Bible Study Online Article
After Laban had presented Jacob with another proposal, we find that the promise bearer would remind his father-in-law about all that he has done for him for the past fourteen years. "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock have fared under my care. The little you had before I came has increase greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?" Jacob reminded him. There was no way Laban could deny any of this, it was for these reasons that he wanted to keep Jacob around. Now that Laban had officially acknowledged what Jacob had done for him, the promise bearer would propose a counter offer. "Don't give me anything, but if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on managing your flocks. Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages, and my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you checked on the wages that you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." Laban would immediately accept these terms, being that the speckled and spotted were in few numbers, and given the history of the birth results from his current flock to produce solid color when it came to their young. Laban saw this as a win-win for him. Not only would he get Jacob to manage his flocks for a few more years, but he would also get his services for next to nothing. Laban would separate and put a three day journey between his solid colored flocks and Jacob's newly acquired spotted and speckled colored flocks. After being left alone to do his work when it came to tending the flocks, we find that Jacob had gathered some fresh-cut branches from some popular almond and plane trees. He would turn them into white stripes by peeling the bark and opposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. This was done so that when the flocks had came before the watering troughs to drink; they would end up mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled. Keep in mind that Jacob was born and came from the land of Canaan. The shepherd Canaanites were known as, 'Nekohim,' which means (speckled). I point this out because over in Canaan the shepherds preferred their flocks to be speckled or spotted, this was their forte (strong point). The preference of color and the techniques that we find Jacob using could have been learnt from that part of the country. I state all of this, so that you may know that Jacob was a master when it came to tending flocks. He was not only an expert at his trade, but he was hard working. This made him very industrious and ingenious at what he did. Next the promise bearer would place the spotted and speckled ahead of the solid colored flock, when he drove them across the terrain. This was done to somehow mentally prepare the females that were solid in color, to give birth to spotted and speckled young instead of young that was solid in color. Didn't I tell you... Jacob was methodical in his craft. But the promise bearer wasn't done. Next he would separate the flocks, one for him and another for Laban. He would allow only the strong females that were in heat to mate and give birth. And the weak females he would not let them mate and he placed them into Laban's flock. When it was all said and done, Jacob had grown exceedingly prosperous and his household increase along with maidservants and menservants. The bible also points out that he came to own large flocks along with donkeys, camels as well.
Start at: The Introduction of Abraham Start at: The Birth of Isaac Start at: The Birth of Esau & Jacob 43) Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty 44) Jacob - The Stone Pillow Dream 46) Jacob - The Love Season of Reaping 50) The Mandrake Plant of Love 53) <-CURRENT PAGE->  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites!
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