Genesis 30:25-43

Genesis 30:25-43

[25] And it came to pass, when Rachel  had born  Joseph,  that Jacob  said  unto Laban,  Send me away,  unto mine own place,  and to my country.  [26] Give  me my wives  and my children,  for  whom I have served  for thou knowest  my service  which I have done  [27] And Laban  said  unto him, I pray thee, if I have found  favour  in thine eyes,  tarry: for I have learned by experience  that the LORD  hath blessed  me for thy sake.  [28] And he said,  Appoint  me thy wages,  and I will give  [29] And he said  unto him, Thou knowest  how  I have served  thee, and how  thy cattle  [30] For it was little  which thou hadst before I  came, and it is now increased  unto a multitude;  and the LORD  hath blessed  thee since my coming:  and now when  shall I provide  for mine own house  also? [31] And he said,  What shall I give thee?  And Jacob  said,  Thou shalt not give  me any thing:  if thou wilt do  this thing  for me, I will again  feed  and keep  thy flock:  [32] I will pass  through all thy flock  to day,  removing  from thence all the speckled  and spotted  cattle,  and all the brown  cattle  among the sheep,  and the spotted  and speckled  among the goats:  and of such shall be my hire.  [33] So shall my righteousness  answer  for me in time  to come,  when it shall come  for my hire  before thy face:  every one  that is not speckled  and spotted  among the goats,  and brown  among the sheep,  that shall be counted stolen  with me. [34] And Laban  said,  Behold, I would it might be  according to thy word.  [35] And he removed  that day  the he goats  that were ringstraked  and spotted,  and all the she goats  that were speckled  and spotted,  and every one that had some white  in it, and all the brown  among the sheep,  and gave  them into the hand  of his sons.  [36] And he set  three  days'  journey  betwixt himself and Jacob:  fed  the rest  of Laban's  flocks.  [37] And Jacob  took  him rods  of green  poplar,  and of the hazel  and chesnut tree;  and pilled  white  strakes  in them, and made the white  appear  which was in the rods.  [38] And he set  the rods  which he had pilled  before  the flocks  in the gutters  in the watering  troughs  when the flocks  came  to drink,  that they should conceive  when they came  to drink.  [39] And the flocks  conceived  before the rods,  and brought forth  cattle  ringstraked,  speckled,  and spotted.  [40] And Jacob  did separate  the lambs,  and set  the faces  of the flocks  toward  the ringstraked,  and all the brown  in the flock  of Laban;  and he put  his own flocks  by themselves, and put  them not unto Laban's  cattle.  [41] And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger  cattle  did conceive,  that Jacob  laid  the rods  before the eyes  of the cattle  in the gutters,  that they might conceive  among the rods.  [42] But when the cattle  were feeble,  he put them not in:  so the feebler  were Laban's,  and the stronger  Jacob's.  [43] And the man  increased  exceedingly,  and had much  cattle,  and maidservants,  and menservants,  and camels,  and asses. 

What does Genesis 30:25-43 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jacob and Laban ("White") made an agreement that each man felt he could manipulate to his own advantage. However, God sovereignly overruled to bless Jacob as He had promised in spite of Laban"s deceit and Jacob"s deviousness (cf. Job 5:13; Psalm 7:15; 1 Corinthians 3:19).
As the previous pericope shows how Yahweh provided descendants for Jacob as He had promised (seed), this one demonstrates how He made Jacob wealthy (blessing). In both cases God acted in spite of and independent of the bickering, superstition, deceit, and disobedience of Jacob and his wives.
"By crossing the heterozygotes among themselves, Jacob would produce, according to the laws of heredity, twenty-five percent spotted sheep. Thus he multiplies his flock. Jacob has displayed ingenuity; he has not practiced deception.
"Jacob"s knowledge of zoology is far from primitive. But perhaps such knowledge has been given him by God, just as his son"s capacity to interpret dreams was a gift from God." [1]
Jacob was evidently relying on a popular superstition, namely, that certain experiences of the mother during pregnancy influenced the condition of her offspring, to mislead Laban ( Genesis 30:37-39). At least one writer thought that Jacob was mistakenly counting on this custom to ensure fertility among his flocks.
"All marking of the offspring such as that which Jacob thought he was accomplishing in Laban"s flocks, is completely impossible.... In the placenta and umbilical cord, which constitutes the only connection between the mother and the fetus, there are no nerves.... Thus, absolutely no mechanism exists whereby the mother can mark her offspring in the way that Jacob thought he was accomplishing the marking." [2]
Whether Jacob was very smart or very superstitious, the success of Jacob"s plan was due to the grace of God ultimately (cf. Genesis 31:10-12).
"As with many of the tricks which Jacob attempts in these narratives, God blessed Jacob in spite of them, not because of or through them." [3]
The herdsmen believed the stronger members of the flock mated in the summer and the weaker in the fall ( Genesis 30:41-42). [4] Jacob"s ownership of camels ( Genesis 30:43) shows that he was very rich since these animals were rare and costly. [5]
Jacob"s behavior was devious in that he sought to prosper at the expense of his employer. The text records that Jacob became very wealthy ( Genesis 30:43), but it does not say that his wealth was a blessing from God. Jacob made his own fortune, but the text says that God made Abraham rich. God allowed Jacob to become wealthy through his own toil and deception. God probably would have done more for Jacob than he could have done for himself if Jacob had placed himself under God"s authority. This is what God usually does.
The lesson of this section is that people who experience God"s material blessing need to acknowledge that it comes from Him rather than from their own abilities.