Genesis
30:25 ¶ And it came to pass, when Rachel
had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto
mine own place, and to my country. 26
Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let
me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. 27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I
have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that
the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. 28
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. 29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have
served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. 30
For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased
unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when
shall I provide for mine own house also? 31
And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give
me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy
flock: 32 I will pass through all thy
flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all
the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats:
and of such shall be my hire. 33 So
shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my
hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the
goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. 34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be
according to thy word. 35 And he removed
that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats
that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and
all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. 36 And he set three days’ journey betwixt
himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
30:37
¶ And Jacob took him rods of green
poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them,
and made the white appear which was in the rods. 38 And he set the rods which he had pilled
before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came
to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and
brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the
faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of
Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s
cattle. 41 And it came to pass,
whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before
the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
42 But when the cattle were feeble, he
put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. 43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had
much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
Jacob wants to
take his family and leave Laban, returning to his own country. Laban
acknowledges that Jacob has been a wise steward of Laban’s flocks and has made
Laban prosperous. He says, tell me what you want and I’ll pay you. Jacob
reinforces that under his direction and by his work God has blessed Laban
through Jacob which is what Laban admitted. Now, it is time for Jacob to
acquire wealth of his own.
It is interesting
to note in history how the Jew, living in the countries of the Gentiles, has
made Gentiles rich and prosperous by their skills at handling money and
commerce. It is also interesting how, like Laban, the Gentiles have, more often
than not, resented the Jews, rather than thanked them, as we shall soon see of
Laban.
We don’t learn
until the next chapter that God has arranged for this method of Jacob acquiring
wealth and it is not some arcane and ancient form of sheepherding. It is
pointless to try to explain the events regarding the sheep without believing in
God’s miraculous involvement in Jacob’s life.
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