“May the LORD keep watch between us …”

Journeys Through the Word

“May the LORD keep watch between us …” 

Verse(s) considered:

Gen 31:43-55 NLT

(43)  Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children?

(44)  So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.”

(45)  So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument.

(46)  Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal.

(47)  To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew).

(48)  Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.”

(49)  But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight.

(50)  If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.

(51)  “See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us.

(52)  They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me.

(53)  I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.” So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line.

(54)  Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.

(55)  Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.

Thoughts along the road:

Laban admits nothing and still insists that everything Jacob has is actually his! Then he goes on with his pity party and says that there is nothing he can do about it. Then he goes on to say let’s make a deal. Let’s set up a monument to our agreement. Judging how honest Laban has been to this point ought to have made Jacob wary, and perhaps he was. But he went along with it. They made a pact—a covenant—and put God in charge of watching over things between them. Laban realized that he was out of his home territory, his gods (note the small g) had been stolen, and so he appeals to both Jacob’s God and his own gods to watch over them and to keep them from passing this point or line in aggression against the other. They ate a meal to commemorate their agreement and parted for the final time.

Where to go from here:

We have to notice here that, as I mentioned above, that Laban admits to no wrongdoing and steadfastly maintains that all that Jacob has belongs rightly to him. I have dealt with people that never admit that they are wrong—ever. No matter what happens or who is actually at fault for a situation, they are never wrong or at fault in any way. I don’t understand how people can think that way, but they exist and Laban was one of them. 

Then he proceeds to suggest that they make a binding agreement that neither of them will ever pass the point at which they are standing to harm the other. I think what Laban really wants is a promise from Jacob that he will never come back to exact retribution from Laban for all the double-dealing he piled onto Jacob. Laban also knows that he has no way of enforcing this contract so he calls the God of Jacob, Abraham, and Nahor to keep watch over them and enforce it. He is trying to save face. When someone accepts no responsibility for their actions, they are always eager to put on a front and to save face. But take a look at what is commonly called the Mizpah in verse 49. This is a contract for good behavior between two people who don’t trust each other. It’s been misused as a benediction at times when it is actually a statement of mistrust and asking God to keep the two parties in line. It’s a bit humorous, actually.

Jacob goes along with the process (I think) because this is the price to be paid for finally putting Laban in his rearview mirror for good. He’s probably focused more on facing his brother Esau at this moment and is glad to put one troubled relationship behind him while he goes to face another. 

How ought we to deal with troubled relationships? There are people that we are going to have a hard time dealing with or getting along with. Sometimes they are going to be at fault, but so also are we, at times. We need to bring these relationships before the Lord and try to face up to them squarely. We need to honestly assess our own responsibility for the trouble in the relationship and attempt to resolve the issues if we can. Jacob, at long last, had laid his feelings about the difficult relationship with Laban out for all to see. Laban admitted nothing and still claimed that he owned everything that rightly belonged to Jacob—including his wives and his children. There was no resolution to be had there, but a truce could be called so that they could move on. So, that is what they did and Jacob, wisely, went along with it. He would face up to his other most difficult relationship very soon. 

We need to accept our responsibilities and to ask God to bring peace to the relationships we have with others. In a very strange way, that is what happened here. Jacob is learning that even though times had been hard, God has not abandoned him. God brought peace to the situation. We need to ask for, expect, and accept the same in our relationships. Put God in charge of the situation. He will never let you down.