Mizpah

January 22, 2008

I am sure that you have seen them if you have ever been in a Christian gift shop. The Mizpah coins. They usually have a break in them, one for the girl and one for the guy. When put together they have a quote from the Bible, 'May the Lord watch over us while we are apart.' While it is a wonderful thought, the verse is out of context.

Genesis 31:45-52 KJV
(45) And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
(46) And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.
(47) And Laban called it Jegarsahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.
(48) And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;
(49) And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
(50) 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 and thee.
(51) And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;
(52) 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.

Jacob had been running from his father-in-law, wanting to get away while he had the chance. He had not stolen anything as Laban suggested, but Labanchased after him. Once it was shown that Jacob did not have anything, Jacob decided to build a monument there. He called the place Mizpah , as if to say, God will get you Laban if you try anything against me. And Laban said, if you go past this to hurt me, or I to you, then God will get the one that did wrong.

You know, like Jacob who worked for Laban, you worked for the devil one time. When you got saved, you tried to get away as fast as you could. Satanpursued you and said, you have all this stuff that I gave you. You may have listened to him, you may have said I am a new person, it does not matter. He will try to get to you every time. It is time for you to lay a spiritual set of stones up and say 'Mizpah, Satan, you can come this far and not further. You will not come past here to harm me. I will not allow it. And God is keeping his eye on you also. He will see when you try to do wrong.'

It is time to build a Mizpah stone heap. Are you ready?

Read through the Bible in historical order:
Today
Genesis 30:1-31:55
Tomorrow
Genesis 32:1-34:31