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AGAPE LESSON27
TH E CRY OF AN APOSTLE
Put together by Bongie Kuzwayo
[Genesis30v25—43] And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban,
“Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. (26) Give me my wives and my
children for whom I have served you and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for
you.” (27) And Laban said to him, “please stay, if I have found favour in your eyes, for I have learned
by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.” (28) Then he said, “name me your wages,
and I will give it.” (29) So, Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your
livestock has been with me. (30) For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a
great amount; the Lord has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my
own house?” (31) So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me
anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: (32) “Let me pass
through all your stocks today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the
brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my
wages. (33) So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages
comes before you: everyone that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among
the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.” And Laban said, “Oh that it were according to
your word!” (35) So, he removed that day the male goats that were spackled and spotted, everyone
that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hands of
his sons. (36) Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of
Laban’s flocks. (37) Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut
trees, peeled white stripes in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. (38) And the rods
which he had peeled he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks
had to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. (39) So, the flocks conceived
before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled and spotted. (40) Then Jacob
separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of
Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock. (41) And it
came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes
of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. (42) But when the flocks
were feeble, he did not put them in; so, the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. )43) Thus
the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and
camels and donkeys.
What is this portion of Scripture saying to us as a church today? God’s word is timeless, so it must be
saying something to the church presently. God’s agenda has been, and continues to be Christ.
Looking on the surface of things, Jacob went to find himself a wife. It is far more than that. Let’s put
this portion of Scripture into context. We will take it from Genesis 25.
[Genesis25v21—23] Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren and the
Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah, his wife conceived. (22) But the children struggled together
within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So, she went to inquire of the Lord. (23)
And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your
body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.”
Esau sold his birth-right (Genesis25v31—34). God calls him a fornicator; He calls him profane and
was rejected when he wanted to inherit a blessing, for he found no place of repentance
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(Hebrews12v16—17). Again, Esau mixed the seed and took himself foreign wives, which was grief of
mind for Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis26v34—35). Isaac purposed to bless Esau and Rebekah
overhead Isaac sending Esau to go find game, in order to release a blessing on him (Gevesis27v4).
Rebekah wittingly organised for Jacob to receive the blessing instead of Esau. At this juncture, it was
God Himself orchestrating the situation to accomplish His agenda. Remember – His agenda is Christ. I
see Rebekah taking the position of the Holy Spirit; she gives Jacob the strategy, but does not leave
him to work it out on his own, she works it in and through him (Genesis27v6—10). Remember that
when Rebekah went to inquire of the Lord, she was told that the older will serve the younger
(Genesis25v23).
[John16v13] However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He
will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak; He will tell you things to
come.
MY TOPIC = THE CRY OF AN APOSTLE.
[Galatians 4v19] My little children, for whom I labour in birth again until Christ is formed in you.
Jacob arrived in Laban’s house as a sent one. He is on an apostolic mission.
Apostolic refers to a position of being sent. The word ‘apostle’ (apostelos in Greek), meaning
delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.
[Genesis28v2—5] “Arise and go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and
take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. (3) May God
Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples;
and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit
the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.” (5) So, Isaac sent Jacob away,
and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel, the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the
mother of Jacob and Esau.
Jacob as an apostle is sent to go break fallow ground in Padan Aram.
Now that Joseph was born, the angel of the Lord appeared to Jacob in a dream and said, “I am the
God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise and get out
of this land, and return to the land of your family.” (Genesis31v13).
Jacob expresses his desire to Laban, to take what belongs to him and go back to his people
(Genesis30v26—27).
[Genesis30v28] Then he said, “Name your wages, and I will give it.”
It suddenly dawns to Laban that he desperately needs Jacob, and he needs to pay him; and he pleads
with him to stay.
Jacob consents to stay but in his own terms. Jacob passed through all the flocks of Laban, removing
from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown among the lambs, and the speckled
and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs (Genesis30v31—32).
[Genesis30v33] So, my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my
wages comes before you: everyone that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown
among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.
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[Psalm18v25—28] With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man, You will
show Yourself blameless; (26) with the pure, You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious, You
will show Yourself shrewd, (27) for You will save the humble people, but bring down haughty looks.
(28) For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
According to Laban, the chances are very slim for Jacob’s plan to succeed and he was making sure
that the chances of him succeeding were zero (Genesis30v34—36). I see Laban as representing
principalities and all the host of darkness that work to oppose God’s agenda always.
[Genesis30v37] Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar, and almond, and chestnut trees,
peeled white strips in them and exposed the white which was in the rods.
We realize that the three rods that Jacob handpicked, all represent Christ. He peeled the white strips
in them to expose the white, which was in the rods, White represents purity and light.
[John8v38—39] Then Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me
shall not walk in darkness, but have the Light of life.”
[Genesis30v38—39] And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the
watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they come to
drink. (39) So, the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled
and spotted.
[2Corinthians3v18] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
being transformed to the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Beholding = to reflect, to look at, to behold, to perceive through sight, to gaze upon.
My own definition = it is a contemplating, piercing look at something; you don’t just look, but you
look to conceive a thought. You look to perceive.
Now, see the flocks as brethren coming together to be fed the word of God. See Jacob in the shoes of
Paul, having a deep desire that Christ be formed in in each one. Am sitting here, right now with a
deep desire that each one tuning into our website, may grow to maturity and progress to your Godgiven
destiny.
While they were drinking, they would give the white on the rods, a contemplative and piercing gaze
and spiritually conceive what they saw. An impartation would occur. What they understood or
perceived, they became.
[1John3v2] Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
When He “is” revealed = present tense. Each time we get a fresh revelation of Him, as we embrace
and walk in that revelation – are being transformed to His image. We become more and more like
Him.
May I digress a little. Elisha and Elijah.
“Ask what I may give you.”
‘Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’ “You have asked a hard thing.” What you are asking
depends entirely on your position and perception. Spiritual things are not taught but caught through
impartation; and impartation depends on proximity. Elisha had to be there to receive what he was
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asking for. “If you see me when I am being taken away from you, it shall be so.” Meaning – if you
perceive what I truly am, it shall be so.
This suspense in Elisha, and close following from Gilgal to beyond the Jordan, was creating a capacity
within Elisha to receive the download from Elijah.
[Genesis30v40] Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked, and
all the brown in the flocks of Laban, but he put his own flocks by themselves, and did not put them
with Laban’s flock.
The expression, “He put his own flocks by themselves,” gives a connotation of a Biblical expression =
“to set apart.” Anything that God has set apart, He calls it holy; it is set apart for God’s use.
[Acts13v2—3] As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now, separate to Me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (3) Then they fasted and prayed, and
laid hands on them, and they sent them away.
[Genesis30v41—42] And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob
placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the
rods. (42) But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so, the feebler were Laban’s, and
the stronger Jacob’s.
Stronger = these were hungry for the word.
Feebler = these were shying away from the word
The level of hunger within us is not the same. Some of us are passionate; cannot afford to miss
anything; while the attitude of some is very casual.
The strategy of increasing the livestock was given to Jacob in a dream.
[Genesis31v10—13] And it happened in the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and
saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled and
spotted. (11) then the angel, of the Lord spoke to me in a dream, saying, “Jacob.” And I said, ‘Here I
am,’ (12) And He said, “Lift up your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are
streaked, speckled and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. (13) I am the God of
Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now, arise, get out of this
land, and return to the land of your family.”
The cry of an apostle is that Christ may be formed in every heart. The apostle desires to populate the
family of God with mature sons.