Jacob's Makin’ Lambs Program, Genesis 30:25-43

Are you ready to change?

To step into your Divine Destiny?

To be who God’s called you to be?

Let’s follow Jacob as he steps from Divine Discipline to Divine Destiny.

25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.

My own place, my country.  

Jacob had been gone for over 14 years, he had 4 wives and 11 kids, in the land of Haron, yet, this place was not his home.

The land God had promised his father Isaac, and his grandfather Abraham, the land God had promised him, that, was his home, and that’s where he wanted to go.

Now Rachel had born a child, now no one would go home barren.

Now the Bride Prices are paid, it’s time to go, home.

26 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.”

Laban, I paid you, a huge Bride Price, twice, you know it’s true.

So, let’s say our goodbyes, it’s time for me to go.

27 And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.” 28 Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.”

Learned by experience: a word that means divination.

Lord: Yah·weh, proper name of the God of Israel.

Laban is saying, I’ve learned by my god, that your God, is blessing me.

But even a blind man could see the blessing of the Lord upon Jacob, and thus, Laban was blessed because of that.

In Christ You also are blessed, and you are blessed to be a blessing.

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:29.

29 So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. 30 For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the Lord has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?”

Notice, Laban is the one who brought up the fact that he was blessed because of God’s blessing on Jacob.

So, Jacob wasn’t being arrogant or bragging, he was simply agreeing to the obvious Truth of God’s blessing, and responding to Laban.

Plus, Jacob points to his own work ethic, you know how I worked and how I took care of your flocks. He didn’t just put in the time, he worked hard, he did a good job.

That’s how Christians should be. The wisest, hardest, most honest, reliable, conscientious workers.

That’s what Jacob did, and God gave the increase.

Laban couldn’t deny it.

However, dear uncle/father-in-law, Laban, it’s been fun but the time has come, for me to tend to my own family, build my own flock, provide for my own house.

That’s not selfish; it’s having proper priorities, and being responsible.

31 So he said, “What shall I give you?”

Laban was persistent.

Jacob was such an asset.

So, Laban says it again, name your price.  

Do you remember when Laban asked Jacob a similar question about 14 years earlier? Jacob had only been in Haran for about a month.

Back then, Jacob didn’t ask for wages but offered to work 7 years for Rachel’s hand in marriage; and ended up working 14 years instead.

Now, Laban asks again, “What shall I give you?”

³¹…And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything.

You shall give me... nothing.

Laban was probably grinning ear to ear.

But Jacob wasn’t done.

If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: 32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages.

You keep the majority, all solid colored, pure white and pretty, I’ll take the few, messy, speckled and spotty.

They shall be my wages.

33 So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”

A fool proof way to distinguish what belongs to who.

34 And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!”

It appears, once again, Jacob’s not a very good negotiator. Like he’s getting the short end of the stick.

That’s why Laban’s quick to shake Jacob’s hand and seal the deal.

However, Jacob knows something Laban doesn’t. God told Jacob a little secret. Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. Genesis 31:12.

That’s one of the benefits of walking with God.

Proverbs 3:32; For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, But His secret counsel is with the upright.

So, Jacob trusted God and bet his wages on God’s Word.

That’s a bet he’s sure to win, but not without a fight.

35 So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

Jacob’s deal was (verse 32): Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages.

Instead, Laban, passed through, Laban removed (stole) Jacob’s wages, the speckled and spotted goats and lambs; and put a 3 days’ journey between them and Jacob.

It seemed Laban already had the best end of the bargain; but greed is never satisfied, he wanted to hedge his bet and remove any opportunity for Jacob to have even a little win. If there’s no speckled and spotty in the flock, odds are they won’t have any speckled and spotty.

Laban’s hoping Jacob will keep right on making him wealthy, for basically just room and board.

Now, while Laban is scheming, conniving, and cheating; what’s Jacob doing?

He’s minding his own business, keeping his end of the bargain, he went back to work, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flock.  

Jacob has changed. He’s gone through a metamorphosis. He’s a new man. No longer scheming, conniving, and cheating; no longer the heel grabbing, supplanter.

Proverbs 4:18; The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

2 Corinthians 3:18; But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:17; Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Romans 12:2; And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-54.

37 Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods.

He peeled strips of bark from the branches, exposing the white wood underneath.

38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.

He set the striped branches in the watering troughs.

A sight-based breeding trick, is nonsense, but it says that the color of lambs reflects what the mother was looking at during conception.

Critics point to what Jacob did and say the Bible is a bunch of superstitious folklore.

However, a sight-based breeding trick is not what Jacob was doing.

All areas of study eventually catch up with the Bible, including botany, herbal remedies, animal husbandry; which over the past few decades have exonerated the methodology of Jacob.

Today, the same trees Jacob used (poplar, almond, chestnut; plane) are used to supplement livestock feed, and are used as veterinary treatments on several diseases and conditions. They promote better conception rates, optimal gestation, and increased multiple births

Tests of poplar supplementation revealed lambing percentage was increased from 20-41%.

Jewish people have used almond tree bark to increase the production of mothers’ milk.

Many, anti-inflammatory and internal remedies, were made by steeping the bark of these trees in water; which is exactly what Jacob did. He turned the water into a multivitamin tea. *

So, the ewe lambs belly up to the watering hole, sipping Jacob’s sweet tea; just hanging out, chewing on a stick, getting refreshed.

Then the ram lambs come sniffing around, getting fresh, and the next thing you know, there’s a whole lot of breeding going on.

39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.

Remember, this is exactly what the Lord said would happen. Genesis 31:12.

This was the hand of Providence, not coincidence, or some silly sight-based breeding trick.

Against all odds, God’s plan prevailed.  It always prevails.

Whether a rod of discipline or a stick for making sweet tea, whatever the Lord gives us to set our hand to, let’s do it heartily unto Him.

Knowing, it’s not about the results, it’s about the awesome honor of walking with Him, working with Him; so, sink or swim, succeed or fail, it’s up to Him.  

God gives the increase.

God didn’t need Jacob’s help, He wanted it.

He wants yours.

Colossians 3:17. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

40 Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock.

41 And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. 42 But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s.

Now, Jacob begins a selective breeding process.

He separates his cute little speckled and spotted lambs.

The little ewe lambs will be little ladies ready to breed in about 7 months. They’ll be able to breed up to 4 times per year, and generally give birth to 1-2 lambs.

Then, Jacob paired, the strongest of the sheep with his speckled and spotty, and of course brewed them some of his special multivitamin, stick sweet tea.

Jacob did his part; God gave the increase, and it’s still increasing to this very day.

There’s an ancient breed of sheep, still raised today, known for its multi-colored fleece. The black-and-white spotted wool is highly prized.

Can you guess what the breed is called?

Jacob Sheep?

Yes, because some trace its origin back to this story of Jacob’s selective breeding program.

43 Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Supernaturally, by God’s hand, Jacob prospered materially, but much more importantly, he prospered Spiritually.  

The odds were totally against him. Laban made it impossible for Jacob to succeed.  

Which made it the perfect breeding ground for God to work; in more ways than one.

Jacob was moving from Divine Discipline to Divine Destiny.

Laban deceived, cheated, mistreated Jacob. Like Jacob had done to his own family, his father, his brother.

Through it, Jacob changed, he grew, it took 14 long years of working for nothing but room and board, but now, Jacob is humble, teachable, ready to step into his Divine Destiny.

How about you?

Remember, it’s not the perfect and spotless, but the messy, speckled and spotty, that God chooses and uses, so only He gets the glory.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus our Good Shepherd, we can relate to being the messy, spotty and speckled. Thank You, for accepting us into Your fold. Help us to know Your Voice, and follow.

We love You, forever,

Amen.

*More info. on Jacob’s Odd Breeding Program: https://answersingenesis.org/genetics/animal-genetics/jacobs-odd-breeding-program-genesis-30/

Prayer Requests:

Call or text: 612-554-2522

Email: pray4measap@aol.com

Facebook: Church at WPV

Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling

Watch online:

Facebook: Jacob’s Makin’ Lambs Program, Genesis 30:25-43  

You Tube: Jacob’s Makin’ Lambs Program, Genesis 30:25-43  

This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.