Cheated

"These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks. That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night." -Genesis 31.38-42

Laban has accused Jacob of stealing his idols. Jacob didn't know Rachel had taken them, but Laban doesn't find them. And after the search Jacob lists all the ways that Laban has cheated and tried to take advantage of him over the years. And Jacob says that had it not been for God, he would have been sent away with nothing. Laban would have milked him for all he was worth and then cast him aside.

Men, this happens a lot, and we see it more and more. We'll read in 1 Timothy 6 that, "The love of money is a root to all sorts of evil" and greed does drive so much of the world today. Companies have set up business so that management gets rich while those who actually do the work struggle to survive.

From this story we see two lessons. The first is don't be like Laban. If you find yourself in management of any kind, take the role of leadership as an opportunity to make the lives of those under you better. I'm not saying that you don't deserve the raise that comes with your promotion, but don't take it at the expense of your employees. There is no reason for a CEO to own seven $100,000 cars if his employees have to work two jobs and still can barely afford to pay the bills and feed their children.

Second, if you find yourself under such a leader endure, and allow God to bring justice. He cares about the poor, and hates when they are taken advantage of. He will be their advocate, and they will have justice. Work hard, and do the best you can. Be worthy of God's vindication.

We live in a world where this happens every day. It's time we take a stand. Let us stand up for the Jacobs of the world, and defy the Labans. Nothing is going to change until we act, and even then it's going to be a long hard fight. Let seek justice for the poor, and always work to make the lives of everyone we influence better. Let us live justly, and cheat no one.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor