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The Legacy of Laban or Jacob?

Words of Faith Final

The Legacy of Laban or Jacob?
Words of Faith 6-6-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 31
Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father." [2] And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been.
[3] Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
[4] So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. [5] He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. [6] You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength, [7] yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. [8] If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. [9] So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me.
[10] "In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. [11] The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' [12] And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. [13] I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.'"
[14] Then Rachel and Leah replied, "Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? [15] Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. [16] Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you."

Before we leave the problematic relationship between Laban and Jacob, we should reflect on the legacy of each. We see this in preparation for the departure of Jacob and his family.
Things often become complicated when it is time for a change. As Jacob grew more and more prosperous because of God's blessing, Laban's sons grew jealous. Laban's attitude toward Jacob changed, and it became clear it was time to go. Laban may have come to see Jacob as a threat. The blessing of God causes some strange responses in people. Still, Jacob waited until the Lord told him it was time to leave.
Once the Lord directed Jacob to go back to Canaan, he set out to convince his wives that this was a good plan. Jacob wanted to take with him a willing family. He did not want to simply order Leah and Rachel to leave the only home they had ever known. Apparently, Jacob had protected his wives from learning the ways Laban had cheated him. He had not wanted to speak badly of their father, but now he revealed the difficulty he had labored under for years.
Jacob also revealed the direction he had received from an angel of the Lord. Rachel and Leah had no difficulty understanding the situation! Sadly, Laban had built no love or loyalty in his daughters. They were very aware that Laban had looked only to his own selfish goals. Neither one would ever forget the disappointment and sense of betrayal that their father had planted in both of them at the time of their weddings.
There is a remarkable contrast in the story between Laban and Jacob. Laban had been devious and deceitful. He had dishonored both of his daughters in negotiating their marriage to Jacob. He had attempted to cheat his daughters out of any prosperity. In short, Laban had exploited his daughters' wealth and had lost their goodwill.
On the other hand, Jacob had been honorable in taking Leah as his wife even after being tricked. As agreed, he had been honorable in remaining to work for Laban, even after obtaining Rachel as his wife. He had fulfilled every obligation over the years, even though his wages were frequently changed. He even protected Rachel and Leah from thinking poorly of their father as much as possible. Most of all, Jacob had learned that God was responsible for blessing him. Jacob learned that no amount of conniving or tricking could ever confound the plan of God to care for him.
It is no wonder that Rachel and Leah were willing to leave their father and the only home they had ever known. They were also learning to trust in God. "Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you."
There is a powerful lesson here in sowing (planting) and reaping (harvesting). Laban sowed mistrust and dishonor into his daughters' lives and drove them away from himself. Jacob sowed honor and protection into his family, and they learned to trust him and God. Both reaped what they sowed.
The Apostle Paul put it so very powerfully in his letter to the Galatians: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:7-8).
What are you sowing into the lives of people around you? Are you sowing trust? Honor? Are you building a legacy that will last or taking the easy way? The selfish way? Are you looking only to yourself? Are you sowing to please the sin nature or the Spirit of God? Are you building the legacy of Laban or that of Jacob?

Father God, I desire to please You. I desire to build a legacy that honors You. Help me to sow honor and protection into the lives of those I love. Help me to sow this day to please Your Spirit. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.