I always find it interesting when reading through the Old Testament, that the great patriarchs of the Old Testament were not always as great as they are often portrayed in Sunday School. In Sunday School we learned about these heroic figures, but when we actually read the stories they often come across as dirty, rotten scoundrels. They certainly had their faults and their shortcomings.
After cheating his brother out of his birthright and blessing, Jacob flees from Canaan to Paddan Aram in fear for his life. He is taken into the household of his Uncle Laban. He not only lives with and works for his uncle, but he also marries his daughters Rachel and Leah. After working many years for Laban, these men reach an agreement. Their agreement is that in return for his work, Jacob could keep all the blemished animals of Laban's flock.
We then read a very interesting few verses: "Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted." Genesis 30:37-39
It seems that Jacob became a bit superstitious here. Rather than wait on God and ask God for help, he decided to take matters into his own hands to produce results. Later on however, Jacob does come to the realization that it was not what he did, but ultimately it was God that blessed him with increase and abundance. In Genesis 31:9, Jacob says to his wives, "God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me." So Jacob recognizes it was God's hand at work here and that Jacob was not the one running the show.
We also have areas of our lives that we foolishly think that we are the ones in control, but in reality it is God. We worry and we fret about a given situation. We do everything we can to control and to manipulate the results. We need to leave the results to God. God does not call us to be successful, but to be faithful. Faithfulness is to be our focus. And I can guarantee, according to God's Word of promise, that if we remain faithful, God will produce fruit.
It is just like the farmer. The farmer does not make the crops of the field grow. God does! But the farmer is faithful to plant the seed.
Have a blessed week! Next week's readings:
January 20
Genesis 41:17-42:17
Matthew 13:24-46
Psalm 18:1-15
Proverbs 4:1-6
January 21
Genesis 42:18-43:34
Matthew 13:47-14:12
Psalm 18:16-36
Proverbs 4:7-10
January 22
Genesis 44:1-45:28
Matthew 14:13-36
Psalm 18:37-50
Proverbs 4:11-13
January 23
Genesis 46:1-47:31
Matthew 15:1-28
Psalm 19:1-14
Proverbs 4:14-19
January 24
Genesis 48:1-49:33
Matthew 15:29-16:12
Psalm 20:1-9
Proverbs 4:20-27
January 25
Genesis 50:1 - Exodus 2:10
Matthew 16:13-17:9
Psalm 21:1-13
Proverbs 5:1-6
January 26
Exodus 2:11-3:22
Matthew 17:10-27
Psalm 22:1-18
Proverbs 5:7-14
After cheating his brother out of his birthright and blessing, Jacob flees from Canaan to Paddan Aram in fear for his life. He is taken into the household of his Uncle Laban. He not only lives with and works for his uncle, but he also marries his daughters Rachel and Leah. After working many years for Laban, these men reach an agreement. Their agreement is that in return for his work, Jacob could keep all the blemished animals of Laban's flock.
We then read a very interesting few verses: "Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted." Genesis 30:37-39
It seems that Jacob became a bit superstitious here. Rather than wait on God and ask God for help, he decided to take matters into his own hands to produce results. Later on however, Jacob does come to the realization that it was not what he did, but ultimately it was God that blessed him with increase and abundance. In Genesis 31:9, Jacob says to his wives, "God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me." So Jacob recognizes it was God's hand at work here and that Jacob was not the one running the show.
We also have areas of our lives that we foolishly think that we are the ones in control, but in reality it is God. We worry and we fret about a given situation. We do everything we can to control and to manipulate the results. We need to leave the results to God. God does not call us to be successful, but to be faithful. Faithfulness is to be our focus. And I can guarantee, according to God's Word of promise, that if we remain faithful, God will produce fruit.
It is just like the farmer. The farmer does not make the crops of the field grow. God does! But the farmer is faithful to plant the seed.
Have a blessed week! Next week's readings:
January 20
Genesis 41:17-42:17
Matthew 13:24-46
Psalm 18:1-15
Proverbs 4:1-6
January 21
Genesis 42:18-43:34
Matthew 13:47-14:12
Psalm 18:16-36
Proverbs 4:7-10
January 22
Genesis 44:1-45:28
Matthew 14:13-36
Psalm 18:37-50
Proverbs 4:11-13
January 23
Genesis 46:1-47:31
Matthew 15:1-28
Psalm 19:1-14
Proverbs 4:14-19
January 24
Genesis 48:1-49:33
Matthew 15:29-16:12
Psalm 20:1-9
Proverbs 4:20-27
January 25
Genesis 50:1 - Exodus 2:10
Matthew 16:13-17:9
Psalm 21:1-13
Proverbs 5:1-6
January 26
Exodus 2:11-3:22
Matthew 17:10-27
Psalm 22:1-18
Proverbs 5:7-14
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