A close friend of mine works for a large, family-owned business. When the father who started the business died, the three siblings argued over who was in charge and how much each one owned. Currently, the siblings are embroiled in lawsuits against one another. When you mix in financial and leadership decisions that come with a business, the results can be devastating.

After the birth of Joseph, Jacob longed to return to the land of Canaan (v. 25). Jacob believed God’s promise that he and his descendants would inherit Canaan. He knew he belonged there. However, he now had a large family to provide for. The problem was that he did not own anything. He had worked for fourteen years to pay the bride-price for Rachel and Leah. Under his care, Laban’s flocks had flourished (vv. 29–30). Laban had grown wealthy because of God’s hand of blessing on Jacob (v. 27). But none of this wealth belonged to Jacob.

So, Jacob proposed a plan under which he would be compensated for his work. All the speckled and spotted sheep and goats from the flocks he tended would be removed (v. 32). Then, any speckled or spotted sheep or goats that were born would belong to him as a wage. Since most sheep are white and most goats are black, this sounded like a good plan to Laban. Both Jacob and Laban tried to get the better of the other. Laban had tricked Jacob into marrying Leah. This time, Jacob had the upper hand. Through some rather odd mating practices, he was able to breed numerous strong animals for himself leaving Laban with the weaker flocks (v. 42). Here we continue to see God at work, blessing Jacob and showing Himself faithful to His promises despite challenging family circumstances.

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