When Jacob Met His Match

INTRODUCTION: Despite Jacob’s continuing as a deceiver, God blessed him. God taught him truths in spite of his sin. In this lesson, Jacob reaped by being deceived as a result of the deception he sowed. In fact, the life of Jacob should serve as a wakeup call to each of us. Are we willing to receive from others the same thing that we dish out to them?
I. JACOB ARRIVED IN HARAN (Genesis 29:1-10)
A. Jacob’s Arrival at a Well (Genesis 29:1-3)
1. In the land of the people of the east (Genesis 29:1; Judges 6:3, Judges 6:33; Judges 7:12; Judges 8:10)
2. Where three flocks of sheep waited at the well (Genesis 29:2-3)
a. With a stone over the well (Genesis 29:2)
b. Waiting for the rest of the flocks (Genesis 29:3)
B. Jacob Inquired of the Shepherds (Genesis 29:4-8)
1. About his location (Genesis 29:4)—in Haran
2. About Laban (Genesis 29:5-6)
3. About watering the sheep (Genesis 29:7-8)
4. NOTE: Several explanations are given for the answer of the shepherds.
a. They were physically unable to move the stone. This would make Jacob, a plain man and dweller in tents, stronger than the shepherds. This does not seem possible unless the shepherds were very young lads.
b. They were under special agreement not to move the stone. Perhaps the sheep were not to go to pasture until the cattle had had their fill.
c. They were lazy and unimaginative. They would not do anything different than how they had always done it. Although the first two ways are possible, this seems most likely especially since Jacob could not make any sense of their waiting. The first two choices would have made sense to him if they had been legitimate.
C. Jacob Watered the Flocks of Laban (Genesis 29:9-10)