Genesis 30:25-31:55: Open Your Eyes

Introduction

Charles Spurgeon conversion: Look!

Many of you… God has opened your eyes. You’ve been saved… BUT… over the years your spiritual eyesight has grown hazy. This morning, I want you to see clearly again the work of God in your life.

Think about Jacob’s life: God is at work all around him, but by and large, his spiritual eyesight is hazy. He’s so busy fighting God to get what he wants when he wants it. He can’t see clearly what God is doing. Does that sound like you?

Gen. 28 - Jacob had a glorious vision of God. God made a tremendous promise: land, protection, and a people. Then Jacob has the audacity to say, “You will be my God if…”

God blesses Jacob in spite of Jacob’s hard headedness.

Aren’t you thankful that God blesses you in spite of your hardheadedness?

I don’ t want you to be a hardhead. I don’t want you to have hazy spiritual eyesight. What if you opened your eyes to see God’s work in your life?

LONG story of Jacob and Laban continuing their deceptive ways. Jacob wants to go home.

God at work, and Jacob’s eyes are beginning to open to God’s work.

Simple message today: Open your eyes. Two realities I want you to see this morning.

Open your eyes and see how God has prospered you in spite of you.

20 years prior, Isaac and Rebekah sent Jacob to Laban to escape Esau and to find a wife. Jacob has God’s protection, and now he has a wife - four wives.

Jacob’s ready to go home - to Canaan - to take possession of the land God promised him. (Gen. 28) Jacob has been with Laban for years - 14 of those working for Rachel.

Laban has prospered off of Jacob, and he knows it. vs. 27 - Divination? Obviously, Laban doesn’t really know the God… He doesn’t care about knowing God. Laban wants the blessings associated with God; but not God Himself. Laban doesn’t want Jacob to leave: “Name your price...”

Jacob knows that Laban has prospered because of God’s promise to Jacob.

Lots of God talk, but who’s actually walking with God?

Jacob and Laban know that God blesses, but they don’t listen to God. Sound like us?

Jacob agrees to stay and has a plan to increase his wealth while he stays. “I’ve helped you, but you need to help me...” (vs. 30) Jacob wants to provide for his family.

“Let me separate the sheep and goats. I’ll keep the spotted and speckled, and you can have all the others.”

It’s a great deal because spotted and speckled were rare. Laban gets more work out of Jacob, and all Jacob gets are a few unwanted sheep.

They separated the animals. Laban sent away the streaked and spotted male goats three days away from Jacob. Why? So Jacob couldn’t breed them and build his own herd. Laban would control this small herd and make sure it stayed small. Laban and Jacob are so much alike: both deceivers and cheats.

Jacob is left to work the rest of of Laban’s flock. Weird: put branches in front of the troughs where the sheep drank. The bark on the branches peeled back so you could see white stripes on the branches. Why? Folk’s tale… like the mandrakes.... While the sheep mated, they saw the striped branches. According the folks tale, what the sheep saw would affect the genetics of the newborn sheep.

AND… it actually happened. From Laban’s herd, the one from which Laban removed the streaked and spotted sheep, streaked, speckled, and spotted sheep were born.

Vs. 43 - And, Jacob became very rich.

Did Jacob become rich because he tried something that he had heard other shepherds talk about? Did Jacob become rich because he was smarter than Laban? Did Jacob become rich because he was an expert breeder?

31:10 - In a dream, God showed Jacob how he had prospered… Jacob prospered because of God. Gen. 28 - this is exactly what God had promised!

At every turn, Jacob prospered. He has the birthright, the blessing, the promise of God, twelve sons… AND he’s prospered in spite of himself. He’s prospered only because of God! If only Jacob would have opened his eyes and looked to God instead of himself.

Jacob constantly sins, and God constantly extends grace.

If you are a follower of Jesus, God has prospered you as well! Sometimes you don’t feel prosperous, but that doesn’t mean that God hasn’t prospered you.

Prospered with His presence.

Prospered with His promise. He will complete the work He has started in you.

God has given you a family - to love you and encourage you.

God has given you a church family - a place to grow in Christ and build relationships.

God has given you a career - to not only provide for your family, but a platform for Gospel ministry. Every day, you get to practice the fruit of the Spirit among lost coworkers - to show them a different kind of life.

You are not prosperous in life because you got lucky.

“Just so happened to be at the right place at the right time.” Some people just seem lucky…

Nope. God has done it. He has ordered your steps… (Proverbs 16:9)

You are not prosperous because you’re smarter or better than everyone else.

(Or, I’ll never be as prosperous because I’m not as smart as…)

“I’ve worked hard...” Maybe, but it’s God who gets the credit. He’s given you abilities, talents, etc.

Since God has prospered you:

No reason to despair and every reason to praise - never a time when you can say, “My life stinks… I can’t see God at work...” That’s because your sin has kept you from looking to God. Start confessing and start looking.

Break up on a bench. Despair when life doesn’t work out my way… Aren’t you glad life doesn’t work out your way?

Open your eyes and see how God delivers you in spite of you.

Laban’s sons are mad at Jacob. Laban doesn’t treat him the same anymore. You can understand why.

God to Jacob: “Go. I will be with you. I’ve been with you. Did you see what I just did?” (vs. 3)

Jacob to his wives: “Your father has cheated me. He’s been cheating me for years. We have to go.”

Leah and Rachel aren’t happy with Laban and how he had sold them off to Jacob for 14 years of labor. They have no portion of his inheritance, so no reason to stick around.

Jacob flees with his riches without telling Laban. Rachel steals some idols.

Vs. 22 - Laban finds out that Jacob has fled. He’s mad. He takes off after Jacob. How dare Jacob take his daughters and grandchildren? God comes to Laban: “Watch yourself...” (vs. 24)

Laban pursues and catches up with Jacob. “Why have you taken my daughters without me giving you a send off party? Why have you left and stolen my idols?”

vs. 31 - Jacob: “I was afraid...” Why? They’re always working against each other instead of working for each other. Neither wants the good of the other. They want good for themselves.

Laban searches for his idols… doesn’t find them. Rachel sitting on them (vs. 35).

Jacob’s tired of the way Laban has treated him. He blows up, but recognizes God’s work: “You’ve mistreated me, but God has been with me.” Jacob’s eyes are opening to God’s work in him.

Laban makes a treaty with Jacob. A mound made of stones. “You go your way, I’ll go my way. We’ll set up a marker. Neither of us will cross this line.”

Jacob makes his way home. Laban returns home. Jacob has his riches. He has his wives and his children.

Jacob left with a broken relationship with Laban. They had sinned against each other. Both of them talked a lot about God, but neither had lived God’s way. Both had deceived and cheated. Yet, God delivered Jacob. God taking him back to the place he promised him.

Ancient Hebrews reflecting on this story in the wilderness. Lights starting to go off in the minds of the Hebrews. God delivers in spite of who we are. Jacob a slave in Laban’s house. They had been slaves in Egypt. God prospered Jacob. God had prospered the Hebrews… multiplied them in Egypt. God brought Jacob out of Laban’s house. God brought Hebrews out of Egypt. And… they weren’t much different than Jacob. Wandering around the wilderness complaining with their eyes half shut to God’s work among them. God had delivered them in spite of themselves.

This is what God does! God delivers His people in spite of His people.

God has delivered you. Your enemy was not a man named Laban. Nor was your enemy a nation like Egypt. Your enemy was death. It was what you deserved because of your rebellion against God. Eternal death was knocking at your door. It was hot on your tail, but God was pursuing you with grace and love in spite of your sin. He saved you through the death and resurrection of His Son. He brought you out of slavery and gave you life. He’s now bringing you home.

Open your eyes! God has delivered you!

God is at work, but are you living with your eyes open? Are you constantly looking to the One who has prospered you and delivered you?

Here’s what happens when you open your eyes and see that God is at work in you in spite of you:

You’ll be thankful and not bitter. Jacob bitter with Laban. Laban bitter with Jacob. YET, Jacob has every reason to be extremely thankful. Coming out of Laban’s house with a nation and wealth! Some of us focus on what we don’t have or the mistreatment we’ve experienced instead of focusing on what we do have.

You’ll want to bless instead of take. A culture that wants us to take from life… You serve a God who wants you to give life. You can’t do that when your eyes are closed.

When you focus on taking - you end up hurting people. When you focus on blessing, you help people.

Look in the mirror every day and say to yourself: “I am not the mission. The spread of the Gospel throughout the world is the mission.”

You’ll want to be used by God instead of using God to get what you want. “I’m your servant.” vs. God exists to give me what I want out of life.

Examine your prayer life.

If you only pray when you want something from God, you’re using Him. Instead, every day after you look in the mirror and remind yourself that you are not the mission, tell God: “Here I am. You’ve been so good to me. Use me to be a blessing.”