Scripture Meditation: Genesis 30-31
INTRODUCTION
- Stephanie will be home Thursday
- She’s had an experience she’ll remember for the rest of her life
- But for right now-
- It’s time for my daughter to come home!
- ...I assume she feels the same way
- I guess that’s the way it is with every trip you take
- No matter:
- How much you’ve anticipated it
- How much you’ve enjoyed it
- Or how long a time you’re away
- There comes a time when you know it’s time to go home
- For Jacob that time comes after the birth of Rachel’s first child
- Remember- he’s been living in a foreign land for almost twenty years
- In that time he’s:
- Married Leah- and had 7 children with her
- Married Rachel- and had a child with her
- Taken Rachel’s servant as a concubine- and had two children with her
- And had two more children with Leah’s servant- Zilpah
- Let’s put it this way: Jacob’s no longer a spring chicken- he’s well into middle-age
- So he looks around and thinks:
- I’ve been working for my father-in-law all these years and got nothing to show for it.
- And I’ve got a houseful of wives and children to support
- What’s more- Jacob is homesick
- He hasn’t seen his parents in nearly two decades
- He can’t even be sure they’re still alive
THE AGREEMENT
- So Jacob decides it’s time to go home
- He goes to his father-in-law (who is also his uncle) and says
- Genesis 30:25-26
- Jacob didn’t ask Laban for anything
- By this point he doesn’t expect to be treated fairly by his father-in-law
- The Bible tells us that Laban had changed Jacob’s wages on a number of occasions
- Which is another way of saying he robbed Jacob blind
- So he says: Just give me my wives and children
- In other words: Give me your blessing
- And I’ll be on my way
- Laban has come to think of Jacob as his good-luck charm
- He realizes he’s gotten rich since his nephew arrived on the scene
- And like any good businessman-
- Laban doesn’t want to loose his most valuable employee
- So he makes Jacob a tempting offer
- Laban has just handed Jacob a blank check
- I’ll pay whatever it takes to keep you here
- But Laban’s burned Jacob once too often
- He knows Laban will NEVER keep his word as long as money is involved
- So he makes a clever counterproposal
- Pop Quiz! Who remembers what Jacob’s name meant?
- That’s right- The Deceiver
- Jacob had always been a con man
- He used guile and deception
- To get what he wanted out of life
- But Jacob had changed
- There was no guile or deception here
- I don’t want to take anything that belongs to you. Just let me keep some of the sheep and goats I’ve raised to build herds of my own
- By the way-
- There was nothing special about the color of the sheep and goats
- Dark wool was just as valuable as white wool
- And the streaked and darker animals weren’t genetically different from the rest of Laban’s flock
- They were just colored differently
- Which made it easier to keep up with which animals belonged to Laban-
- And which animals belonged to Jacob
- Clearly Jacob’s relationship with God had created a dramatic change in his attitudes and behaviors
- See- con men aren’t worried about their reputation for honesty. The only thing that matters to them is
- The scheme
- And the pay-off
- But here Jacob is determined to do the right thing
- If you find a white sheep or goat in my care
- you don’t have to think of me as your son-in-law
- You can treat me the way you’d treat a common thief
- You know, there’s an important lesson here for the church
- When someone comes to know Christ as their Savior they come just as they are
- We talk about it- we sing about it- we celebrate it
- But sometimes we forget about it when new Christians actually come just as they are
- Here’s the thing about baby Christians-
- Sometimes their language isn’t what it ought to be
- Their living arrangements don’t always conform to standards of Biblical morality
- And they don’t always do the things we think Christians are supposed to do
- ...And you know what?
- That’s got to be o-k with us- because it’s o-k with God!
- Our responsibility is:
- To accept them as they are- warts and all
- And then lovingly and patiently teach them how to live a godly, Spirit-filled life
- Please read what the Bible says in Galatians 6:1-2
- God accepted Jacob when he was a con on the run
- Then slowly- but surely- with infinite patience
- Made him into a person who wanted to be recognized as an honorable man of decency and integrity
JACOB GETS RICH
- Laban agrees with Jacob’s proposal and they split the herds:
- Dark and streaked animals go with Jacob
- All the white animals stay with Laban
- Separating the herds was a fairly common practice in the ancient Middle East
- Water and pasture land were scarce resources that could easily be overwhelmed by too many animals
- So shepherds frequently kept great distances between themselves and their flocks
- What you’ve got here is an ancient superstition
- In those days shepherds believed that whatever a female saw while in heat affected the birth of her offspring
- Jacob wanted streaked lambs so he placed stripped branches before the ewes
- He wanted dark goats so he had the females look at other dark goats
- Which made about as much sense scientifically as consulting an astrologer for advice on your investment portfolio
- But here’s the thing: It worked!
- Suddenly all the animals were having streaked or dark-colored offspring
- The question is why? Was it because of Jacob’s silly superstition?
- Absolutely not! It was because God’s hand was at work!
- God had promised Jacob that He would always protect him- that he would cause him to prosper
- And God was keeping His promise!
- Please read Jeremiah 29:11-13
- Jeremiah 29:11 is often quoted by the so-called Prosperity Gospel preachers
- They claim it means God wants to make you super-rich
- That may very well be God’s plan for you
- It was His plan for Jacob
- But naming it-and-claiming it doesn’t make it so!
- What this passage of Scripture is REALLY saying is-
- That-
- If you trust God with all your heart and soul- and submit to His leadership in your life
- He will fulfill all the plans and purposes He has in mind for you!
- And eternally speaking- that’s a better deal than any get-rich-quick scheme ever thought about being
- Getting back to Jacob- his success created intense resentment among his Laban’s sons
- Jacob had a real knack for getting along with the male members of his family
- He’d cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright- and his father’s blessing- and Esau decided to try to kill him
- Now his brothers-in-law thought Jacob had cheated their father-
- Which- of course- would rob them of their inheritance
- Suffice it to say: They were ready for a little murder and mayhem of their own
- Of course-
- Jacob hadn’t cheated Laban out of anything
- Being pagans- Laban’s sons didn’t recognize the hand of God at work
- Jacob had been ready to go home years earlier
- But that time wasn’t God’s time
- Now it was God’s time
- Folks- never try to get ahead of God
- For one thing.../ For another thing...
- It’s not very smart
- It doesn’t work
- Remember what we read a few moments ago in Jeremiah 29
- God has plans for your life and His timing is always perfect
- Your challenge is to trust Him and learn to wait patiently on the Lord
THE ESCAPE
- Once they got there Jacob lays out his case for leaving Laban and going back home. He makes three points:
- 1- Your father has cheated me on many occasions
- Jacob talks about wages that were promised and never paid
- But you KNOW Rachel and Leah had to be thinking about the circumstances surrounding their weddings
- 2- God has called on me to return to the land of my fathers
- And 3- God has renewed His promise to be with me and protect me on my journey
- You know- there’s an interesting parallel here between what happened to Jacob and what happened to his grandfather Abraham
- Do you see the connection?
- God had told
- Abraham to LEAVE his father’s household and go to a place He would show him
- Jacob to RETURN to his father’s household and claim the place He would show him
- In any event- God was asking each man to take an incredible step of faith
- Abraham and Jacob were told to leave everything that was safe and familiar
- And follow God wherever He lead
- You know- faith is always like that
- The time may come when God will call you out of your comfort zone- and ask you to follow Him
- It may be to teach a Sunday School class
- It may be to go on a mission trip
- It may be to take on a new ministry
- It may be to become a pastor or a missionary
- Whatever
- But when God’s call comes- you have to make a decision
- Will you be faithful and follow Him?
- Or sit on the sidelines and miss out on all the blessings He wants to bring into your life?
- When Jacob was talking to Rachel and Leah-
- He’d already made up his mind to follow God
- Now he was giving them an opportunity to take that step of faith with him
- Which was very unusual in that culture
- Technically Rachel & Leah were his property and he could order them to come with him
- But whatever else you can say about their relationships-
- And heaven only knows it was dysfunctional
- Jacob loved and respected Rachel and Leah enough to give them a choice
- Basically Rachel and Leah have made a business decision
- Ever since our father used up our dowry- he’s treated us like strangers
- Obviously- God’s made you prosperous at our father’s expense- and that’s fine with us. Now his wealth belongs to OUR family. We’ll go with you.
- All of which sounds pretty cold-bloodied-
- They haven’t mentioned anything about staying with Jacob because they loved him (Like I’ve said before- they had an odd relationship)
- But I don’t want you to miss the importance of the last thing they say: Do whatever God has told you.
- This is a pretty remarkable expression of faith when you think about it
- Rachel and Leah had grown up in a pagan family
- They were used to worshiping idols and so-called house gods
- The God Jacob worshiped- Yahweh/ Jehovah- was alien to them
- BUT- with these words:
- They’ve put their faith in Yahweh as the one true and living God- the Creator of the Universe
- In other words: Jacob’s God had become their God too
- I want you to try to put yourself in Jacob’s shoes
- What do you think he was feeling as he crossed the river and headed for home?
- What kinds of things would have been on his mind?
- For one thing- he knew that eventually Laban was going to come looking for him
- And he wouldn’t be hard to find
- What with his wives and children and flocks in tow
- Jacob faced a long, slow journey
- Who KNEW what Laban and his bloodthirsty sons would do once they found him
- Jacob also realized that Gilead was a LONG way away
- He was headed home- not knowing what he’d find once he got there
- He didn’t know.../ And as far as he knew...
- If his parents were dead or alive
- His brother Esau still wanted to kill him
- When you’ve got an angry enemy behind you- and a potentially murderous enemy in front of you
- That’s not a good place to be- but that’s where Jacob found himself
- It had to have been terrifying
- So what kept Jacob going?
- His faith in God
- God had promised Jacob that He would never- no not EVER- fail or forsake him
- And for Jacob that was enough
- He was ready, willing and able to follow God by faith, and faith alone
CONCLUSION
- You know- sometimes Christians wonder why they always seem to be stuck in a spiritual rut
- The answer is simple: A lack of faith
- God has bold plans and a powerful purpose for your life
- But if you’re unwilling to take that first step of faith-
- You’re gonna remain in that rut forever
- Sometimes churches wonder why they seem to be condemned to mediocrity and spiritual decay
- Same answer: It’s because of a lack of faith
- God wants His church to accomplish great things-
- To achieve awesome spiritual victories for His glory and honor
- But as long as we’d rather stay in our comfort zone-
- As long as we aren’t willing to place a radical trust in God
- We’ll just keep slogging along until death or Judgment Day
- Folks- all it takes to change EVERYTHING is...
- A willingness to take that first step of faith
- To trust God- and His promises- completely, totally and absolutely
- Let us pray
0 comments:
Post a Comment