The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 30:28-33b, “…Laban said to him, ‘If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account.’
28 He continued, ‘Name me your wages, and I will give it.’
29 But he said to him, ‘You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me.
30 For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?’
31 So he said, ‘What shall I give you?’ And Jacob said, ‘You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock:
32 let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.
33 ‘So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages…’”

If you’ve ever worked for someone, or had someone work for you, when neither of you clearly trusted the other, you have before you in the Scripture above what Jacob and Laban had before them. We know of Jacob’s scheming against his brother, Esau; but he’s now encountered Laban, his father-in-law, who is an equal match at scheming, too.

Jacob was determined to return to his own country. He had been tricked into marrying one of Laban’s daughters (not the one he truly loved), beside substantially increasing Laban’s livestock. Now, it was time for him to take his wives and return to the land from which he had come.

Laban had prospered under Jacob’s labor and, understandably, he was hesitant for him to depart. Yet, Jacob was determined. He had
had enough! Neither of the men really trusted the other.

Trust is a vital commodity. Knowing whom to trust is equally vital.
The Scriptures assure us we can trust the LORD. At the same time, we ought to be able to trust those who trust Him. I’ve trusted people in the past only to discover they were not trustworthy, although they claimed they had trusted the LORD.

How are we to know who is trustworthy and who is not? Watch
them over time and be personally prayerful for them. The LORD
has ways of revealing credibility and/or its lack. Trust the LORD! Live daily in His Word. Assess the honesty of others in small situations just as you would in the greater ones. In the end, the LORD will reveal everything, and will see you safely through it.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom