6雅各玩弄诡计，拿杨树、杏树、枫树的树枝，『将皮剥成白纹，使枝子露出白的来。』（创三十37。）然后雅各将剥了皮的枝子对著羊群插在饮羊的水沟里，『羊来喝的时候牝牡配30:39合。』（创三十38。）创世记三十章三十九节告诉我们，『羊对著枝子配合，就生下有纹的、有点的、有斑的来。』然后雅各把他的羊和拉班的羊分开。此外，到羊群肥壮配合的时候，『雅各就把枝子插在水沟里，使羊对著枝子配合。只是到羊瘦弱配合的时候，就不插枝子；这样，瘦弱的就归拉班，肥壮的就归雅各。』（创三十～42。）因此，有点、有斑、有纹的都是强壮的；白的都是瘦弱的。我不信雅各这种谋略真有甚么功效；这不过是他聪明头脑的发明。但不管这诡计有没有功效，结果就是这样，雅各认为他的计画已经成功。雅各见拉班的气色向他不如从前了。耶和华对雅各说，『你要回你祖你父之地，到你亲族那里去，我必与你同在。』（创三一1～3。）然后，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。在这梦中，他看见『跳母羊的公羊，都是有纹的、有点的、有花斑的。』他又听见神的使者说，『你举目观看，跳母羊的公羊都是有纹的、有点的、有花斑的；凡拉班向你所作的，我都看见了。』（创三一10～12。）从前我读到这梦的记载，不信这是真的。我认为雅各在撒谎，因他不愿向他的妻子泄露他的诡计。最后，我发现这梦不是假的，因为雅各叙述的时候说，耶和华的使者曾对他说，『我是伯特利的神，你在那里用油浇过柱子，向我许过愿。』（创三一13。）因为这句话不能假，这梦必是真的。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，他得著这些羊不是因著他的诡计，乃是因著神的主宰。这和雅各得长子名分的原则一样。雅各尽力要得著长子名分，事实上长子名分已给了雅各。表面上，雅各用诡计得著长子名分；实际上，是神的主宰绐他的。同样，表面上，雅各用诡计得著羊群的财富；实际上，这些财富乃是因著神的主宰而来的。在这段话里有一个难题。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。我们如何使这点一致？有两种方法：头一种宣称那梦是假的，这我不能接芰。第二种说这是神的主宰。根据这种说法，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、和有纹的羊是藉著雅各的诡计；我相信这是藉著神的主宰。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著长子名分。这里的原则是一样的。雅各致富不是藉著他的诡计，乃是藉著神的主宰。
6In playing his trick, Jacob took rods of poplar, hazel, and chestnut trees and “peeled white stripes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods” (30:37). Jacob then set these striped rods before the flocks in the watering troughs, “that they should conceive when they came to drink” (30:38). In we are told that “the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle striped, speckled, and spotted.” Jacob then separated his cattle from Laban’s cattle. Furthermore, when the stronger cattle conceived, “Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban’sand the stronger Jacob’s” (30:41-42). Thus, the speckled, spotted, and striped cattle 41 were stronger, and the white cattle were feebler. I do not believe that Jacob’s scheme actually worked; it was merely an invention of Jacob’s clever mind. But whether or not the trick worked, the results appeared, and Jacob thought that his plan had been successful. When Jacob saw that the countenance of Laban was not toward him as before, the Lord said unto him, “Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee” (31:2-3). Then, according to 31:4-5, “Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,” and told them that their father’s countenance had changed toward him. After this, he related a dream he had had during the time the cattle were conceiving. In this dream he saw that “the rams which leaped upon the cattle were striped, speckled, and spotted,” and he heard the Angel of God saying, “Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are striped, speckled, and spotted: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee” (31:10-12). When I read the account of this dream in the past, I doubted the truth of it. I thought that Jacob was lying because he did not want to divulge his trick to his wives. Eventually, I discovered that the dream was not a lie, for in relating it, Jacob said that the Angel of the Lord had spoken to him, saying, “I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me” (31:13). Since this word cannot be false, the dream must have been true. While Jacob was playing his trick on Laban with the striped branches, God spoke to him in a dream, telling him to see that all the rams which leaped upon the cattle were striped, speckled, and spotted. In this way God indicated to Jacob that he did not acquire these cattle by his trick but by God’s sovereignty. The principle here is the same as that in Jacob’s gaining the birthright. While Jacob did his best to obtain it, it was actually given to him. Apparently, Jacob secured the birthright by his trick; actually, it was given to him by God’s sovereignty. Likewise, apparently Jacob gained the riches of the flock by his trick; actually, these riches came by God’s sovereignty. There is a difficult problem in this section of the Word. In chapter thirty we are told that only white cattle were conceiving before the rods, but in the dream speckled, and spotted striped rams, not white rams, were leaping on others. How can we reconcile this? There are two ways. The first way is to claim that the dream was a lie. I cannot accept this. The second way is to say that this is a matter of God’s sovereignty. According to this way, God changed the white cattle into speckled, spotted, and striped cattle in a way similar to His changing Balaam’s curses into blessings (Num. 23:11-12; 24:10). However, regardless of the way we explain this occurrence, I do not believe that the speckled, spotted, and striped cattle were conceived through Jacob’s trick but through God’s sovereignty. Jacob’s dream in chapter thirty-one reveals that it was God’s sovereignty that actually produced these results. Compare this once again with the case of Jacob’s securing the birthright. If God had not been sovereign in that situation and had not given Jacob the birthright, Jacob never could have obtained it through trickery. The principle is the same here. Jacob did not become rich through his trickery but through God’s sovereignty.