Mizpah

And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another. (Genesis 31:49 KJV)

I’ve seen a number of these given as a token of close friendship or even love between people who are separated for a while.  This should be another lesson in context, for the verse is not between ones who love each other.  The exchange in this chapter is between a son-in-law who was cheated and the father-in-law who used his services for twenty years.

Jacob had worked seven years for Laban before he could marry Laban’s daughter, Rachel.  Unfortunately, Laban gave Leah, his other daughter, in the marriage and required that in order to marry Rachel, Jacob would have to work another seven years.  He did.

We won’t go into the dysfunctionality of this family so we can get to Mizpah much sooner. But let’s do take a look at how Laban and Jacob determined his wages once the family was growing.  Laban’s herds had grown under Jacob’s management, so the discussion was:

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. (Genesis 30:31-32 KJV)

It was a successful agreement for Jacob:

And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses. (Genesis 30:43 KJV)

That caused discord among Jacob’s brothers-in-law, and Jacob received a solution from the Lord:

And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. (Genesis 31:3 KJV)

Jacob did not, however, tell Laban.  He left when Laban was away at sheep shearing and it took three days before Laban heard.  He followed for seven days to confront Jacob. Jacob was rightly angry:

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. (Genesis 31:41 KJV)

Thus, when they reached an agreement and were to separate, they each built stone pillars:

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. (Genesis 31:48-49 KJV)

The Lord was to be the witness that they would adhere to the agreement not pass those pillars to do harm to each other:

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. (Genesis 31:52 KJV)

Context.  As I wrote last week, it is very important. Still want two necklaces?