Jan | 16 | Splitting Dialect & Divisive Dialogue

Dream Word – INTEGRITY

Genesis 31:45-48 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. Then Jacob said to his brethren, "Gather stones." And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. NKJV

Splitting Dialect & Divisive Dialogue

Jacob of course is about to graduate from God’s 'College of Faith and Worship'. He’s earned the school colours of black and blue and though his education is far from over, he is about to graduate to a Masters level training course. That particular story however, is for another night.

The bottom line and background of our text tonight is that Jacob has “done a runner!” Without informing Laban, he has left town with all his family, all his goods and a few stolen bits thrown in for good measure. Laban has loaded up his six guns and high tailed it after him with but one purpose on his mind, that being the utter destruction of Jacob and the forceful taking back everything Laban thought rightfully belonged to him, which was by the way in Laban’s eyes, quite literally, everything Jacob owned and loved. Now, make no mistake about it, except that God had intervened in a most threatening dream the night before Laban’s face-to-face encounter with Jacob, this would have been the outcome. Jacob would have been left destitute, maybe even dead.

The fact that God stepped in meant Jacob and Laban, probably for the first time in twenty years or more, had to talk ‘Turkey’ with one another. The main problem with these two rascals friends, was that they didn’t communicate and they didn’t communicate because they didn’t even speak the same language! The naming of this rock pile, this cairn of witness, this watchtower of mutually assured destruction, is testimony to that fact. They both call the cairn the same name, however Laban gives it an Aramaic name, Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob an Hebrew one, Galeed.

If you are with someone with whom you have no depth of communication and consequently and in all probability, a growing hostility, then may I suggest that without sinning, it is time to separate. It is time to leave and in the leaving set up a rock pile where God is witness to your blessing of the other and your leaving the other alone!

I believe in heaven that no such Mizpahic rock piles exist between those who are His. On God’s good earth however, setting up a few stones of separating testimony is often the wisest and safest thing we can do. Think about that tonight.

Listen: - And Laban said,"This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore its name was called Galeed, also Mizpah, because he said, "May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us — see, God is witness between you and me!" Then Laban said to Jacob, "Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. 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. The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us." And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed all night on the mountain. And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place. Genesis 31:48-55 NKJV

Pray:- Lord, if there is any leaving to do, let me do it with both righteousness and love. Help me in the spirit to set up clear boundaries of blessing and protection, in Jesus name I pray, amen!