Theme: PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
Text: “…I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty.” – Genesis 31: 41,42.
Comment: Seeing that the conditions in which he was working for Laban had become unbearable, Jacob had to run away secretly towards Canaan. However Laban pursued him and caught up with him seven days after. If not that God had warned him not to hurt him, he might have injured or even killed Jacob. By then Jacob had had enough and told him off saying, “…This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house …God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.” (Genesis 31:38-42) To end the matter, Jacob and Laban made a covenant not to hurt each other. The fact is that one cannot attain future success by deceit or fraud. But one who remains faithful and diligent, even under oppression, will be established by and by. “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” – Proverbs 28:20