Dr Dean Alley: Alright, Chaplin Dean Alley here. I had a moment. Folks, I wanted this is my third time. My software has glitched. It's two times. This is my third attempt to give you chapter 30 and 31. Am I frustrated? Yes. Because I get halfway through the teaching and it bleeps out. It just goes goes goes to another another page. So I am going to try this again and I as you know we're doing a study through Genesis. And I am gonna try to get through these two chapters and knock them out as best I possibly can. And Browser does what it wants to do. It started yesterday when I didn't ask it to. I know what's going on here, but I'm gonna give it a run. Alright, so let's just start in. I'm gonna go back to chapter 29 so I can give you the context of how this relationship will turn into an NV thing between the two the two ladies. So So bear with me, I'm going to share my screen. So you should see chapter three. I've a little picture here. you can see the two ladies here. Is gonna be Jacob. Alright, so let's read starting in verse 31 to 35 of 29. And when the Lord had saw Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived, and she bare a son, and she called his name Reuben. For she said, Surely the Lord has called his name Reuben. Or the Lord has looked upon my affliction and now therefore my husband. So she she there's a lot of play on words in the Bible. They have meanings. Words have meanings. And we're gonna see these different names that are in the situation or in that kind of st that that sentence or that pericope of that chapter, we're gonna see how this plays into it and what's going on in the chapter with the context and then how this is a play on words. So so she has Reuben and thinks, okay, now he's gonna love me. And she conceived again and bear the son and she said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he therefore give it given me this son, and and she called his name Simon. And she conceived again and she bare a son. Now this time her husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons, therefore his name will be called Levi. She conceived again and bare a son, and she said, Now will I praise thee, Lord. Therefore she called the name Judah, and left Baron. So here you are, you get in this this these these these four children Simon I'm sorry Reuben Simon and Levi and Judah and the play on words for ru for for Reuben it's see a son for Simon it's it's it's hearing for Levi it's attached which correlates with the verses as we mentioned then Judah means praise and that's kinda how she was there was some favoritism but God overruled this situation and we're gonna see as we go through. So let's pick it up at chapter thirty and verse one. And Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children. Rachel envied her sister and said unto Jacob, Give me children or else I die. So keep in mind these are two sisters, right? And there's a huge story behind that. We've been walking through these Chapters of Genesis, line by line, precept by precept, just trying to interpret scripture and pull the context out and the teachings for us and how it applies to us. Now remember, this is written to the Jewish people. This is written for them. And to them, but it is for our edification. So we can be edified by learning these things that we pull out of Genesis. But in the context of who who's this chapter talking to, it's talking to the Israel people. It's talking about Israel as a whole in the early stages. So and when Rachel saw it, she basically didn't bear a son in her in her cachel envied her, give me a child or a children or less I die. And Jacob answered. And kindled against Rachel. So kindled he's mad. So and he said, I am in Godstead. So he he's gonna throw out this kind of rhetorical like, Am I God? Am I God? Did I make that happen? So then he goes on to say Who hath withheld thee from the fruit of thy womb? So he's basically being a little snarky here and he's saying, Look, I'm not God. So these are the two wives. There's Laban that's gonna d Laban that deceives Jacob, or Yokov, depending on how you Read it into marrying the sisters. So there's some deception there. Jacob becomes a father in his eighties. These were not spring chickens. And the chapter focuses on Leah's children in chapter 9, and then the chapter 30 is going to focus on Rachel. And what do we know? We know that Rachel is beautiful and is jealous of Leah. And Rachel does the same thing Sarah did and gives servant Billah to Jacob to bear eight bear children. Billah, not a wife of what? Concubine, that's a sin. So he's not married to this person, but he's going to have a child with them. God does not validate Jacob's decision to take two wives. simply put, it's just not good. So if you're in a polygamous relationship, it is not God honored, and that's not my words. So what we look at here, we must separate God's command from the statement of historical facts. So let's let's look at a couple things. Bible is full of statements by humans that are lies, exaggerations, inaccuracies, and superstition. Let's let's separate this. Bible does not take the time to comment on each of these statements or actions as whether it was right or wrong. That's a true statement. We you know we don't often hear as we read through it what's right or wrong. We have to discern that. So we must learn the principle so that we can know when the action or the statement was right in right in God's eye. So Heard me say it before is you're reading the Bible and you're you're you're indwelling that and you are meditating on that, and when you hear something in the Bible, your radar goes up, right? Like, whoa, kind of like a mom with your kids. You you you're at a playground, something's going on, and your radar goes up, and you know, that's that mom radar. and you're gonna protect that child. So that's kind of what I'm thinking here. When you're talking about he's and this is the statement where we know it's where our radar goes up when we hear something's not really kosher. Do you get it? All right, so ba may bear on my me knees. I need to clarify that. So this is an idiom. This is just it means placed a legal claim on that child, and it is used when a servant is a surrogate of mother or in an adoption. So it's used in this culture, this time frame. You have to note this though, Rachel not obligated to accept the servant's children as her own. So she can she could do all this but doesn't have to take that child as her own. Billa, her maid servant, more than likely had more children of her own that she kept and raised on her own in the little I call it the tribe or Clan, if you will, and Billa gives birth to Dan and that and Nephali. let me continue. And Jacob's anger was king kindled against Rachel, and he said, Am I God? Am I in God's test? Am I God, basically? And she said, Behold, my maid Billah, go unto her, and she may bear a child on my knees, that I might have children by her. And she gave him Billah, her handmaid, to her wife, and Jacob went into unto her went unto her, and Billah conceived and bare Jacob a son. Rachel said, God hath judged me and hath also heard my voice and hath given me a son, therefore called his name Dan. So what's going on here? So you got envy and jealous back and forth. They're they're they're they're they're going back and forth with children. Now remember, in that culture, having the son to carry the name and to carry on the family historic historical history of the family and its lineage. All those things are important and they carry that typically through the mail. So Rachel causes some tensions tension. She was jealous. So what does she do? What does she do? She she she outbursts. She she she she attacks Jacob and Jacob comes back with my God, you know. so is that the right thing to do? Probably not. Was she frustrated? Sure. But she was not relying on God. She was relying on herself and she was getting frustrated. That's a message all by itself. You can't rely on self to get what God is gonna approve for you. Now you remember, this is the patriarch with these children that are gonna be Israel. It's gonna be the the the children of Israel and they are going to be the chosen people through the lineage through Jacob as the patriarch. So God's very very clear how he's gonna do that. He's certainly not gonna let our decisions or their their s decisions take over what he in he plans to do with this entire tribe. So keep that in mind. So the cheap she births, what happens? Jacob he gets mad and he sins. He offers her the she's he's offered the the maid, Billah. And Jacob's wife or concubine. That's a sin. Jacob gave Rachel and bore children with Billah. God gave Dan the meaning of judgment. Felt as if they had heard vindication because she was worthy of children. Then God gave Nephali, meaning wrestling. So let's pick it up and eight. And Rachel said, with great wrestling, Nephali is going to be the child, setting this up, having wrestle with my sister, I have prevailed, and I have c and and she has called his name a folly. Excuse me. And when Leah saw that she had left Bering, she took Ziplah, her maid, and gave her to Jacob to wife. And Ziplah, Leah's maid, bare Jacob a son, and Leah said, A troop cometh, and she called his name Gad. And then we know that You know, dad meaning good luck. Words matter, folks. You hear the names and what they refer to. in the scripture here and how it's being utilized into the the plots, if you will. So So Zipla, Leah's maid, she bears a second son. And Leah says, Happy am I, for the daughter will call blessed, will call blessed, me blessed. And she called his name Asher. And we know that Asher means happy. And Reuben went into the days of the wheat harvest, and he found the mandrakes in the field and brought them unto his mother Leah. And he said, give basically brings him unto his mother. Leah, Rachel, then Rachel says to Leah, Give me I pray thee, thy son's mandrakes. And she comes back with her with a little snarky response and says and says, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? And wouldn't thou take away my son's mandrakes also? Kind of tongue lashing her little bit there. And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee tonight or tonight For thy son's mandarin. She's making a deal. She's making a deal. Sleep with him tonight and give me the mandarins. What's the deal with these mandarits? Well, let's figure it out. So and God had her hearkened to her Leah, and she conceived and bare Jacob a fifth son, and Leah said, God hath hath given me my hire, because I have given my maid to my husband. And she called his name Asher Ishkar. Ishkar meaning reward. And Leah conceived again and bare Jacob the sixth son, and Leah said, God hath endued endowed me or endued me with a good dowry. Now will my husband dwell with me because I have borne him six sons, and she called his name Zebulon. And Zebulon means honor or dwelleth is what that means. And then after which she bare a daughter, which is rare, a and called her name Dinah. And Dinah means judgment. And then verse twenty two, and God remembered Rachel, and God heard unto hearkened unto her prayer, and opened her womb, and she conceived, and she bare a son, and God had taken away my reproach, and she called his name Joseph. And the Lord shall add me to another son. So here we are, first twenty four verses, we're getting us history here of you know these different children being born and negotiating, hiring mandrakes were not just ancient, but they're an aphrodisiac, like an apple. See this over here? This this this plant is giving you an idea of what a mandrake is. They they looked at it in the in the ancient that that was something to help them and it was more of a superstition thing. it was just that's what they believe. But Leah bears three more children while Rachel remains barren for three more years. So the the the what do we learn? The the the the maid servants are the ones who are gonna have the children. Okay. So let me just caveat. So let's look at I I got a little breakout here and I'm hoping this will help a little bit. So let's talk about Leah's children. She has Reuben, Simon, Levi, and Judah. Boom. First four, right out of the gate, right? and in that order. So then we come down to Billah, which is Rachel's handmaid. She has number five, Dan, and then Nephali, which again, this is Rachel. So we go back to seven. Zilpah, which is now Leah's handmaid, has Gad and Asher. And that's seven and eight. Then nine, Isha, Ishkar, and Zebulon, Leah. So then we come down to ten eleven. Rachel has Joseph. And although Joseph was the son of Jacob, there is never was a Joseph tribe. They never you never found the tribe of Joseph. You won't find that. Rachel. in bur and she has her twelfth child, which is Benjamin, and then later, Joseph or excuse me, Jacob, he will adopt Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Mason, Manasseh. Sorry, couldn't get it out. And these were his sons, but Jacob is gonna adopt them on the party with his other children. So that's that's an important piece there. So let's pick it up in twenty-five. And when it came to pass when Jake and Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto my own place and my own country. I want to go home. Give me wives and my children, for whom I serve thee, and I and let me go, for I knowest my service which I have done for thee, or done thee. And verse 27, Laban comes back and says, Said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry for I have learned by the experience that the Lord has blessed me, so he recognizes who? The Lord, because he knows him for thy sake, because of Jacob's God, he's blessed. And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give this. So now we're leaving from family, so you're going to be on the clock. You're going to be my hireling. I'm going to purchase you and I'm going to use you for that. So appoint me my wages. I know that I've served thee when the ca and and how thy cattle was with me, which is is what we would say the The sheep. They use cattle as sheep. I own a thousand cattle on th I own the cattle on a thousand hills, cattle mean goats and stuff in that nature. So for it for it was a little which thou hast became I came and now increased unto multitude, and the Lord has still laid been speaking, and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming and now when I provide for my own house also. And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt n shall not give me anything. If thou wilt do this thing for me, I will keep again the feed and keep thy flock. So I'll take care of your your flock, if if if is what he's do. He's gonna make a deal here. And he says, I will pass through the the all thy flock to the day, removing from thence all speckled and spotted cattle, which is sheep. and goats, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted, speckled among the goats, and such shall share My hire So shall my righteous my righteousness answer me in time to come that when I it shall come for my hire before thy face, everyone that sees not the speckled, and the spotted among the goats, the brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. So he's he's explaining what happens if You take away something and it's not Going consider it stolen. So if you you know, you take we're gonna learn a little bit more here about what Jacob does. But Jacob's main reason he wants to go home. Jacob's freedom is to provide for himself and family. He's looking to do that and not be under the umbrella. Jacob had worked very hard and very diligent, right? So we see that. And Laban's response had been enlightened by some of Jacob's value by some omen or whatever that. But Jacob. He offers a partnership and and and got and jaw and and Jacob is credited by God. So Jacob had greatly increased in Labian's wealth and it it was God who blessed Labian through what? Labor of Jacob. Through somebody else he received the blessing. When you pray intercessory for somebody to have the blessing, that's the the thinking there. That just popped in my head. So Also right in and he said, What shall I give the okay then he goes Jacob land and trusted God's work to bless? the principle here is not to be in debt. That's the goal. That's the precept. Don't be in debt to don't be like Joseph and be in debt with Labian. That's what he the precept there. and suggests the the work agreement. So and Laban said, Behold, I will in my might according to thy word, and he removed that day and he goats that were ringing, ring straight and spottled spotted, and all the goats, she goats that were speckled, spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them in the hand of his sons. So he gave them to his sons. That's what Laban did. And he set three days journey betwixt or between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. And Jacob took him rods of green popular poplar and and of the hazel and chestnut stre tree and piled them what peeled them or you know peeled them is how they say it but white streaks in them and made the white appear which was in the trough. So he puts them in the trough for the watering. So when they get together and they see this in there, they're thinking that this is the way that they grow and change color of the flock. That's the thinking in this time frame. So when they came to drink they would also the flocks would conceive before the rods and brought forth the cattle ring straight ring straight, speckled and spotted. Jacob did separate the lambs and set the faces of the flocks that were streaked in brown, the flocks to Labian, and he put his own flocks by themselves and put them not unto Laban's cattle. So he separated them. And he came to pass when whosoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rod. So he took the stronger of the two in the gutters that might conceive among the rods. So he wasn't looking for the weakest animal to breed, he was looking for the strongest animal to breed. And it came to pass the stronger and then but when forty-two, I'm sorry, but when the cattle were feeble, He put them not in so feeble that Labian and Jacob started. So here you go, Labian, here's your weak ones. And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle and maid servants, men servants, camels, and asses. So you're seeing Jacob getting blessed by God. So Jacob worked and trusted God, he carried out his plan, and he used whatever the method was with those those rods. Labian he had full distrust. He separated he, not Jacob, separated the flock. So he separated and he gave him and put under his sons, to watch and care, not under Jacob's care. Tells you how much he didn't trust him. You don't steal mines. I'm gonna get mines. All right. Alright, so then okay, so that let me see, I think we go into that is in chapter thirty. Okay, so prophetic, okay, I'm giving you a little map here of what we're talking about. Messi Mesopotamia. So Just a thought as I close down here on thirty and move into thirty-one. how should we work earn to earn a living? Well, by working hard. Genesis 2, 5. And the Lord God took the man, put him in the garden of Eden, and dressed it, and he told him to keep it in the sweat of thy face and eat thy bread till thou return unto the grounds, for out of wasst was thou taken the dust. Thou art into the dust shall thou return. So working off the sweat of the brow. We're we should be trusting God to meet our needs and our basic needs. I think of Matthew 6, 33, and it says, But ye first see first the kingdom of God, seek the kingdom first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things shall be added. Now unto him that is able to do abundantly above all. All that we think according to the power that worketh in us, what's in you, the Holy Spirit. That's Ephesians 320. Then lastly, and just to finish this one, by trusting God and give us that God give us whatever prosperity He wishes to give. Some people have more money than others, some people have more things than others, some have more kids, more blessed, whatever. It's up to God, and we have to we have to give that to Him. So all things whatsoever ye shall pray, ask and pray, believe it, and you shall receive it. Matthew Matthew twenty one, twenty-two. And Jesus said unto them, If thou canst believe, all things are possible, to believeth to him that believeth. So can you believe? That's where we're at. Alright, let's pick up thirty-one, and this is another large chapter. Battle of the Seivers, here's the difference between the speckled. here's Jacob, here's Labian, the older guy. Mean Mr. White. The reason I say that is a play on words is Laban's word in Hebrew is white. Here's his white goat. God doesn't do anything by accident. So a pure white sheep, pure dark goats go to Laban, speckled his bottle go to Jacob. Normal equals pure white sheep goats. That's the norm. Labian in Hebrew means white, and the white In the sight of the white spots on the goats and sheep that were white and dark infuriated Laban. He didn't like that. Alright, picking it up. History's gonna repeat itself. Jacob, his life is similar to Abraham. Well we're gonna learn this. Did Jacob belong to Mesopotamia or Canaan? I'll answer that. Canaan. Just as Abraham and Lot had to separate over the matters of the herds and flocks. So did so do Jacob and Labian. The division and separation separations are rarely on a happy term. People leave, don't leave on happy terms. Jacob will cut family ties with the Mesopotamia. That answers that question. And the land of Canaan becomes what? His home. So I call that out so you can see what happens. So what do we learn? In verse one of thirty one and he heard the words of Laban's son, saying, Jacob hath taken away that was our fathers, and of that which is our fathers has begotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Labian, and behold, it was not towards him as before. So his attitude changed because he's now didn't that happen a lot? Bring money into the picture, people change or the ability to what can I get out of this situation? So he's basically he's he's grumbling, his sons are grumbling, he's accusing Jacob of stealing. And he said unto them, I see your father's countenance that it is not towards me as before. But God of my father has been with me, and ye know that with all my power I served your father, and your father has deceived me. He's changed my wages what? How many times, folks? Ten times, you're right. And but God suffered him not to hurt me. So he said, Look, he didn't hurt me, but he definitely abused me. If he said this, the speckle shall be thy wages, then all the cattle bear the speckle. And if if he said this, the ring straight shall be thy hire, then bear all the cattle of the ring straight. Ring ring straight is is a ring or a streak. Thus God has taken away the cattle of your fathers and given to me. And it came to pass. That the cattle conceived and lifted up my eyes, and I saw it in a dream, and behold the rams were which leaped upon the cattle were ring straight or striped, speckled and grizzled. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob, and I said, Here I am So here's Jacob talking to God, the angel of God. In his dream. So can God come to us in our dreams? Did hear. So I'd say yes. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes and see all the rams which leap upon the cattle and string straight, speckled, grizzled, for I have seen all that Labanet doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel. it'll be Bethel Ham Jerusalem. I am the God of Bethel who who ere thou anointest the pillar and where thou vowest the vow unto me, now rise and get out of this land and return to the land that thy kindred. So here we find that this is a remember the the whole the anointing and all those things in in being remembered by God. Well that's that's an archetype of the New Testament with Christ. Christ was anointed, right? I know that a lot of times they put anointment on some of the sheep. This is another thing, but they did that to keep the flies out of their face and stuff and kind of kept them away a little bit with some of that anointing of the sheep. I say that because that's an architect when Christ gets anointed in the New Testament. And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or in inheritance for us in our father's house? That's so they're asking, Is there anything we're gonna get anything for my father? And are we not counted of him strangers? For he hath sold us, which what did he do? He told Jacob that if you work for me so for work you got a daughter. That's sold. Encounter of stranger and he he sold us and devoured also our our money. For the riches which God hath taken from our fathers, that is ours and our children's, now then whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do then Jacob rose up and he his sons and his w wives upon the cam camels. So they're grumbling. This is a this is Labian, over here they're grumbling. What does Jacob do? He loads everybody up. You can see him here, two wives, so everything he owns to go back to Canaan. but before he does, we're gonna talk about how he consults with his wives. And while Laban is away, Jacob and his family quickly pack and flee. And then we see we're gonna find where it gets the household goods get stolen. But let's let's continue on here and eighteen he says and he carried away all the all his cattle, all his goods which he had gotten, and the cattle of of his getting, which he had gotten in Panaram, for to go to Isaac, his father, in the land of Canaan. And Labian went to share sheep, and Rachel's Rachel had stolen the images of her father. And Jacob stole away unawar unawares to Laban to Syrian the Syrian. So who is ja we know Labian is not Jewish or he's not part of Israel Hebrew, he's he's Syrian. He's a Syrian Gentile. And then he told that he had fled. And so when he had fled or so he fled with all that he had, and he rose up, passed over the river, and he set his face towards the mount of Gilead. And it was told to Labian on the third day that Jacob has fled. And he took his brother and he pr it to with him and pursued after him seven days' journey, and overtook him in the land of Gilead. And the and the god of Laban, the Sarion, And God came to Laban, not his God, in a dream by night to say unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob, either good or evil. God came to him and said, Look, pal, you better not lay a finger on him. Better not speak evil of him. He's my chosen. Just like you're chosen. If you're in Christ today, you are his chosen people. God protects his people, folks. Doesn't mean you're not gonna be in trials. You're either going in one, you're in one, you're coming out of one, but God's gonna God's gonna to protect you and keep you safe, as he's doing here in this situation where we see. And Laban overtook Jacob and pitched the tent in a mount and Laban. Laban and his brother his his brethren pitched the in the Mount of Gilead. And Laban said to Jacob, Why hast thou done this and stole away the unawares to me, carried away my daughter daughters as captives, taken with a sword, as if you were pilfering, taken away. Like he's treating he's saying, I'm the one that's the victim here, not you, which is not the case. greed. Jacob is also faced with the obstacle of his own dealings and his own Deepness of where he is in himself, looking at himself. So verse 27, whereas didst thou flee away secretly and steal away from me, and didst not tell me that I might have sent thee away with mirth and songs and tavernine and heart. In other words, we we throw a party for you, we would celebrate. Something tells me that probably wouldn't have happened, but anyways, and has not Suffered me to kiss my own sons and daughters, thou hast not now done foolishly in in doing so? It is in the power of my hand to hurt you. But the God of your father, He doesn't claim God is his, God of your father, essentially, spake unto me yesterday, or yesterday night, or last night, saying, take thou heed that that thou speak not to Jacob. either evil or bad. And now though you would wouldest or would need to be gone because thou sore longed after thy father's house. Yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? Those idols that Rachel took, that that that's exactly what they had, that many a god. So these little little figurines or terrapins is what they call them, that was his his God. And so And then Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I'm afraid, for I said, perventure, or perhaps thou or you wouldest take me by force thy daughters from me, with whether so or with so well whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live. So if you find those idols, we will not let that person live. Mm. Which is pretty severe. The stealing is not a very very Very good deal. So before our brethren discern thou what is thine in me, take take it to thee, for Jacob knew not that Rachel had saw. So he didn't know where Rachel had it. So Laban went about Jacob's tent in into Leah's tent and he Into the two maids serving s servants' tents, but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah Leah's house and entered into Rachel's house. Now Rachel had taken the images and put them in the camel's furniture, probably a knapsack or a a bag, and sat upon them, and Labian searched all tents, but found them not. And she said to her father, Let not it not displease my Lord that I cannot rise before thee, for as the custom of a woman is upon me, more likely she was in on her monthly cycle, and searched all the ten, but found them not. And she said to her father, And then thirty six and Jacob was wroth, he was r angry, wrath, wrath. And cho choad with Bav chid chode with Bavan He's talking to him aggressively. And Jacob answered and he said unto Laban, What is my trespass? What is my sin that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff? What hast thou found of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us. And twenty years I have been with thee. The ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young and rams of thy flock have I not eaten. Have I not been part of your family? You know, to treat me horrible here, that which was torn of the breast and brought not unto thee. I bear the loss of it, and my hands didn't thou require of it, and whether I stolen it by day. So basically when the an animal or something took one of the sheep or something, we find that Jacob takes it out of hide or out of his stash and replaces it to Labian. So he's trying to be as fair as he can in the situation. So he says, and then he basically said for six years I cattle and I has to change my wages ten times. Except God my father God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac had been with me. Surely thou hast set me away now empty. God hath seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee last night, or yesterday night. And Labian answered excuse me, and answered, and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters. This is the possessiveness and the narcissist here. Because he's seeing everything from his his perspective. these are my daughters, these are my children, these are my cattle. These are this cattle are my cattle. All that you seeest is mine, and what I can what I can I do this unto this day, my daughters, or unto the children that which they have born. Now, because of this, therefore. Come now, let us make a covenant, I and you, and let it be for the witness before me and you or thee. And Jacob took some stones and set them up on a pillar, and Jacob said unto his brother, gather some stones, and they took some stones, and they made a heap. And they did eat there upon the heap, so they sat down and had lunch problem. And Laban called it Jega Sahatiah. But Jacob called it Gilead. And Laban said, The heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Gilead. And Mitzpath, for he said, The Lord, which between me and thee when we were absent. So Jacob is faced with these obstacles and these troubles that he's dealing with. You notice all of just the messiness in this this relationship? So the way Jacob overcomes some of the obstacles, he shows his anger, it's righteous anger about how he's been treated. against how how he's been charged, and he's been now been charged a crime like he stole something. Against the hotly pursued, he was being pursued like you know, chasing him down. And then again being searched, and then again mistreated as a shepherd. So he's just not happy and against against being the son in law. So he gets really blasted by Labian. But in the end they start to make some peace and fin finish up the last few verses and from one another they make a covenant, a peace, a line, nobody crosses over, and then if thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take another wise besides my daughters, no man is with with us, see God is witness betwixt or between me and you. And Laban said to Jacob, Behold the heap and behold this pillar which I have cast bet cast between us or betwixt us and thee. This heap be a witness. This is how they did this in this ancient time. witness and the pillar to be a witness. So when you see that pillar, that's what it's gonna mean. It's gonna have a meaning behind it, memorializing that. And this pillar, excuse me, will not pass over the seep. So he will not pass, and then Jacob will not pass. So they're not gonna go past it. That's kind of the border that's set up and pass onto the the heap and this pillar unto me for harm. So I'm not gonna harm ya. so this is Syrian man. po living in the Babylonian phrase and Jacob is an Israelite. There's plausible communication and decisions, just like we saw in Egypt, with Isaac too. So, You see they got along, that's my point. So Arabs and the Jews, they got along. the god of Abraham, the god of Nahor, which is Abraham's father, by the way, the god of their father judged between us, and Jacob swear to the fear of his father Isaac, that Jacob sacrificed upon the mount and called his brethren to eat the bread, and they did eat the bread and tarried all night in the mount. And early in the morning Laban kissed up and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them, and Labian departed and returned unto his home. So what do we learn? You know, the Jacob worships God, he's thanking God. He goes into a worship. he ate with his relatives, he spent the night. Where's he at? He's on Mount Gilead, folks. I don't know if this one shows it or not, but he's on Mount Gilead. See Mount Hermione. not a good map but anyways so that's the that's the narrative for those two two those two chapters I wanted to run over some other points that I had Alright, let's get into it. Just just gonna run over a couple things. You see as I close this up, so there's envy in the household, there's bargaining, there's superstition, there's stolen goods. Leah Rachel, they fight over children, they fight over the husband. Laban changes his wages ten times. There's frustration there. Jacob peels the rod, flees at night, and then God remembers the baron and and multiplies the flocks and speaks in the dreams and watches when no one else will. The chapter shows that God of Bethel is or or Abraham, Bethel, is not limited by our schemes or our relative. So God hears the cries of the overlooked and the barren. So when we saw Rachel, she was envy of Leah. Both sisters they gave their their handmaids away. even used the mandraits from Reuben as a bargaining chip. and then what is that object lesson is to hold or describe a mandrake. It's a love apple or fertil fertility charm. That's what they thought. People trusted in a plant. God opened her wombs later's after later after the mandrakes had nothing to do with it. Human remedies do not place the Lord's timing. That's the the point there. So my question here Where have you tried to force God's promise with your own mandrakes instead of waiting on him to remember you? What's you think about that? Number two, God blesses the faithful servant when even when the master cheats. So Labian admits the Lord blessed him because of Jacob. He doesn't he doesn't hold any bones back on that. He says, Yeah, I was blessed because of your God. To me that would have been something for him to look at, but nevertheless, then he keeps changing the deal. Jacob uses the peeled rods and God gives the increase. We see that. what do we learn here? It showed they show the peeled sticks, the stripped rods, they place it in the water trough. Jacob used the method. God decided which lambs were born strong and speckled. God is it is the creator. Diligence plus God's hands, not the rods alone, produce that flock. Do you catch that? Just because he used this technique, this ancient technique, crossbreeding, it still took God to help out. So when my question for you is when a boss or family member or maybe a system changes the terms against you, do you still labor as unto the Lord and expect him to see? It's a good question. Sometimes I ask that about myself. You know, when things change, this whatever, sometimes we have a tendency to look at ourselves and not look at it f from the will of God sometimes. number three, God calls his people home and they go and goes with them. So Labian faces the changes. God speaks. Rachel and Leah agree the wealth is theirs by God's hands, not their father. So the lesson there is simply simple pillar or standing stone, even the small rock, Jacob's first meet God at the Bethel with a with a stone pillow. Remember Jacob's ladder lays on that thing and he he anoints it and sees up and down angels going up and down. The same God now says, I am that God, go home, I'll be with you. So the question is, what Bethel vow has God reminded you? And what steps of returning is he asking you to take? What are you going to do? And what vow have you made to God that you haven't honored and need to go back to? And He's He's prompting you, He's pricking the heart. Number four, God sees the affliction, hides what must be hidden, and then watches between us. So Rachel, she steals the terabins, those little gods, stone gods. Jacob does not know about it, but God warns Labian in his dream and a heapstone becomes a mitzvah, an agreement and a a memorial. And Lesson here is small household objects or figurines hidden under a saddle or plus a pile or a or a pile of stones. So that's the lesson. Rachel sat on the gods Laban's never found, and the heaps of stones did not create peace. God watched watching did. It was God Himself that made Jacob safe in his family and watching over. It wasn't the figurines of the stones, these were memorials. And that's the message for us today. It's not You know, I think of Catholicism and going to all these workspace and I gotta do this and I gotta hail Mary. Folks, those are that's an idol that is something you're following and that is not gonna save you, it's not gonna help you. The heap of stones didn't create the peace, it was God watching over you. And the question I would say, what household gods, maybe loyalties, hidden sins, or family idols still travel with you and will you let the Lord be the only watcher between you and others? I think of a cell phone. I mean, how's that? That that is an idol in many cases. It it can consume you, it can overtake you, it can it can make you absent from people around you or from your kids or from your grandkids. So twenty years of wages, the sister rivalry, the stolen items and or excuse me, images, Could not cancel God of Abraham, Isaac, and Bethel. he remembered Rachel, he increased Jacob, he rebuked Laban, or and he set a watch. And the same Lord still opens the wounds and multiplies what is his. So if you are part of his people, well, I don't know, chaplain. Well, here's the deal today's the day. You gotta put your faith, hope, and trust into Jesus Christ that He came. He died on the cross for your sins and mine. He was buried three days later, and he arose as the living Savior today. And if you believe that, believe and trust on that and have faith, find a good b Bible based church, continue your faith in growth and continue in the in the faith, continue in the scripture, and continue in the house of like minded individuals. And That is the secret. Read the Bible, pray. ask yourself, what what am I doing? Am I honoring God? What I'm watching, am I honoring God? Am I doing things that please him? Or am I doing things that don't please him? And am I am I asking forgiveness for those things? Am I and trying not to repeat excuse me, repeat them, God forbid, as Paul says. and he set the watch. So the same the same Lord of that day is here. When he calls his people home, he watches when everybody else is absent from one another. So when nobody's looking, he's there. You gotta trust more than the mandrak, the rods, and the heap of stones. That is the point. You cannot put your faith, hope, and trust in man-made idols. Anything that takes the place of God is an idol. Simply quit. Question. I mean, no, simply put. My last question, and I'm gonna close it down: where in your family or labor. Do you most need to say with Jacob, God hath seen my affliction, and I will do whatsoever God hath sent. Folks, Chaplain Dean Alley, I had a moment, two chapters. Third attempt looks like it went through. Take ki take take care. God bless. Bye-bye. If you need anything, let me know.