Today's Devotional

June 9, 2005

Subject:  Ringstraked, Speckled And Spotted

Genesis 30:39 - "And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted."

Jacob was as sly as a fox from birth right up through his later years.  Some would say that he was simply born that way.  He used his gift of cunning for much bad in his early years but now he's doing it with the power of God.  

As we join the story, Jacob has been working for his father-in-law for many years and now wants to leave.  His father-in-law realizes that God is with Jacob and wants to keep him around and says, "name your price (wages)" but Jacob makes him an offer that includes no money.  The offer is for Jacob to take the ringstraked (striped), speckled and spotted of the cattle to be his own and the healthier and more pure he would leave to his father-in-law.   Now this is the change.  The old Jacob was the guy who deceived his father and his brother to get the edge, but this time Jacob refuses the easy gain and instead relies on something that only God can do.  Jacob is now cunning as a man of God, trusting in Him.  Jacob builds these rods that he lays before the cattle and when they come to drink, the cattle produce striped, speckled and spotted offspring.  Remember, Jacob is able to take all of the striped, speckled and spotted cattle as his own.   Thus Jacob became a very wealthy man.

The world is kind of like Jacob's father-in-law.  They want us around and they will even offer us worldly goods to keep us around, but they only want it when it is profitable for them.  Later on in the story, Jacob leaves and his father-in-law tracks him down and is sorely upset with Jacob.  Jacob blasts him with tales of his deceit and treachery and tells how he honestly got his gain through the ringstraked, speckled and spotted cattle.  

Yes Jacob took what the world despised and made the most of it and found that in God's hands, ringstraked, speckled and spotted cattle, though meaning little to the world can, can be the vehicles of fortune and wealth.  The world can't understand this, but if we need wealth, God can give it to us and He can shock the world on how we got it.  

Carlen