ETB Genesis 30:25-34,41-43

Session #6 - p.55 - Blessed

Thomas O. Chisholm was born in 1866 near Franklin, Kentucky. Because of some chronic health problems, he alternated between periods of gainful employment and times of illness. Over time, he worked in the fields of teaching, journalism, insurance, and evangelism. Through all of his ups and downs, though, Thomas focused on the new blessings he received from the Lord each morning, which is why he based the words of his timeless hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” on Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” The patriarch Jacob experienced spiritual highs and lows, as well. Through those experiences, he learned that the Lord is always faithful. [LifeWay Adults (2024). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Spring 2024]

The idea of blessing is a major theme in the book of Genesis. It means to bestow favor or to fill with benefits.

[Lifeway Adults (2024). Explore the Bible: Adult Personal Study Guide - CSB - Spring 2024. Lifeway Press. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

Can you think of any times that a “blessing” did not look so “beneficial?”

My move to Oklahoma after 1 year in college and leaving the area where I had spent most of my life to that point did not seem like a blessing to me. But after meeting someone from Denton, NC there on campus at OU, I received the greatest blessing a human can get by being led to Christ by that faithful brother.

Understand the Context

Two weeks ago we studied the passage of Jacob’s dream that he had on his way to Haran. Today’s passage picks up the story at least 14 years later as Jacob has served 7 years for each of his wives and has had 11 sons and a daughter. Benjamin will be the only son born to Jacob that is born within the Promised Land.

The longer Jacob stayed in Aram, the more God blessed him and multiplied his flocks (30:25-43). He worked for Laban a total of twenty years—fourteen years for his wives and another six years for his flocks. During that time, Jacob had become wealthy far beyond his expectations—and much of his wealth came at the expense of Laban.

Eventually, Jacob realized that Laban’s attitude toward him had changed. Despite the fact that Laban had cheated Jacob and had changed his wages on numerous occasions, the Lord had kept the promise He made at Bethel. He had been with Jacob, protected him, and blessed him.

After two decades, God was ready to fulfill the final part of the promise, as He told Jacob to return to his homeland (31:13). [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

The process and final escape of Jacob and his family from Laban’s clutches are a mix of righteous deeds and scheming plots. Today’s passage starts just before the final “agreement” between Jacob and Laban is made and the preparations for departure begin.

Explore the Text

Genesis 30:25–30 ESV

25 As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. 26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wages, and I will give it.” 29 Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. 30 For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?”

v.25

As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph

This gives us the time range for today’s passage. Joseph was the last child born in the area of Haran, it was also Rachel’s first. There an many speculations as to why Jacob waited, but this what they all are as there is nothing in the text about it. This statement also lets us know that the age of all 12 children up to this point are within 15 years of each other, and maybe within 7 depending on when God originally opened Leah’s womb for being “hated.” (Gen 29:31)

Jacob favored Rachel, the younger of Laban’s two daughters both before and after they were married. Although Rachel will on bear 2 sons that will become tribes of Israel, she is considered the “mother of all Israel” in the Old and New Testament. (Jer 31:15, Matt 2:16-18)

Ask: How would you describe the relationship between Jacob and Laban? Why?

I think this is the motivation for Jacob to leave more than anything else. But, before Jacob leaves he knows he must have “provisions” for his family that are not linked to Laban in any way.

Home and country

The Hebrew word translated home and country literally means “my place.” Jacob’s homeland designates Canaan or the promised land. By faith, Abraham had journeyed to this area in response to the Lord’s call (Gen. 12:1-4). It later became known as the land of Israel, thus bearing the name that Jacob’s wrestling opponent assigned to him at Peniel (Gen. 32:27-28). The expression “Dan to Beersheba” occurs a number of times in the Old Testament to idiomatically identify the northern and southern extremes of the promised land. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

I find it interesting that even though almost all of Jacob’s “family” is with him and he has spent more time in the area of Haran, he still considers Canaan “home”.

Jesus tells us through Paul that our “home” is where we have yet to even be. Jacob’s struggle against Laban is much like our own against the powers of this world and its systems. We want to “go home” but we still have to work here a while to provide for our families. Thankfully God blesses and empowers us to do that, much like he did for Jacob.

v.26

Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you

Even though Jacob has already done the service, he still recognizes that Laban still considers Jacob’s family under his authority.

for whom I have served you

Servants get paid, slaves do not.

How would you describe Jacob’s “service” to Laban?

v.27-28

I have learned by divination

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 30

Most translations understand the Hebrew verb used here as a reference to divination—discerning the will of a deity based on using an object, omen, or method. However in other occurrences in the OT, there is often an explanation of the divination procedure used, but one is not offered here (compare 44:15–17; Lev 16:8; Num 5)

Some translations read, “I have learned by omens” which I think is closer to the religious level of Laban. Nothing suggests he worshipped anything but money and power so I doubt if he would expend energy or livestock on a religious ceremony to “discern” anything. Based on his limited effort and observations, he acknowledges as best as he dare that something supernatural was working through Jacob’s life for his own personal benefit.

Ask: How did Laban’s flock change while Jacob was watching them? How does God’s past blessings raise a person’s expectations for the future? (PSG, p. 59)

What is the danger, or false belief, in expecting God’s blessings for the future?

v.29-30

Blessed

In the Old Testament, “to bless” means to endow someone with power for success, including prosperity and longevity. The same Hebrew term appears in Genesis 30 to designate the prosperity both Laban and Jacob believed they had experienced because of Jacob’s care for Laban’s flocks and herds. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

the Lord has blessed you

Jacob has definitely changed. Now he does not even claim the blessing is because of him and gives God the credit for Laban’s profits.

Jacob also does not claim anything of Laban’s as his own. Only the women and children are his now. Before he can leave, he needs wealth and provisions of his own.

Genesis, Volume 2: A New Beginning (Genesis 12–36): An Expositional Commentary Chapter 112: Jacob’s Wages (Genesis 30:25–43)

The secret of Jacob’s success in working for Laban is that even in the unpleasant earthly relationship, he was really working for God, who would protect him and prosper his efforts. He worked as Paul advised those of his day: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free” (Eph. 6:7–8).

when shall I provide for my own household

Both asking to be “released” from Laban’s service and further acknowledgement that everything the that “profitted” Laban through his work is still his and Jacob lays no claim to it. Not a typical reaction today when people leave their places of employment they expect “compensation.”

Genesis 30:31–34 ESV

31 He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: 32 let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. 33 So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” 34 Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.”

v.31

What shall I give you

Second time Laban uses that phrase of “give you.” It is not the kind of gift you want as it comes with “strings” or “baggage” attached to it. Laban is not the kind of person to relinquish his rights to something just because he “gave it” to someone. To him it is a bargaining point for the future.

You shall not give me anything

It was critical that it was not given. Like Abraham dealing with the king of Sodom, a gift would give claim over the receiver's future wealth. This is like an ancient pre-nuptial agreement when Laban was hoping for royalties and interest.

I will again pasture your flock

Although used as a verb here, the term “pasture” also identifies Jacob’s occupation as a shepherd working for Laban. Shepherding constituted the primary occupation of God’s people in Genesis. Adam’s son Abel was a shepherd. So were Abraham, Rachel, Jacob, and Jacob’s sons. Moses and David were shepherds before becoming leaders of Israel. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

v.32

Ask: How did Jacob’s actions demonstrate trust in God? (PSG, p. 60)

v.33-34

my honesty will answer for me later

The Hebrew word translated honesty can also be rendered “righteousness” or “justice.” It basically means conformity to a moral or ethical standard. In the Old Testament that standard is the Lord’s nature and will (Ps. 145:17). Honesty involves more than just relating correctly to God. It also encompasses right relationships with other people. [ETB:ALG Spr'24]

Another hint of growth in Jacob’s character. He know his own tendency toward scheming and dishonesty and so his proposal has accountability built into it. Not only would Laban, but any family member or servant, would see if any animals were being “stolen.”

It takes a wise man to know their limits and create boundaries and accountability to ensure righteous living.

speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs

These coloring for the animals are not typical of the period or the geography, so they are deemed “less valuable.” However, if your remember you economics classes, less supply creates greater demand, so Jacob could make more money selling “black wool” than Laban could selling “white.” Jacob’s proposal was for him to take a few “cheap” animals from the flock and start his own supposedly leaving the best and more “valuable” stock for Laban. Typically such culling produces a stronger flock. The proposal without any external influence would be a significant benefit to Laban.

Let it be as you have said

Laban took Jacob’s word literally, even though that was not exactly what he meant. Jacob was supposed to get the few discolored animals and begin building his flocks from them, but Laban took his words “you shall not give me anything” literally. Look at the next verse (35).

Genesis 30:35 “35 But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons.”

Later Jacob states that Laban changes his wages 10 times. Before the deal is even able to be ratified, Laban changes the deal. Jacob was to get to start his heard with any spotted or speckled animals. But here Laban removes all those animals from the flock before Jacob can go through and separate them.

Laban may have temporarily thwarted Jacob’s plans, but not God’s. It may have taken a little longer but Jacob’s wealth grew in spite of Laban’s efforts, because he continued to work against God’s chosen family.

Genesis 30:41–43 ESV

41 Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, 42 but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

lay the sticks in the troughs

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 30

Sympathetic magic was based on the belief that the user could influence something based on its relationship or resemblance to another thing. Sympathetic magic was employed throughout the ancient Near East. Jacob’s actions also reflect the ancient Near Eastern belief that the offspring of an animal was affected by what it saw during the procreation process.

Whether this was a “scheme” of Jacob’s to get ahead, “sympathetic magic”, or a superstition, Jacobs attributes and Moses records these occasions with the stripped sticks as the reason for the beneficial breeding. There is however a practical science to the process. Goats are not very picky about what they eat, but sheep are. Give them something they the taste of and they will eat it.

What do you typically put in troughs for animals?

Which takes longer for an animal to chew up, hay and straw or a fresh cut, woody twig?

By making the stronger female animals stay at the troughs longer, there was more time for the males to mate with them. I don’t think there was anything “magical or mystic” about Jacob’s actions, just a simple farming trick or “selective breeding” tactic.

Opening Up Genesis Jacob the Businessman

This paragraph is not teaching biology but the ways of providence—how God can, and sometimes does, work outside the norms of science. And what is important here is not the biology but the psychology. The important question is: Why did Jacob devise this scheme to begin with? The answer: To gain the upper hand over his father-in-law. This is an ancient example of a get-rich-quick scheme.

Later in Chapter 31, Jacob recounts a dream about these sticks and the offspring that he attributes to God. With that insight, the laying of the sticks then becomes and act of faith and worship, not one of superstition but of obedience to God’s proscribed methods.

So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s

If you had the choice would you buy a healthy strong sheep, that was slightly discolored or a white sheep that was not as healthy? What might happen if you buy a sheep or goat that is “feeble?”. That is was is suggested here as well. Not only was Jacob’s flocks healthier and able to be sold, Laban’s flocks were getting weaker, not being sold, and dying off. Jacob was who was being blessed, and God honors Jacob’s commitments to Laban for the past 15-20 years and Laban benefitted. Now however, Laban’s authority over Jacob is no longer a factor and so the benefits all go to Jacob directly now.

Part of the promise of God through Abraham was to bless those who bless you and curse those that curse you. Laban's treacherous dealing with Jacob has come back upon him through God's hand. Not only was the blessing of Jacob removed but the curse of Jacob was not in force. Laban’s wealth is being removed quickly.

the man increased greatly

Back in verse 30, Jacob expressed how God had “increased abundantly” Laban’s livestock while under his care.

Literally “yipros larob.” God’s commentary here about Jacob is “yipros meod meod”, increased greatly, greatly. God blessed Laban a lot because of Jacob, however God blessed Jacob himself twice over.

As God prospered Jacob's work, he could sell some of the flock and buy other livestock or pay servants. The sheep and goats were better quality than Laban's so he was probably taking away his father in laws business. This would add to the animosity found in the next chapter.

Human life may seem like it has little value now, but it seems to have been that way for a very long time. If you were to reorder this listing of items of wealth in the verse from least to most expensive, the servants would be first (women than man), then donkeys, and camels being the most expensive. Thankfully, God’s order and valuation is much different. Jesus did not come and die for the animals only humans, and for all of them equally, male or female, young or old, they are all of infinite worth in God’s economy.

Genesis, Volume 2: A New Beginning (Genesis 12–36): An Expositional Commentary Chapter 112: Jacob’s Wages (Genesis 30:25–43)

In trying to bargain with God, Jacob had said: “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth” (Gen. 28:20–22). Jacob was asking God for safety, food, and clothing. Not much. But how much better he actually fared. Instead of mere necessities, God gave him a large family and great wealth.

Apply the Text

Boice saw and expounded three principles he saw in today’s text. Here is his summation paragraph.

Genesis, Volume 2: A New Beginning (Genesis 12–36): An Expositional Commentary Faith before Worry

Here are three principles: (1) do not try to become wealthy, (2) work hard for your employer, and (3) trust God for your prosperity. Does this mean that if any one of us should do this conscientiously, that person would become rich? Not necessarily. You are not even supposed to be seeking that. However, it does mean that you will prosper. You will gain the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and your needs will be met as well.

The quarterly points out three other principles that we can learn from the text.

Believers can be encouraged by God’s past blessings.

Although that does not guarantee future blessings, it does assure us of God’s faithfulness to do what He promises.

Believers should demonstrate honesty in every area, including their business dealings.

Honesty starts with ourselves to God, and then out from their our dealings with other. If we cannot be honest about ourselves to Him, we will have a temptation not to deal honesty with our fellow man.

Believers can celebrate God’s blessings in their lives.

We are a blessed - favored in many ways - people. If you cannot find a way to celebrate that, you may need to review the first 2 principles again.

Pray: Thanking God for His blessings and faithfulness.