18 May - Genesis 30:25-43

Today's reading in our daily plan is Genesis 30:25-43. Take a moment to pray, asking God to speak to you from this passage. Then read, using the following notes and questions to help you get everything out of the passage.

• In this chapter there’s a lot of talk about spotted goats.  Laban, Jacob’s father-in-law, and Jacob spent a lot of energy in tricking each other.
• We don’t know how much of their culture plays into this account of trickery between Laban and Jacob but we do know that as followers of God we’re to take the higher road concerning our character. Jacob worked very hard for his father-in-law, even after being tricked in horrible ways, which shows great character. Perhaps this account of trickery on Jacob’s part was because he knew Laban was tricking him again.
• The chapter ends with some odd herding practices by Jacob that apparently worked and made him very wealthy.

So how do we apply this to our lives today? What ways do you need to protect your character? Are you living with integrity in every area in your life?