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Awesome Hands – Part 19

“ Into the hand of his sons”

In the last study we covered God the Father causing evil in our lives as well as the good that happens to us.

In this study, we are going to continue with the next mentioning of hands in scripture, but we are going to do a slight recap from where we left off in part 17. There is a part 18 for awesome hands, but that study was a general study on evil at the hands of the Lord as He works through His spiritual agents.

In part 17 we see in Gen 30:14 and 15:

Gen 30:14 – And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.
Gen 30:15 – And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also? And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes.

At this point, Leah and Rachel make a trade for the bed of their husband. It is Leah who has wanted to “get the show on the road” and pursued mandrakes, but it is the Lord who has stepped in and is going to change the course of the “will of Leah”.

This is doubly true for Rachel. Rachel is completely barren and wants to give children to Jacob so she willing to let Leah have Jacob.

As we learned last study, mandrakes are completely poisonous and that tells us something spiritually.

Even though Rachel makes this deal, “the works of her hands” will not produce fruit for the Lord.

Equally, Leah thought she needed to do something and loses the “fruits of her hands” because the only fruit that matter for the Kingdom of God come from the Lord only.

This is a type and shadow of what the Lord does in our walks with Him and as He drags us to. It is in the evening, in darkness, in sleep and in death that our Lord comes to us “in the evening.”

Gen 30:16 – And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.
Gen 30:17 – And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.
Gen 30:18 – And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar.
Gen 30:19 – And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.
Gen 30:20 – And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.
Gen 30:21 – And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

It is when we are called out of darkness, called out of the field [ the world], that we are presented with the idea that we are being manipulated by our wife, the “babylonish church,” the first mother of our children.

With the work of Leah’s hands, a “workwoman worth her hire”, she has gotten Jacob to lay with her at night.

Leah is blessed with one more son and a daughter. Leah names her last son Zebulun because she ultimately thinks this sixth son will cause Jacob to dwell with her.

It is NOW at this point, that the Lord will “remember us,” and we see this in the type and shadow of Rachel.

It is NOW, that as we “come out of the field of darkness” so that we are able to bare TRUE fruit that will be used of the Lord MIGHTILY. It is now that a savior to the people of God will be born.

Gen 30:22 – And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
Gen 30:23 – And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
Gen 30:24 – And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.
Gen 30:25 – And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

We are increased by the Lord in the true work that only the Lord can work. The Lord takes away our reproach and increases the “fruit of our womb”, “the fruit of our hands” which is blessed of the Lord.

Jacob and his true beloved wife are now ready to “leave their father’s house” when the “old man dies” and go to their “own place” their “own country” to pursue the “house of the Lord”.

Heb 11:12 – Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
Heb 11:13 – These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14 – For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15 – And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16 – But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

“I will pass through all thy flock to day”

It is now in part 19 of this study, which we are going to pick up at Gen 30:25 and find our next mentioning of God working through the hands of His servant Jacob.

Gen 30:26 Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.
Gen 30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

Truly, when the Lord is working with His people He blesses even our neighbors who are around us. Our enemies will be pleased to dwell next to us.

Pro 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Continuing in the next verse we see:

Gen 30:28 And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.
Gen 30:29 And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me.
Gen 30:30 For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

We must go unto our own country, to our Father’s household that we seek in another country, in order to provide spiritually for our own household.

Heb 11:14 – For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

Eph 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

We are on our way to finding our country but first we must separate the speckled and spotted cattle, sheep and goats. Notice, the Lord sends us to those that are blemished and are spotted not to those who “have no spots.”

Mar 2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
Mar 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Those that are spotted are contrasted with He that is not spotted nor wrinkled, but Christ has a body, a church which He will present to His Father without spot as well. For now, our flesh must be filled up with the afflictions of our Head.

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1Ti 6:13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
1Ti 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

So, Jacob is contending with Laban on when he is going to be set free to go provide for his own household. Laban asks Jacob what Jacob wants Laban to give to him, but Jacob, as a type and shadow of God’s servant, will not take a wage he has not earned.

Jacob will only take what is his share according to the increase that God has given to Jacob and to Laban by extension. Our hire, our work, is the same as Jacob… we are sent to the lost and spotted sheep.

Gen 30:31 And he said, What shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock:
Gen 30:32 I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.
Gen 30:33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

Jacob lets Laban know that when the time is come, Jacob will call for what is his hire according to the hire that is agreed upon. What do you think Laban will do when that time comes? After all, Laban represents the “old man”, the carnal mind that we must be separated from.

Gen 30:34 And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.
Gen 30:35 And he removed that day the he goats that were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons.

Jacob gives these spotted cattle to his sons to deal with for the short term and then he goes into “trying to make things happen” that will benefit him as his two wives have done earlier in this chapter.

“The flocks conceived before the rods”

Laban is going to agree to let Jacob continue to feed his flock and then Laban is going to separate himself 3 days travel from Jacob.

We will find out later that this time is a head start for Jacob to leave Laban’s houses without Laban knowing so, but we also know that this is the start of the process of Jacob preparing to leave.

The first part of this process for Jacob, like all of us in our walk with the Lord, is going to be to “get things done” and Jacob is going to do this by trying to get the cattle to conceive so that they benefit the flocks of Jacob and not the flocks of Laban.

Just as mandrakes were being used by Leah and Rachel as a ‘home remedy” to take care of infertility, Jacob is going to use a widely accepted approach to trying to “influence” the cattle to take care of business while at the watering troughs.

God reveals to Jacob in a dream that the males who are going to conceive are stripped, spotted and speckled.

Gen 30:36 And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Gen 30:37 And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
Gen 30:38 And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.

Just as we are being admonished with the “hidden mysteries of the Lord” with being told there is a process happening here between Jacob and Laban, we can also know that there is spiritual significance to us being told that Jacob takes of 3 different types of trees and “makes the white appear” which is in the rods.

Why do you suppose we are told that there is “white” within the rods and that we want this white to show?

We know with this whole study on awesome hands, that the Lord works within the hands of His servants. We also know that whatever we are doing, the Lord can take evil and cause it to turn out good.

Notice, we have three different trees being worked with and we have three different levels of cattle being birthed as a result.

We have green poplar, hazel and chesnut trees. We also have stripped, speckled and spotted cattle.

This should witness to us that the Lord is truly working the entire scenario out for the benefit of the house of Israel that will soon be established with Jacob who will literally be renamed later to “he that contends or struggles with God,” as Jews refer to him.

Without just skimming past the point that Jacob takes rods of trees to bring about Jacob’s will, what else can we see within this type and shadow? How does the Lord work within the work of Jacob’s hands to bring about good?

Indeed, do we see ourselves being “pilled to reveal the white inside” as a servant or messenger of God is used to bring the message that we are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Mar 8:22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
Mar 8:23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
Mar 8:24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
Mar 8:25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Mar 8:26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

With Jacob in this type and shadow, and indeed if we can see with the spirit of God, then we will see that as we first come to the Lord we are all stripped, speckled and spotted.

First we see a green poplar. There is only one other place in scripture that we see a poplar mentioned.

Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Hos 4:12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
Hos 4:13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.

Literally read, we can imagine that the shadow of these trees are good because who doesn’t like shade but I offer to you that we say in our hearts and minds that what we do in this darkness, in this “mind of death,” is somehow good.

This is what all mankind does in their own devices, until a messenger of God is sent to start the process of professing, “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”

The hazel tree is only mentioned once and that is where we see it here in Genesis so that only leaves us with the chesnut tree and its rod.

This tree too can only be found one other time in all of the Old Testament. Do you think the Lord has something to reveal to us in this tree as well?

Eze 31:1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 31:2 Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
Eze 31:3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
Eze 31:4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
Eze 31:5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.
Eze 31:6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
Eze 31:7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
Eze 31:8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.
Eze 31:9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

Eze 31:18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

All of the trees which are in the kingdom of God, all of the “men as trees walking” must first have this beast revealed to them.

Soon, we will be looking at a son of Jacob who is used to “save much people alive this day” by having the very power of the Pharaoh save the throne itself.

In type and shadow, we should be seeing ourselves as this great and mighty tree Pharaoh. As such, we should also see that the conception or birth of Christ in us comes to us via “the preaching of the Word”.

Jacob represents the one who is “peeling back” the outside of the cup to reveal what is truly on the inside, if indeed Christ is in you.

Just as Jacob is used to bring about a “flock” of those who will be conceived in this revealing, we too must see that we are intricately involved in this process.

Our very faith is revealed as we hear the Word of God testify to all the different stages of our walk with Christ. First, we are stripped, spotted and speckled and it is in this “blind” state that we first have Christ come to us.

Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Rom 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

It is near the water that the cattle of Jacob, soon to be named Israel that our walk starts. It is before the RODS that we are given the borth of Christ in us but this is only the start of this cleansing.

Gen 30:39 And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted.
Gen 30:40 And Jacob did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto Laban’s cattle.
Gen 30:41 And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods.
Gen 30:42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s.
Gen 30:43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

Thus far, we have been looking at the first part of this process with Jacob contending with Laban to give him a hire that Jacob can call his own and use to provide for his own household.

During this time, Jacob continues to feed the flocks of Laban as well but Jacob also starts the second part of this process by encouraging the flocks to conceive at the rods.

The second part of this process and type and shadow leads our flesh and our carnal mind to cringe at what is happening during this process.

The process of Christ being revealed in us is NOT something that our “old man” and his household are going to like very much. This truly is a war between that which is natural and that which is spiritual.

When our flesh sees that we are increased greatly spiritually, even as babes in Christ, never fail to recognize that there will be a times when our carnal mind will not like that Christ is increasing in us and we can see this type and shadow continue in this story.

“Conclusion of part 19”

Gen 31:1 And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.
Gen 31:2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

It is now that the Lord will direct us to start the last stage of this process and truly return to our father’s house, but this will not come without our flesh having a thing or two to “say” about it.

Gen 31:3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.
Gen 31:4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,
Gen 31:5 And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.
Gen 31:6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.
Gen 31:7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.

Jacob gives credit to God for being “with” Jacob during the time that Jacob was in service to his father in law Laban.

Indeed, just as Jacob uses all his power to serve Laban 20 years, a witness to the completeness of his flesh, we too will fully serve our flesh before we are “peeled back” to reveal the white that is in the rods.

Jacob serves 7 years each for his wives and another 6 years for his cattle.

Laban is translated as “white” and we serve the negative “fleshly white” first and think that “the shadow thereof is good”.

However, we are in the process of being called, chosen and faithful to the white that is revealed inside when the outside of our flesh is peeled back.

While we serve the flesh, “Laban’s house” initially, we will soon be shown of the Lord that it is time to serve the “white that is within,” and the journey of returning to our Father’s house will soon begin.