Genesis 30
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister.
She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!”
2 Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”
3 Then she said, “Here is my servant Bilhah; go in to her, so that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have children through her.” 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob went in to her. 5 And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.
6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan. 7 Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “With mighty wrestlings, I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.
9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Then Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, “Good fortune has come!” so she called his name Gad. 12 Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, “Happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.
14 In the days of wheat harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.”
15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?”
Rachel said, “Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes.”
16 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So he lay with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages because I gave my servant to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.
19 And Leah conceived again, and she bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun. 21 Afterward, she bore a daughter and called her name Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the Lord add to me another son!”
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?”
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.”
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. 36 And he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flock.
37 Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. 38 He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, 39 the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban's flock. 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.
Jacob and Job of Scriptures have something in common
- the same historical time period.
The Beginning of the Middle East Trauma
The Beginning of the Middle East Trauma
The Bronze Age has filled the world with Bronze
18th Dynasty New Kingdom is the first Pharoah to list the Land of Goshen and the Family of Joseph in the tax roles. Forget Ramses. Thutmose III created the largest empire Egypt had ever seen; no fewer than 17 campaigns were conducted. This is the Father of Egyptian riches.
Salt Papyrus 124 is from Seti II 1200 to 1194 BC 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom
And The Tale of Two Brothers, Papyrus D'Orbiney, British Museum
The Tale of Two Brothers is an ancient Egyptian story of Trouble in a Pharoah Household.
Seti's history includes attacks on himself to the vizier Amenmose, presumably, a predecessor of Pra'emhab, whereupon Amenmose had punished Paneb. This trouble-maker had then brought a complaint before 'Mose' (i.e., 'Msy'), who then acted to remove Pra'emhab from his office. Evidently, this 'Mose' must have been a person of the highest importance, perhaps the king Amenmesse himself or a senior ally of the king.
Laban, Rachel and Leah work as a team, but really serve themselves. Eventually, they are going to have a major family fight over the household idols.
Psalm 10:4
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
James 3:16
For where jealousy and selfish
ambition
exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
Isaiah 1:23
Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them.
God tells us life is difficult.
Really difficult.
The Tribe of Israel is going to be so difficult, finding a quote in the Bible of Beloved Brotherhood Family is going to have to wait to James and John - Sons of Zebedee.
We find the Best Scripture Quotes on Brotherhood are about believers of Jesus as Family.
Luke 19:8
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
In communication, in emotion - we see spottiness.
Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
All this selfish consideration revolving from Laban's hope for profit. Laban and his get rich quick scheme of daughter-marry-off-maneuver.
Proverbs 14:29
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
Now what Holy Family would recognize difficulty in a large population of many sons?
Jude 1:3 Jude the Brother of Jesus Christ
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
This verse applies well. It is the endurance of the godly in the adversity when we all want to be the Prodigal Son and run off.
We acknowledge we are "The Instant Gratification" Generation. This situation deals with the haste of a quick answer and a quick fix.
Proverbs 19:2
Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
Rachel and Leah face the consequences of payback.
Proverbs 28:20
A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
In being centered on self-win
Numbers 14:18
‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’
Exodus 20:5
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me.
The Evolution of the Money
When Moses arrives at the well of Midian - the many daughters of Jethro are thrilled. In the desert, opportunities are few.
48% of the USA today tells the Pew Report they are married. This is, of course, saying 52% are unmarried. Even today the majority reason for being single is financial instability. Opportunities in life are few and far between in rural areas, in cities, in movie stars and Moses types.
Laban has his prosperous sister's child as union free, wage free labor. God tells us even the Oxen should be paid.
†††(We are making the point Iron Age man is still the same - and The Bible being living and active records mankind in many different Millenniums - - - relate Very Well.)
Proverbs 21:15
When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
Laban is not happy to hear of the end of the work agreement.
Laban has set in motion the end of his profit-taking. And in doing this profit taking has also changed the lives of his daughters. And their expectation of happiness.
Isaiah 61:8
For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
James 5:4
Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
What would God say about this subversive group of Gentiles?
God would choose to begin Israel from gentiles fighting over placement.
Romans 3
22 And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ
to all who believe.
There is no distinction,
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified freely by His grace.
Jacob is the Zacchaeus voyager. And has his own spottiness. Jacob is working every day to put his faith in God and finding the blessing.
If we had to find one Biblical Passage to attest to Jacob - this one would work well:
Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
The passage is literally about sticks and literally about the conversation Jacob has with Labon about providing for those he loves. Jacob has a harsh task to care for this many in a nation knowing drought
and hunger. Jacob is not the Prodigal Son - he is not running off. Jacob intends to lead his household.
Deuteronomy 22
29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
There is something Jacob does with the help of God.
And in doing this Jacob does not break. And could only be accomplished with God and faith. Forgiveness.
Ephesians 2
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
11Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—
12 Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ,
alienated from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
In continuing to do goodness. The Family of Jesus would see reason to want to honor Jacob.
Prayers of The Righteous: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16
Family continues. Love continues.
500 years later when the Exodus would happen - Moses would make room for foreigners and journeyers. The Tribe of Israel is made up of the Nations. Jacob himself is descended from people from Turkey. The maids were slaves and might have been from China, Africa or India - we just don't know.
And God gave us Exodus to say the quality of life we have is important to God. And God had the Egyptians give gold to pay wages. God is for freedom, opportunity, kindness to the weak and payment for work.
When Jesus tells us He is the Way, Truth and Life - we find Jesus knows of what He is teaching us. And Jacob demonstrates to us we will even wrestle with God - and God will bless us. The Bible is Living and Active and the nature of mankind continues to delight God in Proverbs 8 and causes God to want to save the world in Jesus Christ.
How could Jacob have survived Essau and Rebecca and Isaac and Laban and Leah and Rachel and Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin without knowing and appreciating the Goodness of God.
†Jacob finds his strength in the Joy of the Lord.
And Jacob takes the spots in life and does well and goes very far - healing and forgiving. At the end of Jacob's life, Jacob does not want any of his children to steal a blessing and provides the Major Portion Blessing for all of his children. And for us - learning God is not limited in His Love and Goodness.
Father God,
We pray the Large prayers of Jesus bless us prayers. The seeds of the young generation bloom and have the Holy Spirit rise up in them. the youth will have Your Power to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
We pray into our Lives healing, the Life of Jesus and His goodness.
We want to see Your Great Deeds and Awesome Works in the land of the living. In these days may the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace flourish. Secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places. The LORD is our king; He will save us. And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.
Come Lord Jesus in the willingness of God to us each day to see Your Willingness and dwell there. Bringing more Heaven to our lives in our words and deeds. Bless our lives, our children, our children's children unto the generations carried to dwell in the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.
And all the people praying will Alleluia their Amen together in Jesus Christ!!!
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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