Jacob had worked fourteen years for his father-in-law Laban, toiling seven for the privilege of marrying his older daughter Leah and then seven more years for Rachel. After each wife had given their handmaids to Jacob’s as his concubine, the number of his children had risen to ten boys and one girl. Although blessed with this bustling next generation, he felt like he had spent all his time and energy building Laban’s wealth, with burgeoning herds of sheep and goats. It frustrated him to no end that as hard as he worked, he had nothing to show for all his labor. After these fourteen years of service to Laban, Jacob was ready to go back home to see his parents. How could he ever increase, Jacob mused, when Laban continued to manipulate and change his wages. Just when he was beginning to make ends meet, Laban would change the rules and swindle him out of his wages. It seemed he could never get ahead. Frustrated and cold, he fell into a fitful sleep. That night as he lay sleeping, he had a dream in which he saw an angel from heaven coming with a message from the God of Bethel. The Samaritan Pentateuch records this night vision in vivid detail.

And the messenger of God spoke to Jacob in a dream, and he said “Jacob!” And he said “Here I am.” And he said, “Raise your eyes and see all the he- goats climbing upon the flock, striped, speckled, tan, and spotted. For I have seen everything which Laban has done to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and vowed a vow to me. And now, go forth from this land and return to the land of your fathers and I will deal well with you.”

Many times after that while he was caring for the flocks he considered the dream and carefully pondered what God was saying to him. A short time later, after the Rachel gave birth to their eleventh son, Joseph, he went to see Laban. “Send me away,” he told Laban, “that I may go to my own place and to my country.” Laban was caught by surprise, but Jacob continued:  

Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.”  And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake.” Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the LORD has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?”  So he said, “What shall I give you?” Genesis 30:26-31 NKJV

In a moment of clarity there came to Jacob’s mind the dream of the angel and what God had promised him. His mighty God of Bethel had vowed to bless, protect, and deal well with him. He recalled those most peculiar instructions which came from the angel’s lips. “Raise your eyes, look and notice carefully. See how the male goats are mounting the females at mating season.” He highlighted the ones to be selected saying: “The striped, speckled, tan and spotted.” He knew in a moment that God would prosper him as he carefully and strategically bred the goats and sheep that he was given. He had been given a “heavenly game plan”, namely, to select all the undesirable misfits from Laban’s herds as his starter-herd and then begin to mate them to create a herd of his own. Knowing Laban would want the purest animals, unblemished in any way, he told Laban:

“You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: 32 Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. 33 So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.” 34 And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!”  35 So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among them. Genesis 30:31-35 NKJV

God was highlighting the lambs and goats that He was specifically marking as Jacob’s new super breed, those sturdy and resilient lambs which would grow into mature ewes and rams. He was singling out and drawing Jacob’s attention to focus on these peculiar lambs that He would bless: namely the “streaked, speckled and gray-spotted. “These,” the angel seemed to wisely indicate to Jacob, “will be your wages.” Now Jacob knew that from these lambs his flock would be created and would provide for his destiny, making him very great in the land.

This brings to mind young king David, selected from among his brothers by the prophet Samuel, who were so much stronger than he and who seemed to exude majesty on every hand. As he stood before Eliab, the very picture of masculinity and strength, God spoke to him saying, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV.

But when David, ruddy, bright eyed and good looking, was called in from working the sheep the Lord said to Samuel: “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 1 Samuel 16:12 NKJV. David was the one God had prophesied of to Saul, who would follow His instructions and be an obedient king over Israel. He was the one of whom God said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” Acts 13:22 NKJV

It was this young little warrior who was not afraid to fight a bear or lion, playing his harp and composing psalms on a hillsides of Israel, from which God would make His king. Like David, these young lambs were not to be discounted, and with God’s hand on their little heads it’s no wonder they soon grew into a great and mighty flock. Zechariah reminds us: “For who has despised the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10 NKJV.

When God instructs you to select something, what is He not telling you? He Who creates the creation can place within that new life any peculiar attribute He desires, even one to make a mighty Ram out of a meek little lamb. He will also bless the one who follows his instruction and will be sure to make the outcome favorable to His obedient son or daughter. Jacob was clearly instructed not to choose the pure white, those completely black, or the perfectly unblemished in their coloring. Jacob could only see as man sees, which would tend to be only focused on what he could see with his natural eyes. He could not see the hidden attributes God had hard-loaded into this new life while he was growing in the womb of his mother. He could not know what God had hidden within it’s DNA. What could God have concealed within the inner makeup of this tiny embryo. Could it be a little champion in disguise? Side note: What has He hidden in your DNA? What lies dormant within the fiber of your inner being? Only God knows… But He will reveal it to you if who will diligently and prayerfully seek it out.