Tables Turn

June 3, 2007

Gen 29: 1-30           

What a story. Here the cheater, the sneaker, the swindler has the tables turned. Here justice is in some sense served. If Esau could have seen this on TV he’d probably have been gratified.
I mean here was the guy who cheated him out of what he thought was his; getting conned by the brother of the lady who had set up his own con. There is something satisfying about that in a way isn’t there? Let’s face it we’d all like to see divine earthly retribution.

I remember in my darker days being entranced by a series of movies called “Death Wish.” In those movies the Main character Paul Kersey, has his family torn asunder and his daughter brutalized by a local gang of thugs. The police were unable to do much, at least as far as the script went. And so as the movie develops we see Kersey getting programmed to take on these punks as a vigilante. I remember the satisfaction I felt in the scene where he walks outside that first night armed with his new and is assailed by a mugger. And as the mugger approaches Kersey, Kersey turns and blows him away. And there is a sense that somehow someway Justice has been done. I want you to know that as right as you felt about that or I did at the time, it is wrong. We are not to buy into the Debbie Boone school of theology, “it can’t be wrong if it feels so right...” God is the one who will balance the scales... and we better submit to him.

We need to deal with this topic here and show that God has not relinquished control, not to Jacob, Esau, or even to Laban or you or even me, but still retains the right of balancing the scales.
Its sort of like the story of Jack’s mom running into the den because she heard him screaming and found out his three year old sister was pulling his hair.

She gently released the little girls hands from his hair and said to jack in a comforting way, “There, there, she didn’t mean it, she’s only a little girl and she doesn’t know that it hurts.”
Mom was barely out of the room when the little girl screamed. She rushed back in and said “What happened?” She knows now,” Jack explained.

We have the idea today that since God or the law is so slow or unjust we have to take the law into or own hands. There are even business that specialize in creative revenge in our country did you know that? I mean businesses OTHER than law offices.

I like the advice of one Chinese proverb: “If thine enemy wrong thee, buy each of his children a drum.”

That’s what we really think, many of us, for the most part. Get even and we can put it behind us.
I am afraid that we need to go back to square one again and relearn the basic principle, and that principle allows us to forgive as God forgave, not the one who deserve it, but because Christ forgave us, that principle is this : Vengeance is MINE says the LORD.

I hate to tell you how many people will continue a fight with their spouse for days or give the silent treatment for days because they want to make the other party suffer for offending them, and that is sin and taking over God’s role. Surrender is what is needed here, surrender of our rights to have the scales balanced now.

Let’s look at what old Jacob had to contend with a minute and then let’s see who orchestrated this OK?

Jacob cruises on into town and heads right toward the old watering hole. Now you have to know that in those days that meant a real well, not a local bar. Jacob would not go to a real bar because he knew nice girls didn’t hang out at bars then and don’t now. He goes where the chicks are.

And right in the middle of this a real beauty brings sheep down to the well to get water. And Jacob utters the ancient Danish war cry “Hubba Hubba” (that was the origin of that for you history buffs. My ancestors used it as a war cry, no fooling).

Jacob finds out that this chickadee is exactly who he was sent to find and his 60 year old heart is smitten Man he’s in looooove...and he marches up and plants a wet one on her cheek. And he aint too bad a looker at 7-oh himself , because she takes him home to Daddy. Hey Dad, look what followed me home. Well Jacob hires on ...or rather refuses to mooch ..and works his keep a while. Finally old Laban says, “Jake, my man, you bin a good worker. Now I can’t be having you work for nothing, tell me, what wages would you like?”

Now Jacob forgets what dad tried to tell him and (kissin don’t last cookin do) and he says ...Rachael...I’ll work seven years for Rachael...and Laban says heh heh...NO problem...It is a good thing to keep it in the family. You work for seven years and you get the lady.

I wonder if you would have waited? Today people run into each other in the dark and before they even know each other’s names they are in bed, not necessarily in love. But this man was no teenager, he was getting past his prime..but he loved her and she was worth the wait. Girls, if he truly loves you, you are worth the wait too...don’t be conned by a smooth talking dude...remember Jacob...at least he did something right.

But back to our story... Jacob works hard for seven years...and these years go by fast...because he is so in love with this lady.
Now the seven years passes and listen to this: 21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give [me] my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.
And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid [for] a handmaid.
And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it [was] Leah: and he said to Laban, What [is] this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve with thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?
And Laban said, “It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.”

Man oh man. The old man slipped the older sister in place of the younger one. Jacob had wanted the sweet little Rachel and in the night he had married Old booger eyes.

Now he makes a further deal, and after one week (and a promise to serve seven more years) he gets to wed with Rachel as well.

27-28 Fulfill her week and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

Wo Babe...what a mess huh? Here the con man gets conned...here the deceiver gets deceived...and you know what? Esau is nowhere around. This whole balancing of scales was done without Esau even lifting a finger.

Do you know that God was at work in Jacob’s life teaching, paring away stuff, training, and yes evening out he scales with out the brilliant mind of the wounded party even offering one plan? Hey not only that but God was busy back home too as we will see later softening Esau's heart.

Do you know that God is VERY good at that still? I wonder if we do know that..because whenever we...I am wounded or offended or hurt, or you are wounded offended or hurt...do you, do I turn it over to God and walk on trusting Him to work out the details? More often than not we don’t. We punish, pursue, pound our opponent and get our pound of flesh...and God is dishonored.
You see there is a truth and we MUST learn it... it is this:

Jas 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

God’s plans turn out now like they did then..with peaceful reconciliation. It is also in James...

Jas 3:17-18 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

See it is NOT up to us to get satisfaction from revenge..it is up to us to surrender to God and let Him work it out.

Pope John the 23rd said this “see everything, overlook a lot, correct a little.” Now if you do not like that because he said it let me put it in other words..same sentiment...Jas 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

LISTEN it is up to God to make sinners into saints...all you do is drive then away. When you correct lovingly, that is good...but when you try to get even...you defame the name of Jesus Christ who bought you.

Ouch huh? This sermon bugged me because I had to stop and pray God forgive ME for trying to balance scales that belong to you.

So we see old Jacob getting the tables turned on him. And we see it results, years later, in a righteous reunion of brothers because it was a work of God and not a work of man.

When you soil your self with revenge you get hurt worse than you hurt others also...the old saying is this “never wrestle with a pig, you will both get dirty, and the pig likes it.

A believer must follow the example of the one he says he believes who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, but rather committed himself to the one who judges righteously .That’s the key to dealing with revenge issues...trust. Did you know that it boils down to trust again? It always does doesn’t it. It all boils down to trusting God enough to do it his way according to his word.

We have seen in this family a real penchant for doing things their own way. They can’t seem to trust God to work out details of all he has promised to do...hmmmmm does that sound familiar? That trait has been passed on over the centuries huh?

Doesn’t’ it seem that nearly every biblical lesson winds up with a similar problem? We take matters into our own hands and we fail to believe what God says. We try to even the odds on our own and we wind up disobeying God’s word.

Who is it that you are angry at? Who is it that you want to cut down to size?
Who has offended you? Are you going about dealing with it God’s way or are you doing it your way? Are you taking pot shots at them from afar or are you praying for God to love them through you. Are you willing to erase the debt of their sin and leave the outcome to God? Further are you prepared, as Christ did for you, to commend them to the mercy of God?

You may recall T.J. McCulley? His son, Ed McCulley was brutally slain under the hands of the Auca Indians in Ecuador. When he heard of the horrible tragedy do you know what this godly man said? He said this and I leave it with you.

“Lord, let me live long enough to see those fellows saved who killed our boys that I may throw my arms around them and tell them that I love them because they love my Christ.”
Now please, Please think about that Amen