LIFE SCRIPTS

1 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.”
Genesis 31:1‭-‬16 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.31.1-16.NIV.

Before we make any significant move in life, we must discern the times we’re living in. Above all, we must listen to the voice of God. Jacob noticed a change in Laban’s attitude towards him. He also noted that his sons murmured against him. According to them, he had taken their fathers livestock because he seemed to prosper by the day. But Jacob didn’t just act out of a gut feeling. He didn’t just use circumstances to conclude he was a persona-non-grata in Laban’s household. He heard a voice from the Lord Himself. In verse 3, the Lord Himself told him to ‘go back’ to his fatherland. He instructed him that it’s crunch time…it’s time to pack up and get going. Jacob’s decision was not driven by negative emotions. However, he had all the right to be annoyed at Laban…he tricked him to marry Leah, he cajoled him to stay and now he had deceived him of his wages ten times. Now his sons were conjuring up a scheme against him. However, he still remained committed until God’s voice instructed him otherwise since it seemed like this situation had simmered for a while. Our emotions can drive us towards decisions that are far from God’s perfect will in our lives. Making life changing decisions when we are experiencing an emotional extreme (anger/ bitterness or elation/ joy) can ultimately be disappointing. God’s voice must be our leading in all we do. As we seek God in the midst of difficult situations He’ll guide us towards the right path. Most of the times the people we answer to in the line of duty do not fear God as was the case between Jacob and Laban. However, God still calls us to be faithful to Him. Remember, as Laban changed the wages, Jacob still remained faithful to his work. He did not reciprocate with additional trickery. His faithfulness paid off. God blessed him and increased his flocks. The workplace is full of people injured by their bosses. Some have been denied promotion, others have had their incomes reduced, others have worked diligently without pay. However, God still calls us to be faithful. If we are, He’ll fight the battle for us and at the end we’ll be victorious. But lastly, this Jacob- Laban story is also about a God who is a God of social justice. Remember that Jacob came to Padan Aram as a man on the run. He was poor and in need of shelter which he could only find in Laban’s household. Laban on the other hand was a man of means. Wealthy by the standards of the land. But as Jacob kept working for him, did his economic circumstances change? Scripture seems to reveal to us that Laban conned Jacob on various occasions. In this instance, he kept on changing his wages desiring that he remains in the same cycle of poverty and dependence to him. However, what was God’s response to this trickery? He blessed Jacob. Whenever Laban chose a certain design on the flocks, God allowed to flocks to sire the other design which went to Jacob. He blessed Jacob because He desired to see him grow. Our nation, Kenya is one of the most unequal societies in the world today. However, God has blessed some of us Christians with resources. Do we seek to enrich ourselves further with these resources at the expense of the ones working for us? Do we seek to better the welfare of the nannies we employ or do we just desire that they are dependent on us so that we can gain the most out of them? This also is true for those who are the low cadre in our society…the bottom of the pyramid…the ones who can’t afford a square meal in a day… the ones trapped in a generational cycle of poverty. As we engage in our daily activities, do we bypass them or do we seek to challenge the systems that have put them there? Are we just job seekers or job creators for others? This is not just a call towards compassion. It’s a call towards social and economic justice. Laban tried head-over-heals to suppress Jacob’s economic growth but God, still blessed him an indication that we must desire the economic growth of others. This is our responsibility before both God and man.