How Can I Get Really Rich?

Fading Prosperity and Eternal Blessing

(Genesis 30:25-43, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, May 3, 2015)

[25] As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. [26] Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.” [27] But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you. [28] Name your wages, and I will give it.” [29] Jacob said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you, and how your livestock has fared with me. [30] For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now when shall I provide for my own household also?” [31] He said, “What shall I give you?” Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock and keep it: [32] let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats, and they shall be my wages. [33] So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come to look into my wages with you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, shall be counted stolen.” [34] Laban said, “Good! Let it be as you have said.” [35] But that day Laban removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in the charge of his sons. [36] And he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the rest of Laban's flock.

Jacob knew that the time had come for him to leave Laban and to make his own life, but he found it hard to resist a man who said, “Name your wages, and I will give it.” Laban wanted to be seen as Jacob's benefactor, but Jacob knew that his father-in-law was just serving himself. Why then did he stay with him? Could a man like Laban ever be trusted?

[37] Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. [38] He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And [since] they bred when they came to drink, [39] the flocks bred in front of the sticks and [so] the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. [40] And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban's flock. [41] Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, [42] but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. [43] Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob had his own wild plan for prosperity, and it even seemed to work, but it would be the Lord who would bring greater blessings upon Jacob than anyone could imagine. See Genesis 31:9-13.

Put the Word to Work: Jacob was willing to do many things to try to attain what God would give to Him as a gift. The blessing that comes to us as the gift of Christ is better than all the kingdoms of the world. Wait for the Lord! He will bless His chosen people. We cannot scheme our way into God's finest gifts. They come to us despite all our tricks. Without the Lord's blessing, we could never have the finest jewels of Christian prosperity—the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and godliness with contentment which is great gain.

Memory Verse from the Songs of Ascents—Psalm 130:5

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.

Gospel Reading—Matthew 21:18-22 – Jesus curses the fig tree