根据创世记三十一章四至五节，“雅各就打发人，叫拉结和利亚到田野羊群那里来；”对她们说，她们父亲的气色向他已经改变了。此后，雅各把羊配合时他所作的梦告诉她们。当雅各用剥了皮的树枝向拉班玩弄诡计时，神在梦中向他说话，告诉他跳母羊的公羊都是有纹的，有点的、有花斑的。这样，神向雅各指明，他得着这些羊不是因着他的诡计，乃是因着神的主宰。这和雅各得长子名分的原则一样。雅各尽力要得着长子名分，事实上长子名分已给了雅各。表面上，雅各用诡计得着长子名分；实际上，是神的主宰绐他的。同样，表面上，雅各用诡计得着羊群的财富；实际上，这些财富乃是因着神的主宰而来的。
创世记三十章告诉我们，只有白羊在树枝前交配；但在梦中跳母羊的都是有点的、有斑的、和有纹的羊，而不是白羊。这是神的主宰。神将白羊变成有点、有斑、和有纹的，就像祂将巴兰的咒诅变成祝福一样（民二三11-12，二四10）。无论我们怎样解释这事，我不相信生出有点、有斑、和有纹的羊是藉着雅各的诡计；我相信这是藉着神的主宰。创世记三十一章中雅各的梦启示，真正产生出这结果的，乃是神的主宰。再将这事与雅各获得长子名分的事例相比，如果神在那情况中不是主宰的，也不给雅各长子名分，雅各绝不能藉诡计得着长子名分。这里的原则是一样的。雅各致富不是藉着他的诡计，乃是藉着神的主宰。
雅各已经蒙神拣选，并在神的祝福之下，他无须玩弄诡计以致富。因他在神的祝福之下，神就给他祝福。表面上，雅各是藉诡计得逞而致富；实际上，这些财富是神的主宰和祝福的手赐给他的。原则上，今天我们是一样的。我们也是神所拣选的人，并在祂的祝福之下，我们无须奋斗或玩弄诡计以得着神的祝福。神会赐绐我们所需的祝福。虽然如此，我们得救以后，都会挣扎并玩弄诡计来得祝福。在很多事例中，好像祝福真是藉着我们的挣扎和诡计而来；但实际上，祝福乃是藉着神的主宰而来。与我们有关的每件事都是这样。我们不该以为，有甚么祝福是藉着我们努力成就而来的。反之，我们必须看见，每一个祝福，无论是属灵的或物质的，都是藉着神的主宰而来的。
信息重点：神在梦中向雅各显明，凡拉班向他所作的，神都看见了。雅各所得的不是因着他的诡计，乃是因着神主宰的祝福。
应用祷告：主啊，使我相信你看见我的一切，并认识一切的祝福都是出于你的主宰。
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God’s Sovereignty — Gen. 31:7-9
According to Genesis 31:4-5, “So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,” and said to them that their father’s countenance was not toward him as it had been before. After this, Jacob told them about the dream he had had while the flocks were mating. When Jacob was playing his trick on Laban with the peeled branches, God spoke to him in a dream, telling him that all the male goats that mated with the females were striped, speckled and mottled. In this way, God showed Jacob that what he obtained was not through his own scheming, but through God’s sovereignty. This is the same principle as when Jacob obtained the birthright. Jacob tried his best to obtain the birthright, and in fact the birthright had already been given to Jacob. On the surface, Jacob obtained the birthright through scheming; in actuality, it was given to him through God’s sovereignty. In the same way, on the surface, Jacob obtained the wealth of the flocks through scheming; in actuality, this wealth came through God’s sovereignty.
Genesis chapter 30 tells us that only the white sheep mated in front of the branches; but in the dream, the ones mating were striped, spotted and speckled, not white. This was God’s sovereignty. God turned the white sheep into striped, spotted and speckled ones, just as He turned Balaam’s curse into a blessing (Num. 23:11-12; 24:10). However we explain this matter, I do not believe that the production of striped, spotted and speckled sheep came through Jacob’s scheming; I believe it came through God’s sovereignty. The revelation in Jacob’s dream in Genesis chapter 31 shows that it was truly God’s sovereignty that produced this result. Comparing this again with the case of Jacob obtaining the birthright — if God had not been sovereign in that situation and had not given Jacob the birthright, Jacob could never have obtained it through scheming. The principle here is the same. Jacob became rich not through his scheming, but through God’s sovereignty.
Jacob had already been chosen by God, and under God’s blessing, he had no need to scheme in order to become rich. Because he was under God’s blessing, God gave him blessing. On the surface, Jacob succeeded through scheming and became rich; in actuality, this wealth was given to him by the sovereign and blessing hand of God. In principle, we are the same today. We are also those whom God has chosen, and under His blessing, we have no need to strive or scheme in order to obtain God’s blessing. God will give us the blessing we need. Even so, after we are saved, we still struggle and scheme to obtain blessing. In many cases, it seems as though blessing truly comes through our struggle and scheming; but in reality, blessing comes through God’s sovereignty. This is true of everything related to us. We should not think that any blessing comes through our own effort. Rather, we must see that every blessing, whether spiritual or material, comes through God’s sovereignty.
Message Focus: God showed Jacob in a dream that He had seen everything Laban had done to him. What Jacob obtained was not through his own scheming, but through the blessing of God’s sovereignty.
Prayer: Lord, cause me to believe that You see everything about me, and to know that every blessing comes from Your sovereignty.