Increase
Gen 30:22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
Luke 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Gen 30:23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
Gen 30:24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.
The name Joseph, is made from two words, meaning to gather and to add to. God shall add; The LORD shall add to me another son. Rachel considered her son as the beginning of a "collection" of babies. She had demanded a son and after 14 years God had complied. We should be careful of how we see God; is he a servant or is he our LORD? Jesus showed us the servant heart of God, that he wishes for us to have. Rachel was used to having her own way and she manipulated people to get her own way. Have thine own way LORD. Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Gen 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.
His home was the piece of land in the promise land.
Gen 30:26 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.
He had completed his 14 years of service.
Gen 30:27 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.
Laban said that he had learned by experience, nachash: to practice divination, divine, observe signs, learn by experience, diligently observe, practice fortunetelling, take as an omen. Laban practiced occult divination and he knew by experience that the LORD has blessed him for thy sake. The blessings of Abraham follow Jacob.
Gen 30:28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
What wages do you request to continue serving me?
Gen 30:29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
Gen 30:30 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?
Jacob reminds Laban that his herds have increased greatly by his hand. Now, when will he provide for his own family as well? Wealth was not the goal, but caring for his family.
1 Tim 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
His herds increased under his hand. We should work to increase the bosses wealth, so that we too may be blessed. Most jobs require production.
Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Luke 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Luke 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
Gen 30:31 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.
Gen 30:32 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.
Jacob would separate from the flock, all brown sheep and goats and those with spots or streaks.
Gen 30:33 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.
Jacob would take care of all the white, unspotted and unstreaked goats and sheep.
Gen 30:34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
Gen 30:35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstreaked 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.
Gen 30:36 And he set three days' journey betwixthimself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.
Laban removed all brown, streaked and spotted cattle from the herd and gave them to his son who would take them a three days journey, the distance the flock could walk in three days, and they would not be able to breed with the white sheep and goats.
Gen 30:37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
Rods of green, undried poplar and of hazel nut and chestnut; stripping the bark away in places, so they looked white, streaked with brown.
Gen 30:38 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.
The piles of streaked branches were placed where the animals would see them as they drank water at the troughs, supposedly imprinting streaks in their minds, so when they breeded they would be influence by these images.
Gen 30:39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted.
This magic trick brought forth ringed and streaked flocks? Or was this the blessings of God? Do we take credit for the blessings we receive because of our efforts? sometimes, but we cannot forget who gives us grace to do the work. Do not forget that God gives all that is good to us.
Deu 7:13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deu 7:14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
Gen 30:40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstreaked, 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.
Gen 30:41 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.
Gen 30:42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
He only bred the stronger animals : Laban received the feebler animals and Jacob the stronger. Work hard and do your best, God gives the increase.
Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
Rom 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
What deeper meaning can we find in all this? The sacrificial animals were white and from the pure white goats and sheep came the striped ones. By the stripes Jacob was blessed and would be free from the bondage of Laban. Jesus was the pure Lamb of God who was striped for our salvation.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
1 Pet 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Gen 30:43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.
His increase was great and God gave him the increase. From the increase he bought camels and asses and more servants. Have you been increased and blessed by God? God blesses our efforts if we give him our best.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
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