Thurs.’s Devo - Ringstraked, Speckled, and Spotted

Read Gen. 30:25-43

Rachel is finally delivered from her barreness and now it is time for Jacob to break free from his oppressive uncle and find his own land and make his own name.  It is time for Jacob to go home.  He wants to leave the right way so he goes to Laban and tells him his plan.  Laban tries to talk him out of it because he knows that he has been blessed because of Jacob.  They talked about what his wages would be for all his years of work and Jacob came up with a plan.  He would go through the sheep and he would only keep the speckled and spotted cattle for himself and Laban would have the rest.  Laban agreed, so Jacob took what was his and took them a 3 day journey from Laban’s and settled there.  Then Jacob took rods and peeled them back to look like the hide of his sheep and pilled them up around the watering troughs so that they would bear cattle that looked like the rods.  I’m not sure how this works scientifically, but I do know how it works spiritually.  You will become what you behold.  If you are always filling your eyes with worldly things, you will become those things, but if you are always beholding the things of God and the Word, you will become a new creature.  When Laban’s strong sheep came to to mate by the water troughs, they bore ringstraked, speckled, and spotted cattle which now became Jacob’s.  He would take the rods away from the weak cattle so they would have solid calves.  Ingenious!  Jacob had worked for years for Laban and only had wives and kids to show for it.  He was finally going to get the wages that were long due him. 

Lord, you hold the secrets to the universe and you share them with us!! How great is your name!