I wonder if all of us are superstitious to a degree? The jackpot on the lottery just hit 50 million. We better get out those “lucky numbers”. Or consider playoff hockey in the spring. As soon as the playoffs start many of the players don’t shave their beards and some fans too. For that matter, take a close look at some fans. They need to wear their lucky sweater, those “special socks”, and don’t forget that cold beverage. We have routines. Some may argue that they are just routines and that is all. That said, routines become so ingrained that we begin to believe if we fail to do them that things will go bad.
Consider some other superstitions. Did you know that some people believe that if you kiss a baby on the lips, you will condemn them to spend their entire adult lives drooling? Some people also believe that when bird droppings land on you or something that belongs to you it will bring you wealth. Strange what some people will believe.
But what I have learned lately is that the more passionate or desperate people are about something, the more they will be inclined to rely on superstition. Our desperation leads us to a belief in superstition, conscious or not.
Well, this is exactly the situation that Jacob found himself in at one point. Jacob flees his home, leaves his parents and his brother and makes his way to live with his uncle Laban. Along the way, God appears to Jacob, and the result is that God promises to provide for and watch over Jacob. This promise is key as we move forward.
Jacob goes to live with his uncle Laban, and when he gets there, he spends seven years working for Laban with the deal that he can then marry Rachel. Laban ends up deceiving him, and Jacob ends up with Rachel’s sister Leah instead. So Jacob works another seven years so he can actually have Rachel. After fourteen years then, he has two wives, but nothing else. Laban, on the other hand has realized a great deal of wealth because of Jacob. God had promised that those who bless Jacob will be blessed and those who curse Jacob will be cursed. Anyways, Jacob now having served Laban for fourteen years finally wants to make a living for himself and his family.
Laban is all too anxious to keep Jacob around too. Why not? Jacob has proved to be something like a good luck charm. Laban knows he has acquired great fortune with Jacob around. But Jacob wanted to gain some wealth for himself, so he comes up with a scheme unlike any other – superstition abounds. The deal Jacob makes with Laban is that he will work, but at the end of the arrangement, Laban gets all the animals unless they are striped or spotted, or in the case of the sheep, Jacob gets all the black ones. So, Laban agrees and Jacob gets to work with his scheme. He takes some sticks and peels portions of the bark off so that the stick looks striped. He then places those sticks everywhere that he expects the animals will breed, thinking this will give them striped and spotted offspring. In the end, the results do come out in favor of Jacob. At the end of six years, Jacob was wealthy. His heard of livestock was huge, and the number of those who had been hired to help had increased greatly. So the question then begs to be asked – did the scheme work, or did something else happen?
Having spent a great deal of time looking at this story, I am now convinced that the scheme that Jacob put into place was not ultimately responsible for his wealth. Instead, I strongly believe that God intervened and caused Jacob to prosper. God promised to take care of Jacob, and despite Jacob’s schemes, God provided. The increased livestock did not come through superstition – putting striped sticks everywhere. It came because God is faithful and sovereign.
Here is the point. Superstitions don’t work. If it appears to you that they do, ask who is working behind the scenes. The closer you look, the more you are sure to see God at work. All of us really live under the sovereignty of God. When God promises something, we can be sure he will follow through. Many of us are experiencing “blessings” and we think its because of our schemes, superstitions, or perhaps just because of our own efforts. Forget about our superstitions. We need to believe in God, and if God truly is sovereign, which He is, then we all owe Him a great deal of thanks.