The Glory Belongs To God

Laban had deliberately cheated Jacob, substituting Leah ofr Rachel so he could lock Jacob into serving him for another seven years, and had agreed to give the off colored cattle to Jacob, believing he coud use the principles of genetics to limit how much Jacob earned.  Jacob, the cheat, had spent the last seven years trying to cheat Laban by trying to change the color of the babies using an old wives tale.  Jacobs herd had grown dramatically and Laban and his sons began feel Jacob was cheating them.  Finally the conflict became unbearable, and God directed Jacob to leave in Genesis 31:3.  “And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.”

Jacob expqlained why they should leave to his wives in Genesis 31:4-9.  “And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.  And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.  And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.  If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstreaked shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstreaked.  Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.”

Jacob had taken good care of Laban’s livestock, but Laban had continually tried to take advantage of Jacob, periodically changing what color or pattern would be Jacobs to the least common one in an effort to minimize Jacob’s pay.   Despite the efforts to cheat him, God had protected Jacob, and gradually transferred the herds to him.  Laban was very upset that his efforts to cheat had failed, and believed Jacob must be cheating even more to have come out ahead. 

An old wives tale had developed that what a mother saw would be imprinted on her child, probably as a result of a child having a birthmark and some priest or doctor attributing it to something the mother saw.  Far too often people assume that because two things happened at about the same time one caused the other.  Sometimes it is true that one caused the other, sometimes both were caused by something else, and sometimes the two events are totally unrelated.  False assumptions as to the cause can lead to superstitions such as this old wives tale, which persists even to the present time. 

Jacob had believed the old wives tale and had deliberately tried to use it to cheat Laban.  God showed him that the results had nothing to do with his efforts to cheat, but were completely natural.  God had caused the livestock to mate with males of the color That Laban had assigned to Jacob, despite Laban’s efforts to prevent it from happening, as he explains in Genesis 31:10-13.  “And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstreaked, speckled, and grisled.  And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.  And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstreaked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.  I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.”

For six years, Jacob had convinced himself that it was his efforts that were making him rich.  In fact, God had simply been keeping the promise he made at Bethel in Genesis 28:13-15.   All Jacob’s efforts had been wasted.  God didn’t need or even use them.  Unfortunately, many Christians today are making similar mistakes, thinking they are blessed because of their efforts to make things happen rather than simply trusting God.   For example, many people believe that people get saved because of the evangelist’s skill in presenting the message and invitation.  John 6:44 tells us, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him…”  It has nothing to do with the preacher’s skill, but only with God’s working in his heart.   If they come because of an emotionally moving sermon or skillfully presented invitation, they are still lost.  In John 12:32, Jesus said,  “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”  Instead of planning how to get people to the altar, we need to lift up Jesus and let God draw them.     

Men and women think differently, and as a result different things influence their judgment.  Rachel and Leah were more concerned that their father had spent their dowry so that there would be no advantage to staying  in Haran if something happened.  They encouraged Jacob to follow God’s direction in Genesis 31:14-16.  “And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?  Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money.  For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.”

The fact that Rachel and Leah were feeling the same need for leaving, for different reasons was confirmation this was God’s will.  God had prepared them as well.  If only Jacob was feeling the need to leave, leaving would have probably caused conflict with Rachel and Leah.  The harder we have to try to convince our mate, or force our idea on them, the more likely it is that the idea is not from God.    When we let God do things his way, he gets the glory.  It’s not about what we did but about what he did.