Saturday, November 24, 2018

Amassing Wealth

Print Passage: Genesis 30:22-32, 43
Devotional Reading: Psalm 46

This fall quarter focuses on God’s World and God’s People. We are in Unit III “God Blesses and Re-creates Regardless” of the three units of the quarter. This is the last of the four lesson study. We have previously studied how Jacob deceitfully obtained the blessing God had already destined for him. He then had to leave his homeland in a hurry due to his brother’s wrath under the guise of having to find a wife pleasing to God. As he walked to the land of his mother, he went to sleep and had the most famous “staircase to heaven” dream, establishing a relationship with God while he was at his lowest. As one of our teachers always said, “God plans His works and He works His plans.”

When Jacob arrived in Haran he soon met Rachel, the love of his life. He also met her father, Uncle Laban, the Master Deceiver. He had met more than his match. Laban observed Jacob’s love for the younger daughter and inquired whether he should serve him for nothing. They agreed to a bride price of seven years of service for Rachel. Upon conclusion of that time, Laban switched daughters for the older daughter, Leah, according to custom. Gal 6:7 states, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sow, that he will also reap.” (NKJV) It was deceit against Jacob, Rachel, and Leah in order to make sure Jacob continue his servitude another seven years and have both Laban’s daughters married. Jacob agreed to another bride price of seven years of servitude to get his true love Rachel. (Gen 29:1-30)

God had promised Jacob prosperity, dominion, divine protection, land, seed as the dust of the earth, all families of the earth would be blessed from his seed, and He would bring him back to Canaan. It was very interesting to read how the birth of the heads of the tribes came to be. Leah and Rachel were sisters, but they were also the jealous wives. When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. (Gen 29:31) Leah is recorded as the mother of six sons and a daughter. As the sisters wrestled with each other, they even determined it necessary their handmaidens be given unto Jacob to impregnate. Leah’s maid was the mother of two sons and Rachel’s maid was the mother two sons. God permitted this practice, as He did with Sarah and her maid, Hagar, with Abraham. Jacob is the father of ten sons and at least one daughter through various women in his household. (Gen 29:31-35; 30:1-21) before our lesson begins.

Rachel had been very bitter because she was barren. Yet she was the loved wife. Sometimes we can’t be happy in the joy of another and thankful for what we have. Gen 30:22-24 indicates, Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The LORD shall add to me another son.” (NKJV)

However we receive our blessing from God, it will not be by bargaining and we must not have bitter rivalries. We must endure patiently for God to bless us in His time. The Scripture does not say that Rachel had been praying to God for a child as Hannah had prayed for her son. It does appear she is finally happy after the seven year period of her marriage and fourteen years after meeting Jacob. She has watched the pregnancy of her sister and the maids. At last Rachel was glad her time had come. God had remembered and enabled her to conceive. So she named her son Joseph with the double meaning of “to take away” or “to add”. Rachel felt God had taken away her disgrace among women of child-bearing age. Her prayer for the future was “The LORD shall add to me another son.”

Jacob has a large family; it is time for him to make preparations to go back to Canaan, the Promised Land. He was never to have taken root here, for it was not his home. Gen 30:25-26 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. 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.” (NKJV) Jacob had trust in God and His promises. He would not allow His large family to be without meat.

Why couldn’t Jacob simply take his household and leave? It appears as if he had to get permission to remove his household. Jacob has kept his part of the bargain for fourteen years, even though it was a bride price doubled through deceit. He asked permission to return home without making either a demand or saying please. Jacob reminded Laban of his work ethic. I have come to the conclusion the request was made to see if Laban would willingly offer personal property; i.e livestock, for their journey without adding a requirement. He did not. There is no recording of a dowry (personal property, gifts, etc.) for either marriage. So Jacob would have been leaving with only his household if he had not stated his intentions. He needed provisions for his family.

Because Jacob was faithful and skillful in his job performance and completion of two contracts, Laban refused to give an honest response to the request. He pretended the request was the beginning of another bid for future service. Get real Laban! Jacob is expressing a desire to go home with his family, not work! Evidently the chickens had not come home to roost yet. The shyster is still working to outmaneuver Jacob. But Jacob has God on His side and God is in the blessing business. Gen 30:27-30 indicates, 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.” Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. 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 when shall I also provide for my own house?” (NKJV)

Laban desired Jacob to stay, not for the welfare of Jacob, his wives or his children. His desire was purely selfish. The NIV indicates Laban learned by divination vs the KJV and NKJV which indicates learned by experience the LORD had blessed him due to Jacob. Divination involves fortune-telling of hidden knowledge versus experience which involves diligent observance. However Laban figured it out, good men are blessings to the places where they live. Jacob simply stated he knew Laban had prospered greatly under his helm. Each of them recognized the abundance as God’s blessing for Jacob’s sake. Although Laban had profited much, it was now time for Jacob to gather necessary provisions for his family’s support.

Jacob wanted to be free of Laban and his deceit. He countered with a plan that would take care of his economic needs and allow him to take his family back to Canaan. Gen 30:31-32, 43 states the simplicity and success of the plan as, 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: 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. Thus the man became exceedingly prosperously, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys. (NKJV)

This time around, Jacob manages to outmaneuver Laban. The plan was simple in that the current “undesirable speckled and spotted” animals would be separated from the entire flock. The “undesirable speckled and spotted” animals born after the agreement would become Jacob’s while all livestock of one color would remain with Laban. In this manner Laban could not accuse Jacob of cheating (Gen 30:33). Laban was willing to consent to this plan because he did not have many “undesirable speckled and spotted” animals in the flock. So Laban immediately separated them from the rest of the body of the flock in accordance to the agreement. Jacob was to tend to Laban’s body of flock. Laban gave the separated current “undesirable speckled and spotted” animals to his sons to shepherd approximately three days’ journey away. In this manner Laban didn’t think he had anything to lose. He thought Jacob would never be able to leave him and would always work without a wage. But Laban didn’t have God on his side.

Jacob knew in Whom to place his trust. He knew all of his hard work would not be in vain. Ps 46:1, 10 reads, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (NKJV) Jacob could not help but prosper. He produced more “undesirable speckled and spotted” animals to add to his flock. The method he used was a type of selective breeding based on cultural superstition. Later, however, he attributed the success of his plan to God (Gen 31:9). He that is faithful in a little shall be given much more. Jacob had been a very faithful servant during the fourteen years when he worked off the bride price for his two wives and the next six years to work a plan to be able to take his family home to Canaan. God’s promise of prosperity is now fulfilled. Jacob is now a rich master. He bartered the strong sheep and goats for servants, camels, and donkeys.

Deborah C. Davis

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