Genesis 30 ~ An Unlikely Secret to Fruitfulness
At least one thing had changed as a result of these new discoveries. A burden had definitely lifted! The more I took control of my thoughts based on these truths from God’s Word, the more relief and joy I experienced.
My focus had changed. Now maybe my fruit would change too. A story from the life of Jacob provides unexpected revelation.
As I continued to consider the possibilities of this new mindset, I was reminded of a unique account in God’s Word found in Genesis 30: 25-43. It records an interesting story from the life of Jacob that seemed to resemble what God had been revealing to me.
After years of working for his father-in-law, Laban, Jacob decides to return to his homeland and provide for his own family. Unwilling to lose the one whose presence had brought so much increase, Laban persuades Jacob to remain and goes on to agree that all the spotted and speckled of his present or future flocks be given to Jacob as his wage. Laban proceeds to separate all his current flocks accordingly, hands them over to Jacob’s sons, and puts a distance amounting to a three days journey between them so as to prevent any intermingling.
Since Laban’s now entirely solid-colored flocks will likely only reproduce after their own likeness, it appears that Jacob’s increase has met its limit. Nevertheless, desiring to expand his wealth even further, Jacob needs to come up with a plan that will cause yet more of Laban’s fortune to end up as his own. However, since anything that shows up in Jacob’s possession without those spots and specks would be considered stolen, how will he ever realize his desire? No doubt, Laban’s flocks would continue to increase and be fruitful, but how was it possible to change the nature of the fruit?
Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods. He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted.
The flocks produced fruit alright, but amazingly….their fruit began looking like what they were looking at!! The nature of their fruit began to reflect the nature of their focus.
What Jacob had longed for had become a reality. And it seemed to have happened by supernatural, yet simple means. Was it possible that what I had longed for could become a reality too? For years I had longed to be pleasing to God by producing good fruit in my life. With all God had been revealing to me, I had begun to realize that what had been impossible to produce by the efforts of the flesh, had already been supernaturally provided. I was no longer who I was in my flesh. I was a new creation in my spirit, righteous and holy on the inside. The supernatural part had been done. Maybe all that was left to me was the simple part….as simple as what Jacob had done.
Then Jacob took fresh rods…and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods.
Yes, like Jacob and his rods, maybe I just needed to do some peeling…some peeling off of what was on the outside to expose what was on the inside. Then…as I set my eyes on that, maybe my fruit would change too.
Don’t miss a powerful quote (and a terrific visual) in the P.S. (“post” script) here
…and My Story continues here
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