Genesis 30:37-43
[37] Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. [38] He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, [39] the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. [40] And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock. [41] Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, [42] but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. [43] Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.
I’ve read the story of Jacob and Laban many many times before, but it wasn’t until tonight when reading that I saw something more. I never realized the sticks were physically in the water the animals were drinking from. I always just thought it was placed in front of them, but it was actually IN their drinking supply.
So, when Jacob was carving those sticks, he was carving the image or type of animal he wanted into the sticks and then placed them into their water supply because they drank when they mated. So, they were literally drinking stripes into their bodies and filling their system with stripes so that they could give birth to stripes. I never noticed that before that they were literally drinking stripes to produce striped.
So, really what you put into yourself will be what you become. If you water yourself and feed yourself with movies, music, people filled with strong language and crudity, you will find your mind, your thoughts, your mouth thinking, pondering, and saying those things. You’ll find yourself being filled with what you put into you and what you are filled with, will be what comes from you as well.
Dear LORD, thank You that You never stop teaching us. That Your Word never becomes stagnant but is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. LORD, please continue to show me Your Truth. Show me things in Your Word that I missed before. Things that I overlooked. Teach me, LORD, I want to learn. I want to grow in You. I want to know You and Your heart. I want to grow in understanding and wisdom. Thank You, LORD for giving wisdom and understanding freely to anyone who asks. Thank You, LORD. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.