The Lord is our Mizpah, our faithful Watcher; He who keeps you will not slumber or sleep.
Galeed (in Jacob’s Hebrew), or Jegar Sahadutha (in Laban’s Aramaic) means “the Place of Witness.” Described in Genesis 31, it was really a kind of Iron Curtain between the two. Here’s how Laban described it: “This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, for harm” (v 52). But Jacob sanctifies the occasion with a sacrifice to the Lord, then sweetens it by sharing a meal for all concerned. It seems they chatted until the sun peeked over the Eastern Plateau and “early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed” (v 55). Thus ends Genesis 31, and thus ends Jacob’s long sojourn in the land of Padan Aram. He sets his face towards Canaan. As soon as he begins his journey from the heights of Gilead, now with the Promised Land spread out before him, what does he see? “The angels of God met him” (32:1). What a “welcome home” contingent! You recall he saw the angels of God as he left Canaan, during his night’s stopover at Bethel. Here they are again. That spot, on the upper Jabbok River, he called Mahanaim, meaning “two camps.” He had pitched his own camp there, but, as David wrote, “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Ps 34:7). The believer is never alone! Of course, we should not worship angels, as some do. When John was tempted to do so by the magnificence of one such heavenly being, the angel advised, “See that you do not do that.…Worship God” (Rev 22:9). Yes, God controls circumstances, the weather, angels and men, to bring about His good pleasure for our benefit. So let’s worship God!