Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha
Lessons from Jacob
After Jacob had served fourteen years in Laban’s employ so
he could eventually marry Rachel, the woman of his dreams, he realized that he
also needed his own financial and material resources to provide for his family.
So he asked Laban for permission to go on his own. But Laban offered to
remunerate Jacob for his services. So both Laban and Jacob negotiated the terms
of employment. Jacob would tend the family flock for as long as he wanted but
in the process, Jacob would overtime have his own flock through the process of
owning all the speckled and spotted sheep, all the brown ones among the lambs,
and the spotted and speckled among the goats. After the verbal agreement was
signed so to speak, ever crafty Laban was on top of his game again. He removed
all the animals Jacob had chosen for his wages from the family flock, gave them
to his sons to tend many miles away from Jacob.
Was Jacob daunted by Laban’s game? Not at all as the events which
played out later indicate! Rather than cry wolf and hold a pity party, Jacob put
all of his creative juices to work. Certainly, there should be a way out of the
situation which threatened to not only pauperize him for life but would keep
him in Laban’s employ and household for life. Was that God’s will for Jacob; to
remain in the house of Laban with two wives, two concubines, twelve sons and a
daughter when Laban had other sons who would contest their father’s
inheritance? Additionally, Jacob had no intention of being Laban’s heir. He
knew God’s plans and purposes for his life and he would not allow a crafty
Laban truncate those plans and purposes in Padan Aram.
Besides, and this is very instructive; the plans and
purposes of God for Jacob were much larger than anything Padan Aram had to
offer. After all, God met Jacob on his way to Padan Aram and promised to give him
and his descendants the land of Canaan. So what was there for him and his
family in Padan Aram? Padan Aram only served certain purposes, a temporary shelter
from Esau’s rage and threat to kill him; as well as a place for getting married
and raising children. So while waiting for Esau’s rage to melt, he had grown
from single Jacob to a family man with many children, a man who required his
personal economic resources. He had to do something about his economic
resources so he could eventually get out of Padan Aram. To start with, he had
overgrown Padan Aram. So he set to work, make wealth happen and disappear from
Laban’s servitude.
It is quite amazing how on earth Jacob came by the idea of
growing a flock of his own out of what appeared to be nothing. Every animal
that could have produced the speckled animals that would be his flock had been
removed by Laban. But Jacob creatively made the animals mate by the woods he
designed to give their babies speckles and spots. Significantly and quite
instructive, Jacob only placed the woods by the strong animals. That way, he
was able to raise a flock of strong healthy animals that went on to produce
many more animals thus making Jacob wealthy, rich in livestock.
Though Laban and his sons were envious, there was no way
they could accuse Jacob of stealing their flock because their crafty father,
Laban had removed every speckled and spotted animal from their herds. Secondly,
there was no way Laban could claim to have enriched Jacob in terms of Jacob’s
large and strong herd. In essence, Jacob’s wealth came from God through the
divine ideas God gave to him. Beloved, you are no exception neither is today’s
economic situation any different from Laban’s craftiness. But no matter what
the circumstances are; the odds weighted against you, you can still make wealth
happen and become wealthy like Jacob.
How, you may ask? God is still in full control of the
Universe and will always be. You can therefore ask Him Who promised to give you
the power to create wealth to show you exactly how to do so. Jacob did not go
outside his immediate environment or profession to make wealth happen. He
worked within the same profession and environment but creatively with the help
of God circumvented all the challenges placed on him. You can succeed. You can
make wealth happen; not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God. Get
close, real close to the Holy Spirit and get all it takes to make wealth
happen. God help you and give you divine speed as you do so today in the mighty
name of Jesus Christ. Shalom.
No comments:
Post a Comment