"HEAP OF STONES"
The relationship between Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban, was indeed trying. Jacob had fled from the house of Laban where he had been working for some twenty years. Jacob took with him his wives and their servants and all his children. Laban pursued after him and finally caught up with him. Laban was allowed to search the belongings of Jacob for some missing idols, which Rachel had taken. The idols were not found and at that point Jacob addresses some longstanding problems he had with Laban.
Jacob had worked fourteen years for his two wives and some six years for his cattle. During the twenty years, Laban had changed Jacob's wages some ten times. Laban had no answer to the charges because they were true. Laban then offers that he and Jacob make a covenant between them and the covenant would be a witness between the two men (Genesis 31:44). Jacob called upon his servants to make a heap of stones upon which they could sit and eat (verse 46). This heap of stones would be called Galeed and Mizpah. The Lord would be witness between the two men and to what they had agreed to on this occasion.
This heap of stones became a witness between Jacob and Laban. Both men agreed to not pass over the heap of stones to do evil to the other one. Here is the reality. Could such a heap of stones prevented Laban from coming and taking flocks and his own daughters with their children back to him? That was not the purpose of the heap of stones. The purpose was to remind both men any time they came near the stones of what it was that they had agreed to on this day. They had agreed to not harm each other. Such an agreement was the foundation for peace. Jacob had produced some unsavory moments in his own life by tricking his brother Esau, years earlier. Laban, as already cited, likewise, had some unsavory moments.
In spite of earlier problems, both men agreed to not seek to harm the other. They had to trust each other's words. The heap of stones was just a reminder so neither one would forget what they promised. In spiritual language, the idea of stones likewise raises the idea of being trustworthy and true to what one promised. When a man makes a promise to God, then he must be sure that he honors that which he promised. We are reminded of the sad case of Jephithah recorded in Judges 11:31. If God would give him the victory over his enemies, then Jephithah would give God the first thing out of his house. After his victory the first thing out of his house was his own daughter. He was an honorable man who honored his promise to God.
On the Lord's day we eat the Lord's supper. It is not enough food to sustain one physically. Its purpose is to serve as a reminder of what Christ did for us by dying on the cross for our sins. We eat the bread to remember that Christ died for us (I Corinthians 11:24). We drink of the cup to remind ourselves of the suffering of Christ on that day. Such a memorial serves as a reminder and not some "heap of stones" so large that one cannot get around. Those who had quit assembling with the church were as the writer of Hebrews describes it as "counting the blood of the covenant an unholy thing" (Hebrews 10:29). When we do not assemble with the saints we cannot partake of the Lord's supper in the manner He had planned. A person must pass by the "stones" so laid by God in order to get back into the world.
Those who lost their faith could not be restored because they no longer desired to be restored. How is it defined for us? It is individuals crucifying the Son of God all over again and putting Him to an open shame (Hebrews 6:6).
The things given to us by God can be understood with a proper study of what God has revealed (I Corinthians 2:12). The revelation came through the Holy Spirit who used words to compare spiritual things with spiritual (verse 13). The things so placed by God serve as reminders and barriers to making a shipwreck out of our faith (I Timothy 1:19). The things placed by God are reminders that appeal to the willing mind of those who wish to follow God. We all need to pause and see the "heap of stones" from time to time.