Practical Decision Making: Genesis 30:25 - 31:21

Let's look a 3 questions:

1. For practical decision making, how do we know God's will in our lives, or how do we know God's will for a particular decision?
2. How do we know when is a good time for giving of ourselves?  How much should we give?
3. How do we ask for God's direction in a particular decision?

2nd Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) reads, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."  Note these verses don't say, "Some scripture is God-breathed and useful", or, "My favorite verses are God-breathed and useful".  All of it is; from Genesis to Revelation.

Let's focus on Genesis 30:25 - 31:21.  The story so far (concerning Jacob and Esau) is Jacob had stolen Esau's blessing he was to receive (from from their father Isaac), and needed to flee to Jacob's uncle's house in Padam-Aram.  There are a few reasons Jacob had fled.  One reason was to get away from Esau because Esau wasn't thrilled about his blessing being stolen (Gen 27:41-43).  A second reason was to find a wife (Gen 27:46, Gen 28:1-2).  Rebekah (Jacob and Esau's mother) found the surrounding Hittite women grievesome, and didn't want Jacob to marry one of them.  So both her and Isaac told Jacob to find a wife from among his uncle Leban's people.

Jacob knew he wouldn't be in Padam-Aram forever.  God had promised him he would return to his homeland(Gen 28:15).  Rebekah had as well said she would send for him once Esau's anger had subsided (Gen 27:43-45). Note in verse 44, "Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides." -- This may mean something more like, "Stay with him each day until your brother's fury subsides." when looking at the Hebrew; because Jacob was there around 20 years.

So now, looking at Genesis 30:25-31:21:

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 28 He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?”

31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 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. 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages 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.”

34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 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. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches, 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Genesis 31: Jacob Flees From Laban

1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.

3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.

10 “In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

Question 1: How do we discern God's will in our lives?

 How did Jacob know when he was supposed to leave Padan-Aram?  Three things happened:

1. He had a definite desire to leave (Gen 30:25-26).
2. The circumstances became such that a move seemed wise (Gen 31:1-2)
3. There was a clear word from God (Gen 31:3)

Regarding a clear word from God: We're not going to see verses in the bible such as, "You should take this new job."  It's unlikely that Enoch or Elijah is going to appear to us and say, "Thus says the Lord: ...".   But Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help us with these things.  Sometimes if we search the scriptures, and read a verse in the right context or frame of mind, it jumps out at us. 

My personal example:

I know I ought to be cheritable.  Sometimes I wondered if I gave too much, or too little.  It's a difficult line to draw.  Should I show up at work an hour late so that I can give my friend a ride to work?  Should I give my friend money so that he can get food, and then risk being evicted?  Should I give my friend money so that he can go get beer, and go hungry myself?  I would often give a person what they wanted or asked for, and then hold resentment about it.  Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." (Matthew 5:8).  I'm not pure at heart if I'm bearing grudges and resentful toward my brothers and sisters; on the other hand, I don't want to be selfish.

2nd Cor 9:6-9 reads:

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”

What I take from this (especially v 7-8) is to give what I want to give in my heart.  Do not give under compulsion.  If I'm going to hold a grudge, don't give.  Conversely, God blesses those who give abundantly.

Searching the scriptures, I found resolve to that problem about giving and am able to make better decisions in that regard.  This also leads into the second question.

Question 2: How do we know when is a good time for giving of ourselves?  How much should we give?

As we read in 2nd Cor 9:6-9, We should give as much as we can, so long as we are not doing it under compulsion and are happy to give.  I wonder if I give under compulsion and hold a grudge, if the blowback from the sin that could be caused by bearing the grudge might be worse than if I had just not gave in the first place.  There might be some level of peer pressure to it.  I don't want the person asking to be mad at me, or suffer harm, go hungry, etc.  I give to them begrudgingly, and end up resentful.  Maybe I insult them or an argument results.  Would this be worse than if I withheld what they were asking in the first place?

Question 3: How do we ask for God's direction?

How NOT to Ask

Going back to the original  Genesis 30:25-31:21 reading, while Leban was out, Rachel stole Leban's household idols while Leban was out (Gen 31:19).  Why did Rachel steal them?  Earlier (Gen 30:27), we see that Leban had divined that he was blessed on account of Jacob.  Couldn't he then divine where Jacob and Rachel were going? 

Genesis is full of firsts, and this is the first occurrence of divination.  Later when the Law is given, divination is explicitly prohibited (Lev 19:26-27 and Deut 18:10 for example).  In Acts 16:16-19 a slave girl was bringing her masters profit through divination.  Paul commanded the spirit to leave her (to the dismay of her masters, we find out later).

How to Ask

Pray about it.  Jesus says (Matt 7:7-9) "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."  And again in James 5:13-16 says "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

Summary

To discern God's will in our lives, there are three factors:

1. The desire to do a given thing.
2. The circumstances become such that it seems wise to do the given thing.
3. It can be discerned from God's word that we should take that course of action.

In terms of decision-making when it comes to giving, be a cheerful giver.  Do not give under compulsion, or because you think you 'have to'.

To discern God's will, pray that His will would become known to you.  Seek God's will in His word, and It will be found!