Jacob's Deal with Laban

13/03/2007

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Jacob’s deal with Laban

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 30:25-36

            Message of the verses:  “25 ¶  Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country.  26  "Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you."  27  But Laban said to him, "If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account."  28  He continued, "Name me your wages, and I will give it."  29  But he said to him, "You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.  30  "For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?"  31  So he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock:  32  let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.

33  "So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen."  34  Laban said, "Good, let it be according to your word."  35  So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons.  36  And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.”

            After the birth of Joseph, Jacob decides it is time to leave and go back home, but there are two things that I think stopped him, and one of them is written in this text above, and that was the deal that Laban and Jacob had made.  Laban knew that God had blessed Jacob and he wanted him to stay around so that he could reap some of the blessings that God was giving to Jacob, however he did not want to put his trust in the Lord only in the provisions that the Lord was giving him through Jacob.  I think the other reason why Jacob stayed was because the Lord had promised to bless him, and as of yet the blessings were given to him through his family, but now God would begin to bless him through his vocation, and that is that He would give Jacob a large increase in material blessings through the sheep and goats that would come from this deal that was struck between he and Laban.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Jacob was ready to move, yet it was not the appointed time for him to do so because it was not in the divine plan of God, and so He worked it out so Jacob would stay until it was time for him to leave.  God has a time for everything and everything will be done in His time in my life, and my part of this is to trust the Lord to reveal to me the things that He wants me to do in His time.

The Word of God has been challenging to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord to direct my path and to direct my path in His timing.  To trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment and to be godly which is great gain.