turns sour, God may have some sweet blessings right around the corner. Don't complain. Don't moan. Consider that these unwanted circumstances will render opportunities to realize the will of God for you.

Genesis 30:40-43

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40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41 And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys. ~ Genesis 30:40-43

Today, we conclude our study of Genesis 30 where Jacob after fourteen years of serving Laban is now about to head back to Canaan with his wives, children and livestock. Underneath all that has taken place has been the deepening of Jacob's trust in the God of the Bible. The once disinterested Jacob had been awakened to the wisdom of God. And, like Jacob, as we see the Father heart of God with more clarity, the more we will trust Him. And, the more we trust Him the more we will be defined by Him. This is the real story of Jacob's fourteen years in Haran.

In v.40 of today's passage we read, "Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock."

The previous verses described Jacob's strategy for getting his black goats to produce striped, speckled, and spotted offspring. This verse describes his method for getting the white sheep to produce black lambs. Jacob caused the white sheep to mate while facing the black and striped animals in the flock, causing them to produce black offspring. As a result of drawing nearer to the Lord and being defined by Him, Jacob was growing in the wisdom of the Lord. The Lord honored Jacob's unusual method for identifying which of those animals he wanted to produce off-colored offspring and He caused it to happen. As we will see in Genesis 31:7-12, Jacob had been given this understanding from the Lord that resulted in his flock yielding more offspring. 

In v.41 of today's passage we read, "And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods."

Here, Jacob used another tactic to increase his wealth. Sheep give birth twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. But there is also a divide in those born in the first part of the birth cycle, closer to the winter, and those later as the spring has progressed. Those born earlier would be the stronger and heartier of the flock. Those born later in the season would be the weaker ones. The stronger and more healthier ones ended up in Jacob's herd while the others were left in Laban’s. 

In v.42-43 of today's passage we read, "42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys."

God providentially prospered Jacob in answer to prayer and in accordance with His promise. In fact, against all odds, Jacob ended up prospering to a phenomenal degree. Jacob’s prosperity was undoubtedly beyond anything he or his father-in-law Laban could have ever thought possible. I find it quite instructive that Jacob left Canaan and became poor, not accepting anything as wages except His brides and the fruit of his flock. When it came for the time for him to travel back home to Canaan, he traveled back as a wealthier man. All of this was the result of a man learning to walk with God. The real reason for the massive increase in Jacob’s net worth was the fact that God was blessing him. God was the One who caused those flocks to have so many spotted and speckled offspring. He was the One who intervened in order to make Jacob so wealthy. And Jacob, in the very next chapter, will credit God for the increase in his flocks.

In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we read, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."  

There are so many who want to say that God wants us to be wealthy and they evaluate such wealth by what this world has to offer. I'd say this is short sided for when we truly are walking with God, His value system will govern our view of true wealth.  In Proverbs 3:13-14 we are told that God's wisdom and understanding according to His economy is of far more profit than silver and gold, and that nothing we desire can compare with it. Jacob's story points us to the Lord Jesus Christ who gave up His incredible place in heaven to come and dwell among sinful man. Through the fulfillment of His law and paying our debt on the cross, He made it possible for you and me to become a part of His family. Like Jacob, the Lord Jesus is obtaining the fruit of His flock. Through His poverty all who place their trust in Him become wealthy beyond this world's ability to measure.  

In Psalm 37:4-6 we read, "Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday." 

This passage describes the principle illustrated in today's passage. God loved Jacob and was determined to bless him but Jacob had to position himself to receive the blessings that He had in store for him. As we learn to give our hearts to God, He gives His to us. It is then that we gain heaven's wisdom to navigate life on earth as we ought and in the right way. Through the story that God gives us with Him others will be blessed as well. This is the point of our lives: To know Him and to make Him known.

Genesis 30:34-39

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34 And Laban said, "Oh, that it were according to your word!" 35 So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. 37 Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. 38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted. ~ Genesis 30:34-39

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 30 where Jacob has just asked his father-in-law to allow him to return to Canaan with his wives and their children. Jacob offered Laban such a great deal that Laban incorporated humor in his response. In the background to all of this is Jacob's growing trust of God, as we will see. Our trust in God only grows as we interact with Him through His abiding Spirit as well as by abiding ourselves in His word. When we abide in the Lord's word, we will be better tuned to recognize His voice when He speaks to our hearts.

In v.34-36 of today's passage we read, "34 And Laban said, 'Oh, that it were according to your word!' 35 So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks."

The deal that Jacob offered Laban was so good that Laban himself removed the less-desired sheep and goats from the herd. Then, Laban gave the sheep and goats to his sons, not to Jacob. It was an act of trust in God when Jacob deferred the separation of the animals to Laban. Not only was he fair in his offer, Jacob was making sure that Laban alone was in charge of the selection of the offer, even though Laban was a deceptive man. After separating Jacob's less-desired animals, Laban gave them to his own sons to tend and to keep. Laban had a hard time trusting others because he himself was so deceitful.

After taking the animals from his flocks which would otherwise benefit Jacob, Laban then puts a 3-day journey between them and Jacob’s flocks. By putting such a distance between the two of them, there would be no chance of them meeting up and mixing. And, if they did, then the offspring of Jacob’s flocks would more likely bear odd-colored ones. Laban made sure this would not happen. There was a clear separation between them and Laban's herd. So Jacob was now at the mercy of God and his own resourcefulness to provide for his family.

In v.37-39 of today's passage we read, "37 Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. 38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted."

Jacob walked among His flock and tended to them. He was a shepherd and a caretaker of them. The branches mentioned here, the poplar, the almond, and the chestnut all paint a picture for us. These branches had to be stripped, they had to be made bare, to be useful to Jacob. After peeling the rods, Jacob placed the branches in watering troughs where the water washed them clean. These particular pieces of wood were known for their aphrodisiacal qualities, and thus their use would have stimulated mating among Jacob's herd. 

In this otherwise unusual practice, we have a picture of Jacob's story with God. You see, back in Canaan Jacob struggled to trust God, but for the past fourteen years God had been slowly changing Jacob while he was at Laban's house. This long arduous period that yielded some transformation in Jacob's life, impacted the lives of Jacob's herds resulting in blessing to Jacob and his growing family.

Throughout the Bible water is analogous of the word of God. It was through God's word spoken to Jacob that Jacob was being changed and now Jacob was in the position to impact others with the culture of God. Billy Graham said it so many years ago and to this moment God uses Graham's words to motivate me into what I do daily. Those words were: "There are only two things in this world that will last into eternity, the word of God and the souls of people. Our job is to bring the two together." We dare not export the truth to others until it has been imported into our souls and it has found safe haven there.

Jacob was becoming a changed man as seen in the fact that he took the less-desired sheep and goats from the herds, trusting God with the outcome. Jacob did this because he had two dreams. The first was in Genesis 28 where God had promised him blessings, and no doubt the covenantal faithfulness of God motivated Jacob to wait until the Lord would do what He had promised. The other dream, recorded in Genesis 31 could have been given to him before he bargained with Laban. Being defined by God's word obviously turned Jacob's life around and this is God's goal in our lives as well. We must be diligent to read the word of God in order to encounter God, the One who desires to change us from the inside out for His glory and our good.

Genesis 30:25-33

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25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you." 27 And Laban said to him, "Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake." 28 Then he said, "Name me your wages, and I will give it." 29 So Jacob said to him, "You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. 30 For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the Lord has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?" 31 So he said, "What shall I give you?"And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: 32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. 33 So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me." ~ Genesis 30:25-33

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 30 where Jacob has in a period of fourteen years gone from a man with no wife to a man with four wives and twelve children. But the wages of his fourteen years of work came at quite a cost. While back in Canaan Jacob was quite the scoundrel, in today's passage we discover him to be quite a different man.

In v.25-26 of today's passage we read, "25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.'"

It was 2259 BC and in today's passage we see Jacob as a 91 year old man. In just seven years, Jacob had at least 12 children born to him. Due to the fact that he had worked the first seven years before getting married to his first wife Leah, all of his children had been born in the second 7-year period that he was in Laban's home.

Jacob had served his full term for the price of a bride and his 14 years of labor was complete. At this point in the narrative Jacob wanted to return home and start his life in the land of promise. He had every right to leave without permission, but as a courtesy he went to Laban and asked for his blessing. This was the first hint that Jacob was somewhat of a changed man.

In v.27-28 of today's passage we read, "27 And Laban said to him, 'Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.' 28 Then he said, 'Name me your wages, and I will give it.'"

Laban begged Jacob to stay in Haran because he had observed the Lord's blessing upon Jacob’s hard work and he had benefitted greatly. Worldly men, like Laban, are often the recipients of blessings because of the hard working people around them. One thing they often lack though, but which Laban figured out, is actually discerning where the blessings come from and admitting it. We live in a land that has been abundantly blessed by the influence of the teachings of Christianity.  But as the years have gone by, these great characteristics of hard work and honesty have increasingly been forsaken. In fact, we now live among a people who are increasingly being defined by a culture of selfishness and greed.

Another sign that Jacob was a somewhat of a changed man is seen in his response to Laban when Laban asked Jacob to name his price that would keep him in town. Laban certainly knew Jacob's value and when he asked Jacob to name his price, Laban knew in advance that Jacob's price would be less than Jacob was worth. And, sure enough that was what came to fruition.

In v.29-30 of today's passage we read, "29 So Jacob said to him, 'You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. 30 For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the Lord has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?'"

Jacob responded out of his integrity. In fact, he used his integrity as the benchmark of his offer and his request from Laban. This was quite a difference from the Jacob that lived in Canaan. Here, Jacob asked Laban to reflect on the state of his wealth from the time he arrived until that point which was a result of his work. He basically said that the amount he could set as his wages could be huge and it wouldn’t harm Laban at all. Jacob was clearly showing to Laban that he had the upper hand.

Jacob’s words stood as a testimony to the truth they conveyed. If what he had said wasn’t true, he wouldn’t have made the claim. When Jacob met Rachel at the well 14 years before, she tended a single flock. This was probably all the flocks Laban owned and Rachel being a young girl, it probably wasn’t a very big flock. Jacob used his words prior to making his offer to show that his offer was both fair and trustworthy. It was a claim of the future results that Laban could expect based on his past performance.

In v.31-33 of today's passage we read, "31 So he said, 'What shall I give you?' And Jacob said, 'You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: 32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. 33 So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.'"

Laban's response proved Jacob's appeal. There was no note of denial. What Jacob had stated was true and accurate. Laban’s wealth had increased because of Jacob. And, Jacob’s answer was confident and definite. Jacob didn’t demand anything new from Laban, instead what he proposed was exceptionally fair. So, Jacob proposed an incredible offer, he proposed that all of the lesser desired sheep and goats be taken out for him. And all of the more desired sheep and goats would remain as Laban's possession. By taking out the less desired animals and giving to Laban the best was to be a testimony to Jacob's righteousness. In time, Jacob would learn that it was the righteousness of the God who had all along pursued a personal relationship with him.

What a transformation that had taken place in the deceiver's life over the last fourteen years. Jacob had come to Laban's home just on the heels of deceiving away his brother's blessing from his dad and now he spoke of his righteousness. In the Bible "transformation" means the change in a life that no longer conforms to the ways of the world but to the one that is defined by God. Jacob was once blind to his sin, but now he spoke as a man who had met God. The proof of Jacob's deepening trust in the Lord is seen in how he left the choice of the sheep and the goats to his deceitful father-in-law, Laban. 

We easily can fall into the trap of thinking that our ultimate goal is becoming better people. However, no amount of determined obedience on our behalf will ever change us into what God created us to be. God does not want to make us into a better version of our old self, He desires to transform us into a new creation. This means a change at the heart of who we really are. This was part of the reason God allowed Jacob to go to Laban's house in the first place because in Laban Jacob saw himself and through seeing himself, Jacob was positioned to see God. 

Biblical transformation is built on the introduction of the very life of God into our lives. At the heart of this transformation is the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ facilitating a life-giving relationship into the broken sinner's life. It is only in this way that we can reach the potential that God had in mind when He created us. While at Laban's house God obviously brought some brokenness into the life of Jacob and it shows as he reveled to Laban a man who was being embraced by his Maker.

Spiritual transformation must always begin with brokenness. It begins with a deepening understanding of our own spiritual poverty and desire for intimacy with God. Those who encounter the Lord Jesus are those who are desperate enough to be honest with Him and themselves. This, as a result, opens the floodgates to His transformative power to be released in our lives as we learn from Him how to die to ourselves. And, as Jacob's life will reveal in time, an ever increasing understanding of our wickedness serves us to yield to God as His transforming life overcomes ours.

Genesis 30:19-24

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19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she called his name Zebulun. 21 Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach." 24 So she called his name Joseph, and said, "The Lord shall add to me another son." ~ Genesis 30:19-24

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 30 where we have been observing the growth of Jacob's family through his two wives and their two concubines. Even though they all fed the flesh quite a bit, in the end the will of God came to fruition. In our last study we learned that Rueben had found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah who in turn used them to manipulate both Rachel and Jacob. Even though Rachel had been given these superstitious mandrakes, they still did not work because it was a year later and she still had not had any more children.

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she called his name Zebulun."

Leah named her next son Zebulun which means "to honor." This sixth and final son of Leah is mentioned only five times in the Bible. With the birth of Zebulun, Leah exclaimed, "God has endowed me with a good endowment." Leah named her sixth son such hoping that with his birth, she would receive from Jacob the honor she so long had desired. No matter what we do, we may never receive the honor from people that we desire. Despite Leah having given Jacob six sons, we see no hint that Jacob ever honored her as he did Rachel.

Since she had born six sons, Leah was certain that Jacob would love her in the way that she desired to be loved. We all have two love languages, a dominant one and a recessive one. If we are not being loved according to our love language, we will not feel loved. So, it behooves us to know our partners love languages and to love them accordingly. While it’s impossible for us to be perfect at anything, we can learn to fluently speak our partner’s love languages. If he or she needs lots of physical touch or gifts to feel loved, then we need to share lots of hugs or to give gifts. 

With that said, only God can satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. The deepest longings of our hearts will not be satisfied by anything that can ultimately be taken away from us. There is nothing that this world can offer us that has the capacity to bring us ultimate satisfaction. Many believe they will find satisfaction and rest through the love of others like our spouse but even they fall short from time to time. In the end, the longings of our hearts can only be satisfied by our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. When we're convinced that He is enough, we will finally experience the contentment we have all sought for so long. It is out of this posture that we recognize that even every trial, loss, or disappointment, can be turned into blessing, only if we allow the One whom we are depending upon to define us.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah."

Then, Leah gave birth to a daughter. In those days, when a woman had a son a great party was thrown. But when a daughter was born, there was no party. And, since they had no ultrasounds, they didn't know the gender of the baby beforehand. This was not a custom the Jews garnered from God. God values both boys and girls. The Jews had gotten to this place of only valuing boys because God had long promised a Messiah who would come as a male and every Jewish woman dreamed that she would give birth to the Messiah. This is why they were so focused on having a son because they were secretly serving the self life.

Of the daughters born of Jacob, only Dinah whose name means "vindicated" is mentioned. Dinah was mentioned by Moses because she will become a key character in the story of Jacob's family later on in Genesis 34. With Dinah's birth Leah felt vindicated by God. The name Dinah can also mean "judged" which is what the Lord Jesus was when He hung on the cross. He was judged and we were vindicated. God vindicated everyone who has been so desperate to be loved by someone who wouldn't love us the way we wanted to be loved, only to realize it wasn't that person's love we really needed. The Lord Jesus was judged so that we could see and experience the Father heart of God.

In v.22-24 of today's passage we read, "22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, 'God has taken away my reproach.' 24 So she called his name Joseph, and said, 'The Lord shall add to me another son.'"

Rachel understood that in order for us to access God's blessing there had to be judgement of our sin. So, God gave Rachel Joseph which means "add" a subtle message that underscores that subtraction can sometimes be addition. In taking away her reproach, God showered Rachel with His grace. And, now, for the first time in the biblical narrative, Rachel invoked the covenant name of the Lord, YHWH. Rachel had come to the point that she chose to forsake feeding the flesh or the world of fighting, manipulation, superstition, and envy, and she entered into a covenant relationship with the Lord whereby she would be defined by the Lord. 

Genesis 30:14-18

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14 Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes." 15 But she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes." 16 When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes." And he lay with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband." So she called his name Issachar. ~ Genesis 30:14-18

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 30 where we are told of the ever increasing members of the family of Jacob through his four wives. It is clear that God identifies one man for one woman and that the Canaanite practice of polygamy is not a good idea. The sexual revolution of our day has challenged all traditional societal structures, none more aggressively than the institution of marriage. And yes, polygamy was something the Old Testament patriarchs practiced but never as something God prescribed. Polygamy undermines the components of a solid family where trust is found to be the glue to any lasting relationship between one man and one wife.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, 'Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.'"

The firstborn son of Jacob and Leah was Reuben who was around five or six years old in today's passage. We are told that "in the days of the wheat harvest" Rueben went out into the field. While out in the fields, Reuben found some mandrakes and brought them to his mother Leah. The word "mandrakes" here is only used in two other passages of the Bible. These passages describe them as a small orange-yellow colored fruit that were superstitiously believed to induce fertility. When Rachel found out about Reuben's discovery she bartered for them so that she would be able to use them later to sleep with her husband, and their "magic" would help her to actually bear another child of her own. So, for the mandrakes, Rachel sold her husband’s sexual services for the night. Instead, her plan backfired and Leah got pregnant while she was left with the mandrakes.

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "But she said to her, 'Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?' And Rachel said, 'Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.'"

Polygamy undermines relationships because it pits one spouse against the other, one family member against another. As we were told earlier in this study, Leah had gotten to the point that she stopped conceiving children. It was in that context that Rachel asked Leah for some of the rare mandrakes to which Leah responded with a swift response that only broadened the divide between them. Leah had forgotten the Lord who had so abundantly blessed her in the past and she was discontent with her life as it was. Once Rachel saw how unhappy Leah was about her own situation, she came up with a plan to make them both happy. Leah got a night with Jacob without any interference and Rachel got some mandrakes that she thought would help her get pregnant. It was Martin Luther who once said, "Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior. "

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, 'You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.' And he lay with her that night."

With the bargain settled, Leah let Jacob know her plans for the night and that there would be no argument from Rachel about the agreement. When manipulation is found to be a useful tool to get one's way, it is rarely found to be a one-time event. And for Rachel, a night off from trying to have children was worth it if she could minimize things so that through her mandrakes she could conceive another child. For both Rachel and Leah sex was a means to an end. We can only imagine what it was like for Jacob who was married to two women who loved having children more than they loved him. These are not the building blocks for a solid family.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, 'God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.' So she called his name Issachar."

Leah gave away her mandrakes which were supposed to help women get pregnant and yet she ended up having another child. God was clearly in control of the details. Children are a blessing which He directs and apart from Him they don’t come. And so now, after some time, Leah had a fifth son, Jacob’s ninth child. Leah obviously prayed for this to happen because it says that God "listened to Leah." And, the nice thing about answered prayers is that when they come, we can see how God truly is. Any earlier and maybe we wouldn’t have been really ready. And any later and the purpose of the prayer might have passed away. God's timing is always perfect and each time we think the delay is unwarranted, we can see that in fact it made us more ready to handle the blessing when it did arrive.

Jacob's fifth son by Leah was named Issachar which means "Wages." For Leah, God had given to her the wages that she had earned. This meant that the idea that the mandrakes would produce another child for Rachel didn't work because Leah, the one who gave them up, had two more sons and a daughter, while Rachel, who had the mandrakes remained childless. In both cases though, the satisfaction that Rachel and Leah had experienced with having children was short lived. This is the case with everything in this life. As C.S. Lewis once said "Most people if they really learned how to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something this world can never give them." 

The Bible tells us that the wages of our imperfection is death. The only One who makes life right is the Lord Jesus. The ongoing war between Rachel and Leah was the result of them wanting to have children because in their culture their value was measured by such. We are no different than Rachel and Leah. We tend to find our worth and identity by the wrong things. While some measure their value by their possessions, others by their abilities and then others by the way they look. All of these are in some form imperfect. In one second it could all change and what made us feel good about ourselves, at that point, only makes us miserable now. This is the point of our sanctification or the ongoing adoption of life lived God's way. The sooner we are defined by Him in all areas the more content we will be. Being content is one of those most important dispositions of life and it is only accessed as we bow our will to our Maker.

Genesis 30:9-13

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9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife. 10 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, "A troop comes!" So she called his name Gad. 12 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, "I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed." So she called his name Asher. ~ Genesis 30:9-13 

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 30 which early on is about the sibling rivalry between Rachel and Leah. This true story pictures for us the civil war that resides in all believers in the God of the Bible. This civil war pits the Spirit against the sinful desires that are yet in us even though we have been forgiven and we have been born again. This civil war is between the believer and the unbeliever in our soul.

In v.9-11 of today's passage we read, "9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife. 10 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, 'A troop comes!' So she called his name Gad."

It matters less what Rachel did, seeing as how she was barren, but what Leah did here reveals the civil war which was taking place in her. Sadly, Leah gave in to her own streak of jealousy. Leah stopped bearing for a time and Bilhah, Rachel's maid, bore two children for Rachel. And so Leah decided that she could do as Rachel, so she sent her maid, Zilpah, to lie with Jacob. As a result, Jacob now had a fourth wife and another son. There could have been daughters born during this period, we are not told. We are told of the birth of one daughter of Jacob, and on several occasions in Genesis we are told of his daughters in the plural. These daughters are not mentioned by name because in that day the family line traveled through the father, not the mother. 

Jacob and Zilpah conceived a son named Gad which means "troop." Sadly, Leah named him this because she was putting her hope in numbers. Leah didn't know of the great lesson that God would later teach Gideon that God demonstrates His strength in our weakness. We always want to be as strong as possible in facing any challenge; we prefer to have as many resources as possible at our disposal. We have no problem if the odds are on our side; in fact we prefer that to be the case. But God does not always see it this way for He has been known to cull an army down to 300 from 30,000 and in that context win.

Desperation in weakness is not a comfortable place for us, but it is not intended to be comfortable. Our personal salvation from the bondage of sin must involve the diminishment of self. Our deliverance from the domain of darkness always comes from the Lord. But, the flesh is always out to steal the show away from the Lord. When we get sucked in by the flesh, we lose sight of the power that the Holy Spirit desires to impart into our lives. The problem with this is that God's power shows up in our lives in ways we do not desire. This is so because only God can wage these types of battles. Our battles have been too tainted by the flesh which always leads us to be overly concerned with self. The Lord will always lead us to the place of death to the self life.

In v.12-13 of today's passage we read, "12 And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, 'I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.' So she called his name Asher."

Zilpah gave birth to her second and last son, just like Bilhah. Between the two of them are four sons of Israel and some unnamed daughters. Leah's last son was named Asher which means "happy." Leah found herself happy at the birth of this son, saying, "the daughters will call me blessed." One way that we know that we are walking in the flesh is that we are overly concerned about the opinions of others.

Leah neither mentioned her husband nor the Lord. She was a lady who had turned to the wrong place for definition. Leah started out well, but when things turned wrong for her, she began to get envious and took actions into her own hands, not including the Lord. And, even though he was her last son born, with the birth of Asher, there was no note of gratitude or thanks to the Lord.

When we zoom out from this chapter, we see that Jacob and his girls are all walking by sight and not by faith. They each resorted to the self rather than prayer. This chapter is full of scheming, manipulation, envy, and surrogate competition. Sin continued to disrupt the harmony God intended for Jacob’s family. We are all like Rachel, Leah and Jacob. One part of us wants to serve God and love people and the other yet loves sin. The comparison describes the civil war taking place within all believers in the God of the Bible. 

In Romans 7 the Apostle informs us that the truth was not given to the believer in order to solve our problem with sin. In fact, we are unable to solve our problem with sin. This is why the Lord sent us His Son, so that we could be delivered from the penalty, the power and the presence of sin. At the cross the Lord Jesus rendered the penalty of our sin null and void. It is through our sanctification that God is training us to be delivered by the power of our sin. One day, we will be delivered from the presence of sin when we are translated into heaven for eternity.

As believers in Christ, we struggle with the fact that there are certain reoccurring sins in our lives that we have never been able to overcome. This is caused by the civil war that is waging within us. In Romans 7 the Apostle Paul said he desired to do good but the good that he wanted to do, he could not do. All believers in Christ struggle with this. This is a normal part of the process of our sanctification whereby God is changing our hearts and our minds one day at a time. The answer to all of this is the life of the Lord Jesus being lived in us, to us, and through us. As we grow in our personal relationship with Him, we will realize that if anything good comes out of us, it is Him. This is the life He has called us to, a life whereby we are learning to resist the flesh and to follow the leading of His Spirit.

Genesis 30:5-8

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5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 6 Then Rachel said, "God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan. 7 And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed." So she called his name Naphtali. ~ Genesis 30:5-8

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 30 where we have been introduced to a sibling rivalry between the two wives of Jacob. What we have in this chapter is an all out war between two women who were largely doing what they were doing by feeding the evil desires that were within them. Amazingly, even though they were quite myopic to the reality of the life that God desired for them, God brought a lot of good out of their efforts. Their story mirrors the believer's civil war within between the Spirit and the Flesh.

In Galatians 6:7-8 we read, "7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." 

The word "mocked" in this verse means "to turn one's nose up at God." Rachel revealed through her decision to feed her flesh that she thought the laws that God had created for all mankind did not apply to her. She arrogantly thought she was above God's law, but she was mistaken. Throughout the Bible we learn that what we sow we will also reap. Rachel fed her flesh by fueling envy and jealousy and she thought those works of the flesh would not turn on her. Again, she was gravely mistaken even though God used her bad decisions to bring about a lot of good for the people of Israel.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son."

Even though it is not the focus here but when Bilhah conceived a son, Rachel’s barrenness was highlighted and her barrenness was actually a gift from the Lord. In Deuteronomy 23:5 we read, "The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you." Anything that drives us to the Lord is a blessing. The word "curse" occurs nearly 160 times in the Bible and in the New Testament we are told the Lord Jesus became cursed so that we might know the blessing of a personal relationship with Him. If we allow Him God will use the darkness that we encounter in this world to bring about a deeper intimacy with Him. Our responsibility is to draw near to Him through our trials. 

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "Then Rachel said, 'God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.' Therefore she called his name Dan."

The name "Dan" means "Judge." Rachel named him accordingly indicating that she believed that God judged in her favor. Sadly, the tribe of Dan is known for its tendency to follow man-made religion over biblical faith in God. In fact, the tribe of Dan was the first of the twelve tribes to engage in idolatry. Much later in this narrative God assigned certain areas of territory to each of the twelve tribes. The tribe of Dan was the last tribe to receive its land. It was given a tract of land that was smaller than the other land grants but was fertile and also had a boundary along the Mediterranean Sea where there was fishing and commerce available to them. However, the tribe of Dan never fully conquered their assigned land due to their lack of faith in God. 

Later, the kingdom of Israel was divided after the reign of Solomon. The kingdom split into Israel’s ten tribes in the north and Judah’s two in the south. The people of Dan had long moved from the south to the north in search of a better land and so this tribe ended up in the northern kingdom of Israel. King Jeroboam was afraid that those who lived in his kingdom in the north would still go down to the southern kingdom to worship at Jerusalem, since that was where the temple that God had authorized was located. So Jeroboam built two additional altars for the people of his nation to worship. He established worship in the south at Bethel and in the north at Dan. He built a golden calf at each location and instituted special days and feasts when people would meet. Sadly, this man-made worship at Dan led the people away from worshipping the God of the Bible.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son."

This is the sixth son of Jacob and the second born for Rachel by Bilhah. One thing is clear here through this intense sibling rivalry and it is that feeding the flesh is sin which allows decay and destruction into our lives. Sin is anything that separates us from God and the life He desires to give us. Sin always leads us down roads that we would not directly choose for ourselves and our posterity. Sin always yields various forms of death. Even though by this time in the narrative one half of the twelve sons of Jacob had been birthed, what we actually are left with is one of the longest courses in what it looks like to resist the leading of God's Spirit and serving the flesh.

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "Then Rachel said, 'With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.' So she called his name Naphtali."

With the birth of this next son much is revealed about Rachel. Naphtali means "my twisting." With the naming of this next son of Jacob, Rachel was saying that through her struggle against her sister, she had prevailed. The flesh always twists the truth and makes lies appear more attractive than they really are. Rachel clearly wasn't getting the message and her response only fed the flesh which unbeknown to her was out to destroy her.

When it comes to resisting the powerful demands of our flesh, the Bible describes it as a kind of dying. That’s because our deceived, corrupt flesh believes our life will be happier if we gratify it. Denying the flesh can feel like dying to something life-giving. When we, in following the Spirit’s direction, die to our flesh, we actually die to that which desires to destroy us. In this scenario, we die to death itself. This kind of dying is worth dying every day because in doing so, we choose life. Sin had wrecked our lives, but God’s grace has overcome it through the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. It is through being taught by God's grace that we are enabled to see the ultimate value of saying "yes" to God and saying "no" to the flesh.