God Wants You Blessed – Part 5
Galatians 3:9,13-14, 29 KJV
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
13 CHRIST HATH REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14 That THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM MIGHT COME ON THE GENTILES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST; that we might receive THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT through faith.
29 AND IF YE BE CHRIST’S, THEN ARE YE ABRAHAM’S SEED, AND HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE.
HEIR: a sharer by lot that is an inheritor, one who receives his allotted possession by right of sonship, one who has acquired or obtained the portion allotted to him…
PROMISE:
Strong’s Definition
From G1861; an announcement (for information assent or pledge; especially a divine assurance of good): - message promise.
Thayer’s Definition
Announcement 1. the act of promising, a promise given or to be given, a promised good or blessing.
Genesis 12:2-3 KJV
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I WILL BLESS THEE, and MAKE THY NAME GREAT; and THOU SHALT BE A BLESSING:
3 AND I WILL BLESS THEM THAT BLESS THEE, AND CURSE HIM THAT CURSETH THEE: AND IN THEE SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED.
JACOB AND LABAN
Genesis 30:25-43 NLT
25 Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country.
26 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.”
27 “Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for the LORD has blessed me because of you.
28 Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
29 Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care.
30 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?”
31 “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.
32 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.
33 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.”
34 “All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.”
35 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,
36 who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.
37 Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them.
38 Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated.
39 And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 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.
41 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.
42 But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s.
43 As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.
JACOB AND LABAN PART 2
Genesis 31:1-21 NLT
1 But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at our father’s expense.”
2 And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock.
5 He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me.
6 You know how hard I have worked for your father,
7 but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm.
8 FOR IF HE SAID, ‘THE SPECKLED ANIMALS WILL BE YOUR WAGES,’ THE WHOLE FLOCK BEGAN TO PRODUCE SPECKLED YOUNG. AND WHEN HE CHANGED HIS MIND AND SAID, ‘THE STRIPED ANIMALS WILL BE YOUR WAGES,’ THEN THE WHOLE FLOCK PRODUCED STRIPED YOUNG.
9 IN THIS WAY, GOD HAS TAKEN YOUR FATHER’S ANIMALS AND GIVEN THEM TO ME.
10 “One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
11 Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
12 “The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you.
13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”
14 Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway.
15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us.
16 All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you.”
17 So Jacob put his wives and children on camels,
18 and he drove all his livestock in front of him. HE PACKED ALL THE BELONGINGS HE HAD ACQUIRED in Paddan-aram and set out for the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, lived.
19 At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her.
20 Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving.
21 So Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River, heading for the hill country of Gilead.