SEPTEBER 15, 2024

Bible verse “GENESIS 30:37~43”

Sermon title "The Jacob’s life 6"

preacher Rev. Joshua Oh

Jacob, after much hardship, finally arrived at his uncle Laban's house. The 20 years Jacob spent there are recorded in Genesis 29:1–31:55. Laban had two daughters: the elder was Leah, and the younger was Rachel. When Jacob first saw Rachel at the well, he instantly fell in love with her. He told Laban that he would work for seven years without wages in order to marry Rachel. This shows how simple Jacob’s character was. When he wanted something, he spoke without much thought, driven by his desires. Jacob and Rachel were cousins. In modern Korean law, marriage is prohibited between blood relatives up to the eighth degree, which prevents marriages between close kin. However, such laws were created in modern times. In the past, marriages between close relatives were not forbidden; in fact, they were often encouraged because people were unaware it was wrong. After God gave Moses the Law, including rules on marriage, it became prohibited to marry close relatives. Jacob married Rachel, but on the wedding night, Laban sent Leah instead of Rachel. When Jacob realized in the morning that he had married Leah, he was shocked. He confronted Laban, who explained that, according to custom, the younger daughter could not marry before the elder. Laban then said that if Jacob wanted to marry Rachel, he would have to work another seven years. Because of his love for Rachel, Jacob agreed to work for Laban for another seven years without pay. In total, Jacob worked 14 years without wages to marry Rachel. Leah bore six sons and one daughter, and Rachel bore two sons. Leah gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a concubine, and Zilpah bore two sons. Rachel, out of jealousy, gave her servant Bilhah to Jacob as a concubine, and Bilhah bore two sons. In this way, Jacob had 12 sons, who would later become the 12 tribes of Israel. However, two of Jacob’s sons, Levi and Joseph, did not become part of the 12 tribes. Jacob’s 12 sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin. Levi's descendants were set apart for priesthood, and Joseph, instead of becoming a tribe, passed on the right to his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who became part of the 12 tribes. Thus, Joseph's tribe was split in two, initially referred to as the half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, but later simply called the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, completing the 12 tribes.   Jacob, now with four wives, 12 sons, and his daughter Dinah—a total of 17 people to care for—had worked for Laban for 14 years without pay, essentially being exploited for his labor. Although Jacob volunteered to work, it became clear that continuing like this would leave him with nothing. In Genesis 30:25, after Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob told Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my homeland.” He was ready to leave and return to Canaan with his family, unable to live this way any longer. In verse 30, Jacob says, “The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?” In other words, Jacob was saying, "Wasn’t it because I worshiped God well that He blessed your house? Didn’t God bless you because of my prayers and faith?” This is a common misconception among believers—thinking that blessings come solely because of their prayers or faith.    Jacob felt that Laban's house had been blessed because of him and that it was due to his own efforts and faith that Laban’s wealth increased. He resented that, despite this, he himself still had no home to call his own. Jacob was essentially saying that he could no longer live in such a way and wanted to return to his homeland. Outwardly, Jacob credited God for blessing Laban’s house, but inwardly, he was envious and resentful of Laban’s success, revealing the sinful nature of humans. Even among believers, while they may pray for one another and express concern, there is often jealousy when things go well for someone else. That is why even in church, when we have something to boast about, we must be cautious. This is what it means to be a mature Christian. When Laban heard Jacob’s words, rather than getting angry, he realized Jacob had a point. After all, Jacob was not just anyone; he was his son-in-law, living with him along with his two daughters and thirteen grandchildren. Although Jacob had agreed to work without pay for 14 years, Laban's conscience was pricked, as he had indeed exploited Jacob’s labor. Regardless of anything else, it was true that Laban’s wealth had greatly increased due to Jacob’s work. Unable to simply let Jacob go back to his homeland empty-handed, Laban decided to offer Jacob wages. In Genesis 30:31, Laban says, "What shall I give you?" and Jacob replies, "You shall give me nothing. If you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them."  It seems Jacob had been tending Laban’s sheep and goats for 14 years. Instead of demanding an immediate payment of land, livestock, or a home, Jacob suggested that any speckled, spotted, or dark-colored sheep and goats born from Laban’s flock would be his wages. At that time, people preferred sheep and goats that were solid white in color. Speckled, spotted, or dark-colored animals were considered undesirable, even impure, and were often discarded. Laban, hearing Jacob’s request, must have secretly laughed to himself. He had always considered Jacob to be a bit naive, evidenced by Jacob’s willingness to work for 14 years without pay in order to marry Rachel. Laban thought Jacob's offer was perfect, as he would only take the animals that were considered undesirable. To Laban, it seemed like a win-win situation, so he readily agreed to Jacob’s proposal.    The passage we read today shows Jacob living up to his name. Remember, the name "Jacob" means "deceiver" or "one who takes by the heel." Jacob, while tending the sheep and goats, waited until it was time for them to drink from the stream. He then peeled the bark off of branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees, making them appear streaked or spotted, and placed them in front of the animals as they drank and mated. When the animals saw the streaked branches while mating, they would give birth to speckled, spotted, or dark-colored offspring.    Jacob only placed the branches in front of the strong and healthy animals when they mated, but when the weak and frail animals mated, he did not use the branches. Over the course of six years, Jacob’s flock grew strong and healthy, while Laban’s flock, though white in color, became weak and frail. Eventually, Jacob’s flock far outnumbered Laban’s. In Genesis 30:43, it says, "In this way, the man (Jacob) grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys." Jacob didn’t just increase his sheep and goats; he also acquired more servants, camels, and donkeys than Laban. In just six years, Jacob went from rags to riches, achieving a complete reversal of fortune.  But how did Jacob know that placing streaked branches in front of the animals would cause them to give birth to speckled and spotted offspring? Was it because he prayed a lot, and God revealed this method to him? Thinking this way would be dangerous. Would God teach Jacob a dishonest method to steal from Laban? No, Jacob used all his cunning and gathered information from various sources to figure out this trick. He deceived Laban and took his wealth through dishonest means, all while invoking God's name. If it had truly been God’s will for Jacob to become prosperous, wouldn’t He have blessed Jacob through honest methods? If God had done so, it might have taken 100 years, but it would have been through legitimate means.  Jacob tricked his uncle Laban, cleverly avoiding suspicion and managing to prosper in every way. This is the kind of thing that causes both believers and non-believers to stumble in their faith. Jacob’s great prosperity makes people wonder: Is wealth always a sign of God’s blessing? This is the kind of teaching many churches today are promoting. Should we live like Jacob? Should we emulate Jacob in order to become wealthy? Testimonies of believers living like Jacob and attributing their success to God’s blessing are abundant in churches today. People take and exploit others by any means necessary, then claim that God blessed them and answered their prayers. In such cases, what can we say? There are countless testimonies of people saying that they prospered by living like Jacob, but finding a Christian who says they lived according to God’s Word, even when it cost them, yet still cannot give up their faith in God—that is much rarer these days. Jacob, with all his cunning and schemes, finally discovered a method: placing streaked branches in front of the flocks while they mated, which allowed him to deceive Laban and take his wealth. Yet, after all of this, Jacob gave the credit to God, saying, “God has blessed me and made me exceedingly prosperous!” and praised God with a clap of applause, saying, "Hallelujah!" If this is how one understands faith, then teaching them any further is pointless. They won’t listen, and will dismiss it by saying, “You’re just jealous.” When a person falls to this level of moral corruption, God has no choice but to take them to the Jabbok River to meet Him directly.  Jacob's wrestling with the angel at the Jabbok River seems, on the surface, like a moment where Jacob received an answer from God and gained victory through faith.   But in truth, Jacob was beaten until he came to his senses and was left physically broken. When a believer takes from others through deceit, even non-believers can recognize that this is not from God. When non-Christians criticize the success of believers, there is often a valid reason for it. They see the irrational and insensitive actions of some believers, and when those believers claim that their success is due to God's blessing, it makes the world look at Christians with disdain.   In Genesis 31:1, we see that Laban’s sons, who were non-believers, began to criticize Jacob. "Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, 'Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.'" They recognized that what Jacob had done was neither honest nor commendable. In verse 2, "Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been." Jacob, being quick to read the situation, sensed that if he stayed any longer, he might lose all his wealth and even be killed in Haran. That’s how dangerous the situation had become.    In verse 3, God speaks to Jacob for the first time in 20 years: “Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.’” God was essentially telling Jacob to flee for his life. Immediately after hearing this, in verse 4, Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. At times like this, Jacob was quick to obey God’s word. But was Jacob obediently following God’s command because of his faith? No. Jacob had already realized the danger and was planning to flee Haran. God’s command only confirmed what Jacob already knew through his own instincts.    Previously, Jacob had prayed when he fled from Esau and reached the place called Luz. He made a vow to God, saying, “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 household, then the Lord will be my God, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” Now, after 20 years, Jacob had become exceedingly prosperous—he had amassed more wealth than Laban, with many flocks, servants, camels, and donkeys. But did Jacob give a tenth of his wealth to God, as he had vowed? Did he serve the Lord as his God? No, there is no indication that he fulfilled his vow. Jacob didn’t give a tenth of his possessions, nor did he live a life devoted to God. Instead, he used God’s name to satisfy his own greed and desires.   Until God met him at the Jabbok River, this is how Jacob lived. This is also how sinners live before they encounter God. Though one may offer eloquent prayers, saying, “God is with me; He watches over me and provides my food and clothing, and I will give Him a tenth of all He gives me,” the reality is that sinners, by nature, live in a way contrary to their prayers. This was Jacob’s life, and it is the life of all who are born into sin. That’s why God brought Jacob to the Jabbok River to meet him.     God has probably brought us to our own "Jabbok Rivers" at some point in our lives to meet us. However, we may have forgotten these moments, distracted by the pleasures, food, and entertainment of this world. We often forget the God who met us at our "Jabbok River." But the day is coming soon when we will not just meet Him at the river but see Him face-to-face. That day is not far off. Our days are seventy years, or eighty if we have the strength, but they quickly pass, and we fly away. The question is, to whom will we fly?   Through the life of Jacob, may we be led to meet the God who brings us to the Jabbok River. I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that we may encounter Him. Amen.