“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:” (Genesis 30:31)

Jacob had answered Laban’s question of his wages for his service to Laban in Genesis 29:15:

“And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?” (Genesis 29:15)

Jacob agreed to work fourteen years for Laban’s two daughters, Leah and Rachel, after Laban had tricked Jacob with Leah. Jacob had first agreed to work seven years for Rachel. But after the first seven years, Laban substituted Leah for Rachel. Then Jacob agreed to serve seven more years for Rachel; and this Jacob did.

In Genesis 30:25-26, after the fourteen years were up, Jacob was ready to leave Laban. But in Genesis 30:27, Laban wanted Jacob to stay longer with him, because he knew he had been blessed by God since Jacob had come to serve him. So Laban said again to Jacob, “Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it” (Genesis 30:28).

Jacob related to Laban, you have been blessed by my serving you, but now “when shall I provide for mine own house also?” (Genesis 30:30).

Laban answered Jacob with a question, “What shall I give thee?” (Genesis 30:31a).

And Jacob said, “Thou shalt not give me any thing” (Genesis 30:31b).

Jacob wanted Laban to know:

1) First, all gifts are given by God; not man:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

2) Second, I will work for my wages;

3) Third, the conditions were:

“I will again feed and keep thy flock” (Genesis 30:31c)

“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.” (Genesis 30:32)

“So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face…” (Genesis 30:33a)

Laban agreed to Jacob’s conditions (Genesis 30:34). Read Genesis 30:35-43 to see how God performed a miracle and gave Jacob all the ringstraked, spotted, and brown animals; even all the stronger animals became Jacob’s, and the feebler became Laban’s. It is called “The Miracle of the Straked Wooden Rods.”

When pay-day came (six years later), Genesis 31:1 gives the details:

“And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.”

One application of this story is:

1) First, it is God that gives wealth (Ecclesiastes 5:19; Proverbs 13:21b, 22b).

2) And second, Blessings come to the Righteous:

“So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face…” (Genesis 30:33)

3) And thirdly, we are to trust God for His Blessing.

Jacob said to Laban, “Thou shalt not give me any thing” (Genesis 30:31). Jacob made a powerful confession of faith in this statement.

First, man cannot give me anything (without God’s Power, Plan, and Purpose). Jacob knew that God was the Giver of all things (James 1:17). God owns all His Creation; and it is God’s to give or not to give. Jacob knew, “vain is the help of man” (Psalms 60:11-12); and “The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation” (Psalms 118:14; also see Psalms 118:5-9).

Therefore, Jacob said to Laban, you are but a man, and you have not the power to give me anything. All I have, all I hope to have, has and shall come from God.

Secondly, Jacob knew that Blessings come from God upon the Righteous (Genesis 30:33). They come to those who fear God; to those who walk in Holiness and Honesty and Purity; to those who are Diligent (Hebrews 11:6).

Jacob knew he had been, and would be, honest to Laban (Genesis 31:37-42). Jacob said, “That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it…” (Genesis 31:39).

The righteous people of God are not obedient and loyal servants to get righteous; but they are faithful servants because they are righteous. Christ dwells in them; therefore, Love dwells in them. To do what is right toward God and man is in them, because God lives in them.

God’s Regenerated People are New Creatures in Christ:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

They walk and talk like Christ. They act like Christ. (See John 14:15; 13:34-35; 1 John 3:13-24; 4:7-21). They put off the “old man” and put on the “new man” (Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians 3:1-17, 23-24).

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” (Colossians 3:23)

“Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:24)

Therefore, Jacob (having already met God; Genesis 28:10-22) had been enabled by God to receive the Promises of the Covenant of God, as had Isaac and Abraham. Jacob was not yet a changed man; but he knew God. And he knew that God was in his life, and that God had a purpose in his life. Therefore, he knew God would bless his walk of righteousness. He knew that it would be God that would reward him as a worker of righteousness; even though Laban had changed his wages ten times in the twenty years of his service to Laban.

This is the application for us. We must serve God and not man. Serve God because He first loved us and so we love Him. And we want to please Him; to honor Him; and to be a witness before others of His Love, Grace, and Mercy. To show it is God that rewards His People, and not man; not even of our own works of righteousness:

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:5)

God rewards Christ, who lives in us; He rewards His Righteousness (Galatians 2:20).

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

(Also see Hebrews 11:6.)

It is God that causes us to do works of faith, even of righteousness; not we ourselves and in ourselves.

Thirdly, we are to trust God for His Blessing. So we walk by faith. Jacob made his prophecy of “So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire” (Genesis 30:33) before it happened.

This proves that Jacob had faith.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

And it proves that Jacob understood…

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Jacob walked in righteousness and did right to Laban for the next six years. (Read Genesis 31:36-42.) Jacob diligently sought to please God in his walk toward Laban; and God richly rewarded Jacob for his obedience to God in righteousness.

Therefore, Child of Grace, quit complaining of your lot or your situation. Follow God; seek to please God. Look not to man for help, but acknowledge, “My help cometh from the Lord” (Psalms 121:1-6). Walk by faith and not by sight.

Why are so many of the Children of God are walking in defeat? They are leaning on man, even on their own wisdom; and not trusting in God for Deliverance and Victory.

Where the Child of God must be is:

1) Knowing who Christ is; and that you are in Him (Philippians 4:13, 19)

2) Walk as He walked (1 John 2:6)

3) Walk by Faith; works of Faith (Hebrews 11:6; James 2:14-26)

4) Walk in Love (Matthew 22:37-40; 1 John 3:13-24; 4:7-21; John 13:34-35)

5) Walk in the Light (Ephesians 5:1-33)

6) Walk in Holiness and Peace (Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:14-15)

7) Walk in His Victory (1 John 5:4)

8) Walk in His Word (Joshua 1:8)

Then you will have success.

Series Navigation

<< The Giver of LifeWhat God Sees >>