vTaking Matters Into Your Own Hands

The farther we travel into the book of Genesis, the more we see the effects of the covenant that God makes with Abraham. Take a moment to reread Genesis 12:1-3. God promised to bless Abraham, and not only Abraham, but his descendents as well. Throughout Abraham’s life and Isaac’s and now Jacob’s we see the effects of God’s faithful blessing. And yet despite God’s faithful fulfillment of His promise, Jacob quickly takes matters into his own hands.

Read Genesis 30:25-43

Jacob really is true to his name. Jacob, meaning literally, “he grasps the heel” was another way of saying “he cheats”. All his life, Jacob’s been living up to his name. He cheats Esau out of the blessing and birthright. And now in his interaction with Laban, he takes matters into his own hands. Jacob again relies on his cunning and trickery to prosper himself. He makes a deal with Laban to take all the spotted/striped/speckled sheep and goats from the flock as fair wages for himself. But this time, Laban is ready to play Jacob at his own game. He returns cunning with cunning and removes all of the blemished animals from the flock. Jacob responds by turning to old folklore to attempt to manipulate the birth of animals that are favorable to him. He puts fresh tree branches into the watering troughs of the herds. Much like Rachel and Leah who relied on old wives tales (mandrakes, see Genesis 30:1-24) to themselves gain blessing, Jacob turns to his own devices now to try and prosper.

So what do we glean from this passage? What was the outcome of Laban’s trickery? Failure. He neither prospers nor keeps Jacob from prospering. What happens to Jacob’s attempt to manipulate? He prospers! So what is the passage saying? Should we take into our own hands our destiny and try to manipulate wealth for ourselves? Not at all. What we actually see here is that above all of Jacob and Laban’s attempts to scheme, God’s remains faithful to His promise. The sticks in the water have nothing to do with how animals breed. That’s just a silly ancient near eastern superstition. But God’s promise is bigger than that. Despite Jacob’s faithlessness in God’s promise, God continued to be faithful to him, a theme that is repeated throughout Jacob’s life. We also see God’s promise at work in another way. God’s promise to Abraham and his descendents was to “bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you.” Laban, though not directly, in essence curses Jacob by trying to take advantage of him. But God is faithful to his promise. Laban doesn’t prosper but rather comes out worse than he began.

God is absolutely faithful in everything that He says He will do, not only to Abraham, but to us as well. So how have we tried to take matters into our own hands rather than trust in God’s promise? Have we ignored the reality of God’s faithfulness in order to construct for ourselves a plan of our own design? Spend some time this morning praising God for His faithfulness. Write down a list to remind yourself daily of the promises that God has made for you in His word.