A Faithful God

Introduction

Recap on

Genesis 28:15 ESV

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

So what we see in is that even though Jacob did things that were wrong, God is remaining faithful to the Covenant he has made with Abraham and Isaac

* Jacob went to the Land of Canan to look for a bride

* Meets Rachel who is a Sheep Herder

* Jacob moves the rock and waters the sheep (heroism) (**God is with Him)

Genesis 29:10 ESV

Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.

Genesis 29:15 ESV

Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”

Genesis 29:14–15 ESV

and Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh!” And he stayed with him a month. Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?”

Jacob serves Laban for 7 Years for Rachel

Jacob serves Laban for 7 Years for Rachel

Jacob serves Laban for 7 Years for Rachel

* Laban switches the Older for Younger

Deception of the Age- Where Jacob deceived Esau for his birthright (Younger for the Older) Laban switched his daughters

* Laban requested for Jacob to once again serve 7 years for Rachel

* Leah has 4 Sons for Jacob

Leah bore Sons while Rachel could not, even though Jacob loved Rachel more. God blessed Leah with children first not Rachel.

One of those Sons is Judah! Who would come from the line of Judah??

What we see in is Jacob doing what his Father told him to do and how God is moving him along in history.

* Rachel attempts to play God in order to have children

* Leah does the same exact thing to gain more children

* Jacob has 12 Sons

* Jacob asks to go back to his country but Laban doesn't want him to

Why Because God was blessing him through Jacob!

Genesis 30:27 ESV

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.

Genesis 30:

* Jacob asks to get the speckled livestock as his wages so that he can leave

Genesis 30:32 ESV

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.

Genesis 30:

* Laban took all the sheep with the greater value and fled

Deception of Appearance- Just how Rebekah covered Jacob with goats hair to make him feel like Esau, Laban took all of the colored Sheep and left none for Jacob as that was the deal

Genesis 30:43 ESV

Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Genesis

Even though Laban deceived Jacob again, GOD HAS REMAINED FAITHFUL TO HIM!

* Jacob through divine miracle gained much from the flock

* Laban did not have favor for Jacob as he believes that he cheated him out of wealth

* However, God in a vision says that He will be with Jacob

Genesis 31:3 ESV

Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

Genesis 31:9–12 ESV

Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

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* God gives Jacob all of Laban’s wealth for his deception

God tells Jacob to take everything that was given to him and go back to his home country. So Jacob takes everything that was given to him and runs away without telling Laban.

* Laban takes his kinsmen and catches up with Jacob

Genesis 31:24 ESV

But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

* God tells Laban do not say anything good or bad to Jacob

Genesis 31:42–43 ESV

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.” Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne?

Genesis 31:

Laban makes a covenant of peace with Jacob- that they wouldn't do harm to one another.

Genesis 31:55 ESV

Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home.

Genesis 31:

Conclusion

So what we saw in this event is that even though people do wicked things, they lie and cheat and steal to get whatever they want. However, God was with Jacob and through those circumstances, His will was done no matter what!

Let me ask you guys something… If God did that back then for his people. How much more so will he keep his promises to us?

The answer…the same because He has promised us that in Jesus Christ. That God will be OUR GOD and He will bless us with a hope of a better world with Jesus and a New Creation. If you are a believer you have that hope in Jesus. Everything that may go wrong in your life because it always will for we live in a broken world. We still have a God that will make the world go RIGHT because He is in control.

My prayer is that you believe in that God today.