QT 11/4/2025 Gen 30:25-36, God establishes your plans, not you

Genesis 30:25–36 (ESV) —

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.

 

NOTE: Laban is incredibly deceitful. He immediately removes the lambs that would have been Jacob's and places them many days away from Jacob so that he does not see them. Later, we would see that for all of Laban's scheming, Laban's wealth transfers to Jacob (Gen 31:1-2). Jacob thinks that it his scheming during the mating season, but in fact, as God would reveal in a dream (Gen 31:9-12), it was his will.

 

I remember a few passages that are useful at this point.

 

Proverbs 16:9 (ESV) —

9 The heart of man plans his way,

but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:3 (ESV) —

3 Commit your work to the Lord,

and your plans will be established.

Psalm 37:5 (ESV) —

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) — For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

 

The point is that scheming makes us think that we are in control of our life, but we are not. Yes, we must be prudent, but we must not forget that God is in control of our life, and it is his plan that will be accomplished. We need to let go of our plans and stop scheming our life, and go to prayer, asking him to accomplish his will in our life. It is much more peaceful to go with God than to fight against God. Saul found out that truth himself in his conversion.

 

Acts 26:14 (ESV) — And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

 

PONDER:

1. Do I need to give up trying to be in control?
2. Do I pretend to seek God but really I am just doing my own thing?

 

PRAYER: Father, forgive us for our pride and our rebellion, which began in the garden. Soften our hearts to hear you speak.