Genesis 28-30
The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young.
Genesis 30:39
Required Reading
Devotional
What if I told you that Charles Darwin was not the first to come up with the Evolutionary Theory?
As we take a moment today and return our focus to the defense of the Bible as Trustworthy, consider this story from Genesis 30.
In case you haven't finished today's reading, (you should do that by the way), let me summarize what is happening here. Jacob and his family is currently living with his uncle/father in law, Laban. He wants to take his family and leave but he's made Laban very wealthy so Laban has no desire to see Jacob go. However, he reluctantly agrees to Jacob's plan to let him go while also agreeing to give him the streaked, speckled and spotted sheep.
This is significant because in this time, these sheep were considered less valuable than an unblemished white sheep. They were also thought to be weaker and less likely to breed young sheep. Yet, this is where it gets interesting.
Jacob has a theory, an evolutionary theory you might say, that he can influence the appearance of the sheep by changing their surroundings. By placing these branches in front of the sheep, he anticipates that they will breed young that reflect the branches that they see.
And he was right!
This process of seeing small changes in a species over time is known as micro evolution today. It's the same process that Charles Darwin observed from which he published the Theory of Evolution. Yet, while he wasn't the first to come up with this theory, he was the first to assume its influence over long periods of time would explain the presence of life on earth. And that is where I believe he and most who believe in the evolutionary theory are mistaken.
Check out this 10 minute clip from Is Genesis History beginning at the hour and 12 minute mark.
As we take a moment today and return our focus to the defense of the Bible as Trustworthy, consider this story from Genesis 30.
Jacob then took branches of fresh poplar, almond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, exposing white stripes on the branches. He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the sheep—in the water channels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink. The flocks bred in front of the branches and bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young. Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked sheep and the completely dark sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn’t put them with Laban’s sheep.
Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches. As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys. Genesis 30:37-43
Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branches. As for the weaklings of the flocks, he did not put out the branches. So it turned out that the weak sheep belonged to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, female and male slaves, and camels and donkeys. Genesis 30:37-43
In case you haven't finished today's reading, (you should do that by the way), let me summarize what is happening here. Jacob and his family is currently living with his uncle/father in law, Laban. He wants to take his family and leave but he's made Laban very wealthy so Laban has no desire to see Jacob go. However, he reluctantly agrees to Jacob's plan to let him go while also agreeing to give him the streaked, speckled and spotted sheep.
This is significant because in this time, these sheep were considered less valuable than an unblemished white sheep. They were also thought to be weaker and less likely to breed young sheep. Yet, this is where it gets interesting.
Jacob has a theory, an evolutionary theory you might say, that he can influence the appearance of the sheep by changing their surroundings. By placing these branches in front of the sheep, he anticipates that they will breed young that reflect the branches that they see.
And he was right!
This process of seeing small changes in a species over time is known as micro evolution today. It's the same process that Charles Darwin observed from which he published the Theory of Evolution. Yet, while he wasn't the first to come up with this theory, he was the first to assume its influence over long periods of time would explain the presence of life on earth. And that is where I believe he and most who believe in the evolutionary theory are mistaken.
Check out this 10 minute clip from Is Genesis History beginning at the hour and 12 minute mark.
I truly can't say it any better than that clip so I won't try. All I will say is that I find it interesting that the first mention of evolution did not come from science, but rather the Bible. Yet, the same man who recorded the story of Jacob's evolution of sheep also recorded the words, "God created the heavens and the earth" in chapter 1.
My encouragement today is that you take this moment to reflect on what you believe about evolution and why you believe it. Review some of the resources provided and ask God to reveal to you His truth and equip you with the evidence to support it for both yourself, and for others you know.
My encouragement today is that you take this moment to reflect on what you believe about evolution and why you believe it. Review some of the resources provided and ask God to reveal to you His truth and equip you with the evidence to support it for both yourself, and for others you know.
Reflection Questions
- What surprised you most about the story of Jacob's sheep breeding experiment in Genesis 30?
- How does the presence of this story in the Bible impact your view of science and faith?
- In what ways might Jacob's understanding of breeding differ from modern evolutionary theory?
- How do you reconcile the presence of both creation accounts and examples of micro-evolution in the Bible?
- What are your personal beliefs about evolution and creation? How have they been shaped by your faith and scientific understanding?
- How can we approach conversations about evolution and creation with both scientific curiosity and faith-based conviction?
- What challenges do you face when defending the Bible's trustworthiness in discussions about science and origins?
Go Deeper
Check out the following resources for a deeper understanding of this week's topics. You will need a RightNow Media account to view most of the videos shared. Click the title to reveal the video(s) associated with the series.
Click to create your FREE RightNow Media account
Click to create your FREE RightNow Media account
Genesis 25-36
Eyewitness Bible
Lessons from Family Relationships
The Bible Project
Recent
Archive
2025
January
2024
December
No Comments