How's your day been going Alan Cohen? Are you ready for today's lesson?
< = = = It's been a good day Mr. Comfort. And yes I am.
Today is an interesting story, trickster versus trickster. From 1952 to 2018, a popular publication, Mad Magazine published 550 regular comedy magazine issues. They often included a cartoon series labled Spy versus Spy, whenever I read this passage that cartoon comes to mind.
Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country. Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be on my way. You certainly know how hard I have worked for you.”
“Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for the LORD has blessed me because of you. Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The LORD has blessed you through everything I’ve done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?”
What wages do you want?” Laban asked again.
Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”
“All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.” But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons, who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.
Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them. Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated. And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. Jacob separated those lambs from Laban’s flock. And at mating time he turned the flock to face Laban’s animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing Laban’s.
Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate in front of the branches. But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s. As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.
< = = = No way that's in the Pentateuch, you just made that up to tease me. That could not possibly work.
John Comfort slid Alan's fathers copy of The Complete Jewish Bible across the table to Alan. "Look it up yourself. And while you are at it, Jeremiah 32:27: 'Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?' We both know, and Jacob probably did as well, the sticks couldn't change anything, but he felt he had to do something. The story highlights the interplay between human effort and divine intervention in achieving success. It is also a reminder the Lord has a sense of humor. We'll stop here and let the lesson sink in. Be sure and read ahead, things are going to get out of hand, but God is in charge and He has His plan."
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