Vol. 12, The Symbolic Code, No. 4
Vol. 12 No. 4
FEBRUARY, 1957
WHAT BRINGS SUCCESS? 3
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 1
WHAT BRINGS
SUCCESS?
(The
sermon which follows was given by Brother V.T. Houteff,
May 6, 1944).
James 4:2, 3 -- "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill and desire to have, and cannot
obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask
amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
There is a class of people who do everything
they can in order to enrich themselves in material wealth perhaps even for a
good cause, yet they are poor because they attempt to acquire it in their own
wisdom and strength and do not ask God either for the riches or His help to obtain
them. Because this class did not ask
they received not.
There is also another class who ask, but
they ask amiss, wanting only to consume it upon themselves, and therefore they,
too, receive nothing.
These are but two reasons why even some of
God's Own people are poor. James here
deals only with these two reasons, but other Bible writers give additional
specific reasons such as poor management, indolence, providential
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 3
reverses, and so on.
By inspired testimony we have learned that
Abraham and
In the process of time
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 4
When Joseph started out he,
too, was very poor. He was sold by his
own brothers and later sold again as a slave.
All he possessed at that time were his soul and the clothes on his body. But eventually he became the world's richest man. He held the key to all the riches in
The troubles which came to Joseph in his
life were actually for his good and prepared him to become an interpreter of
dreams, a king, and doubtless the greatest economist the world has ever
seen. God had observed that Joseph did
everything as if it were his very own, and, moreover, he was constantly
sensible to the fact that God was his Master and that nothing could be hidden
from Him. It was this conviction that
caused Joseph to understand that regardless what men did to him or said about
him, God alone had charge of his life.
Therefore, in prosperity and fame Joseph maintained his loyalty and
integrity; and in adversity Joseph did not waste his time ascribing to others
the cause of his troubles. Instead, he
set about to behave in a way that would commend himself even to royalty, for it
is not likely that the Ishmaelites would have been
able to sell him to Potiphar had he not been a
superior person.
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 5
"And the Lord was with Joseph, and he
was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with
him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he
served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all
that he had he put into his hand.... And Joseph was a goodly person, and
well favoured." Gen. 39:2-4,
6. But again it was his lot to
suffer reversals over which he had no control, and he
landed in prison where his excellent personality and faithfulness once again
won him his freedom, and, moreover, he was promoted to the highest position of
the land.
In the meantime Joseph's brothers kept
coming down until finally they were reduced to such poverty that they had to
leave their country and come to Joseph for their food and living. We should be able to see in this that
although God's people may be disgracefully dealt with by jealous associates, still they will not suffer the wrong forever if
God is with them. Joseph followed
righteousness and no man could prevent God from blessing him with riches and
honor. It matters not what men may say
or do against you to put you down, if you have God with you you
will in the end be on top and they at the bottom. Jealousy may be as cruel as the grave, but
sooner or later righteousness is rewarded.
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 6
How important it is that
God's people have their minds constantly employed in serving Him perfectly in
everything!
We can indeed make ourselves the poorest of
the poor by concerning ourselves wholly with our own needs and wants instead of
working toward the goal of producing all we can for the benefit of others. Doing for others is what brings success and
alone makes one in demand.
Job, you remember, was a very rich man
because he was perhaps God's best friend on earth at that time. At least the Devil grew jealous of him and
told the Lord that Job was not as good a man as the Lord thought, and he could
prove it if he were allowed to bring enough trouble and hardship to him. And you remember that the Lord allowed the
Devil to do anything he wanted to Job, except to take his life. In the midst of the fires of his many and
grievous afflictions Job declared, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in
Him." Job
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 7
how severe were the hardships they were called upon to
bear, felt that these sacrifices were too great. Generally speaking, all these men possessed a
stabilizing power that is hard to explain other than to say that it is a gift of God which He
bestows upon those who are intimately and firmly acquainted and united to Him.
Solomon, too, saw his great personal need,
not for his own personal benefit, however, but for the ultimate benefit of his
people. And he longed for the
fulfillment of his need for their sake.
That is why he asked God for the right thing -- wisdom. And God gave him everything, including
wisdom.
David was anointed king over
The only lasting fortune man can obtain is
gotten through righteousness, through God's way and in His time. The successful life is not that one which
gained riches and acquired fame for this life and nothing for the future life. The successful man, on the contrary, insures
his eternal riches by daily making straight paths for his feet to walk in, thus
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 8
insuring also his present life's success. God controls the distribution of riches and
He does not give them to His people as a blessing if they are selfish. If such people obtain wealth it is invariably
a curse to them.
Now let us study Jacob's life for a few
minutes this afternoon. You remember
that he was the son of Isaac whom God had greatly blessed. And when he grew old Jacob coveted the
birthright which according to custom was to be Esau's. In desiring it Jacob was not seeking to
become rich, he was after the spiritual blessing that it would bring and which
Esau did not esteem highly, until in one way or another Jacob had successfully
gotten it for himself.
If a man wants spiritual blessings bad enough for the right purpose God
will give them to him.
After Jacob obtained the birthright he had
to leave home and build his life with practically nothing at his uncle Laban's. There Jacob
agreed to work for Laban seven years for his daughter
Rachel, whom he wanted to marry. During
these seven years Jacob had practically taken the business under his control,
and God had greatly blessed his efforts, and through it Laban
also was blessed. But Laban deceived him at the end of the seven years and gave
him the wrong girl! Jacob again agreed
to work another seven years for Rachel.
During this time
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 9
Jacob's work was of the same
high quality as it has been before, even though he has been treated wrongly by
his uncle.
Since God's people in this age are to endure
"the time of Jacob's trouble" and receive the blessing which was
promised to his posterity in the latter days, it would be time well spent for
us to give further attention to the details as they are recorded in the Bible
which describe the faithfulness with which Jacob, our type, discharged his
daily responsibilities, and compare ourselves with him to see if we are as
diligent and careful and trustworthy as he was.
Let us read first
Gen. 30:25-43 -- "And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said
unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own
place, and to my country. Give me my
wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. And Laban said unto
him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that
the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake.
And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it. And he said unto him, Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. For it
was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is
now increased unto a
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 10
multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and
now when shall I provide for mine own house also? And he said, What
shall I give thee? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any
thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy
flock. I will pass through all thy flock
to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the
brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and
of such shall be my hire. So shall my
righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire
before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats,
and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. And Laban said,
Behold, I would it might be according to thy word. And he removed that day the he goats that
were ringstraked and spotted, and all the she goats
that were speckled and spotted and every one that had some white in it and all
the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. And he set three days' journey betwixt
himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's
flocks.
"And Jacob took him rods of green
poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them,
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 11
and made the white appear which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had pilled
before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came
to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. And the flocks conceived before the rods and
brought forth cattle ringstraked speckled, and
spotted. And Jacob did separate the
lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the ringstraked,
and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put
his own flocks by themselves and put them not unto Laban's
cattle. And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that 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's, and the stronger Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had
much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses."
When Jacob's fourteen years service to
obtain his two wives were over he wanted to move his family and possessions
back to his own country whence he came.
But Laban knew that he had prospered by having
Jacob with him, and for this reason he did not want him to leave. Had Jacob not been enterprising and
faithfully producing more than he consumed
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 12
you know that Laban would not
have wanted Jacob to stay even as long as he did. The thing that makes anyone valuable in the
world is his ability to see and fill a need that exists in the world. The valuable man does not gain this
reputation by measuring the good he will do by what he expects to receive in
return. He is the valuable man, I
repeat, because he saw and filled a need that existed in the world.
Gen. 30:27 -- "And Laban said unto him, I pray thee,
if I have found favour in thine
eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for
thy sake."
This is the kind of recommendation the
Christian should cause to be said of his religion by those for whom he
works. Such a recommendation comes only
by putting practical religion and thought into your everyday living and working
habits, and by producing more than you consume.
The real Christian will never say what I heard a man say one time. He told me that where he was working he was getting only a certain amount per hour which he
stipulated in a tone of dissatisfaction, and then he quickly added that that is
all the value in work he would give them, too.
That is not the way to commend your religion to anyone for whom you
intend to continue working. But it is
the way to get yourself out the
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 13
door sooner or later.
Let us read again
Gen. 30:31-34 -- "And he [Laban] said, What
shall I give thee [Jacob]? And Jacob said, Thou shalt not give me any
thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy
flock. I will pass through all thy flock
to day removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the
brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and
of such shall be my hire. So shall my
righteousness answer for me in time to come when it shall come for my hire
before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats,
and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me. And Laban said,
Behold, I would it might be according to thy word."
In drawing up the new labor contract, Jacob
said he did not want Laban to give him anything. He wanted to work for Laban
on a purely production basis and what God would give him. Laban listened to
Jacob's proposal and agreed to it because he expected the spotted lambs to be
fewer than the others. Jacob, on the
other hand, proposed this kind of contract because he knew that God was with
him and would bless him. He seemed to
know also
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 14
that there is a natural law
that we are blessed only when we put forth exertion and thought, for it took
both on Jacob's part to prepare the rods and to separate the feeble from the
strong cattle when they came to drink.
And God did greatly bless him.
Gen. 31:1 --
"And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was
our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this
glory."
Laban's sons said
Jacob became rich because of Laban; but it was God
who made him rich because of his faithfulness and effort.
Gen. 31:2-4 -- "And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban,
and, behold, it was not toward him as before. And the Lord
said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I
will be with thee. And Jacob sent and
called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock."
Though Jacob was rich he was still on the
job.
Gen. 31:5, 6 -- And said unto them, I see your father's countenance, that it is not
toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have
served your father."
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 15
He served Laban
with all his power, and he acknowledged that God had blessed him.
Gen. 31:7-9 -- "And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times;
but God suffered him not to hurt me. If
he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages; then
all the cattle bare speckled: and if he said thus, The ringstraked
shall be thy hire; then bare all the cattle ringstraked. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your
father, and given them to me."
Both of the men charged each other with
deceit. In his account to his wives,
Jacob recalled that Laban had changed his wages
repeatedly, and, furthermore, he pointed out that he could not help it that the
cattle came ringstraked and
speckled. He had simply put forth his
best efforts and God had blessed him.
Gen. 31:10-12 -- "And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I
lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream and, behold, the rams which leaped upon
the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. And the
angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob:
And I said, Here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the
cattle are ringstraked,
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 16
speckled, and grisled: for I have
seen all that Laban doeth unto thee."
God revealed to Jacob that He Himself was
responsible for Jacob's good fortune.
Had Jacob not been faithful, however, do you think God would have
blessed him? God blesses us only when we
keep busy at our given work, whatever it may be. Moreover, just as God saw all the evil that Laban did toward Jacob, and did not suffer him to hurt
Jacob, so also whatever anyone attempts to do against His faithful people
today, it will in the end fail to accomplish the intended purpose to injure
them, for God will turn it around at last to glorify Himself and to bless His
people. And when God wants to bless,
someone, no one -- not even the Devil -- can keep Him from doing it.
Gen. 31:14-16 -- "And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our
father's house? Are we not counted of
him strangers? for
he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from
our father, that is ours, and our children's: now
then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do."
Laban's daughters,
too, recognized the fact that their father was selfish and a grafter.
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 17
They were therefore willing
to cooperate with Jacob in whatever God had told him to do.
Gen. 31:17-22 -- "Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;
and he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the
cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram,
for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. And Laban went to
shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he
fled. So he fled with all that he had;
and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the
The fact that Laban
was unaware of Jacob's absence until someone informed him of it three days
after he left, shows that Jacob had taken care of Laban's work so well that Laban
did not have to go every day to check up on Jacob's work.
Gen. 31:23-27 -- "And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven
days' journey; and they overtook him in the
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 18
overtook Jacob. Now
Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban
with his brethren pitched in the mount of
Laban pretended in
this, for were he not lying God would not have had to appear to Laban in the dream to warn him to leave Jacob alone.
Gen. 31:28, 29 -- "And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done
foolishly in so doing. It is in the
power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake
unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou
speak not to Jacob either good or bad."
So what could Laban
do?
Gen. 31:30-36 -- "And now, though thou wouldest needs be
gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's
house yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?
And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 19
wouldest take by
force thy daughters from me. With
whomsoever thou findest thy gods let him not live:
before our brethren discern thou what is thine with
me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew
not that Rachel had stolen them. And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and
into the two maidservants' tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into
Rachel's tent. Now Rachel had taken the
images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. And she said to her father, Let it not
displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is
upon me. And he searched but found not
the images. And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob
answered and said to Laban What
is my trespass? what
is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?"
Jacob knew that Laban
was not saying and doing all these things for nothing, and he demanded that Laban explain his reason for his behaviour. Jacob continues speaking in
Gen. 31:37-42 -- "Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of
all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they
may judge betwixt
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 20
us both. This
twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she
goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not
eaten. That which was torn of beasts I
brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it,
whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.
Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night;
and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years
for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my
wages ten times. Except the God of my
father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away
now empty. God hath seen mine affliction
and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight."
Jacob had kept the cattle in the best
possible way so that there was no loss to Laban. Jacob, himself, had suffered the loss of
those which happened to be stolen. He
had watched and worked diligently both day and night, tending well to his
business. And that is the real reason
that Laban was after Jacob now. He knew that Jacob was a valuable worker and
that he needed him.
We, too, must be diligent and faithful as
was Jacob if we are to enter the Kingdom, for the men that are wanted in God's
cause
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 21
are men who are dependable in whatever the Lord gives
them to do.
Gen. 31:43 -- "And Laban answered and said unto Jacob,
These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these
cattle are my cattle and all that thou seest is mine:
and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children
which they have born?"
Poor Laban! Everything was his, yet there was nothing he
could do to possess them!
Gen. 31:44-52 -- "Now therefore come thou, let us make covenant, I and thou; and
let it be for a witness between me and thee. And Jacob
took a stone and set it up for a pillar.
And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took
stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap. And Laban called it
Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed. And Laban said, This heap is a witness
between me and thee this day. Therefore
was the name of it called Galeed; and Mizpah; for he said The Lord watch between me and thee,
when we are absent one from another. If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt
take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness
betwixt me
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 22
and thee. And Laban said to Jacob Behold this heap, and behold this
pillar, which I
have cast betwixt me and thee: this heap be witness, and this pillar be
witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for
harm."
Laban finally
became convinced that he could do nothing, and being fearful of Jacob, he
proposed that they enter into a covenant together for peace.
Gen. 31:53-55 -- "The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor,
the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware
by the fear of his father Isaac. Then
Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread:
and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. And early in the morning Laban
rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place."
Laban had gone
after Jacob with the intention of cursing him, but he was obliged to bless him
instead.
Now we as Christians must be joined to the
Lord even as Jacob was and be diligent in the pursuit of that which God had
given each
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 23
of us to do if we would be blessed as he was. Diligence and faithfulness characterized all
the great men of the world, and it is the only way to gain lasting blessings
and be in favor with both God and man.
For, says the wise man, "A faithful man shall abound with
blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall
not be innocent. He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him." Prov. 28:20,
May each of us as children of God be aware
that He sees all that we do and reads all our thoughts; may our constant motive
be that of serving Him and not ourselves; may we live to bless others and not
just to seek the means by which we only may exist; may we realize that no man
can put us down if God wants us up; and finally, may we realize that it is God
from Whom all blessings flow. Thus may
we prepare ourselves for the day when God shall separate the saints and the
hypocrites and give each his rightful reward.
Symbolic Code, Vol. 12, No.
4 24