Keeping the Watch, Introduction

Keeping the Watch.

“I will climb to the lookout tower and stand at my watchpost, scanning the horizon from my place of observation.” (Hab. 2:1).

The Watchman. In the biblical era when there were walled cities, the citizens would always make sure there was a watchtower built onto the wall, at which would be posted a watchman. This person would be responsible to be on the lookout for the approach of a friend, enemy or stranger to the city. This watchman would need to listen to the instructions of the ruler of the city to distinguish between those three possibilities. And then if there was any threat or danger that approached the city, the watchman would blow a trumpet or sound an alarm. The watchman would also be on the lookout for the approach of good news as well, and would shout out to the citizens they could welcome that was coming their way, including the announcement of the new day at each sunrise.

The Lookout. The Hebrew word for watchman was “mishmereth,” which means one who looks out in order to protect, to guard, to keep safe. The good watchman needed to have particular abilities: the mental discipline to be constantly alert, attentive and focused; to be fearless, calm and composed; to be shrewd and not easily fooled; to have acute hearing and eyesight; to be extremely observant and aware of surroundings; to be ready for anything, expectant, poised to act when called upon; to be someone who is able to wait patiently; to be able to discern the good from the bad, the welcome from the welcome.

The Night Watch. There were other versions of watchmen, including the keepers of the night watch at the Temple in Jerusalem. Specially appointed Levites would be stationed at the temple doors at all three watches of the night, from sunset to 10 pm, from 10 pm to 2 am. and from 2 am to sunrise. The designated duties of these Levites were to protect the Temple through their prayers of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. This is much like the battle won by King Jehoshaphat when He put his singing priests on the front lines singing, “Give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy continues forever!” (2 Chronicles 19). Psalm 134 is the last psalm of the ascents sung by pilgrims as they traveled to Mount Zion’s Temple.  This psalm calls upon these Levites to stretch out their hands toward the sanctuary and bless Yahweh through the watches of the night.

The Passover Watch. After the Passover meal there is traditionally the “night of watching.” The Lord redeemed His people at midnight, and so faithful Jews believe that God is asking them to keep vigil on Passover night and watch for the Lord to redeem them once again. “This was a night that the Lord kept vigil and watched over them to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and this same night continues to be a night when the Lord watches over all the people, keeping vigil through their generations.” (Ex. 12:42).  One rabbi put it this way: “God guarded the Israelites from the Destroyer on the night of the exodus, and will likewise guard them against malevolent forces again on the anniversary of that night.” As another rabbi put it, “The Lord is telling us, I kept vigil for you on that night, so It’s not too much to ask that you would keep vigil for Me.” The phrase “keeping the watch” after the Passover meal meant that as many as wanted would stay up late into the night, even all night if possible, to keep vigil and watch for the Lord’s return by reading and discussing Torah, theology, rabbinic studies, and by praying. When Jesus asked His disciples to “keep the watch” with Him after that final Passover meal (Matt. 26:38), He was asking them to follow the Jewish tradition of staying up late to pray, to keep vigil for the Lord, to ‘keep the watch.”

The Prophet-Watchman. The literal watchman became a symbol that God used to describe the duties of His prophets. These men and women were appointed by Him to be spiritual watchmen, watching over the souls of His people like a watchman would watch over a city. The prophets, like any good watchmen, had to be vigilant in their observation of spiritual matters regarding His people, calling on them to obey God, to live faithfully before Him, to warn them if they were in danger of the Lord’s judgment due to their sinful behavior. God expected the prophets to be receptive at all times to hear the words of the Lord, to listen carefully to what He is telling them, and then to speak His words to the people. Sometimes the prophet-watchman would shout out the good news of the Lord’s mercy and comfort and hope. But when called upon, the prophets would sound the alarm  of spiritual danger. The voice of the prophet was to be like the blare of the trumpet from the watchtower, sounding the alarm that would alert the people that they were in spiritual danger, that the Lord’s judgment is approaching if things don’t change. God considered prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel and Habakkuk to be His watchmen for the spiritual welfare of His chosen people.

The Ultimate Watchman. “Unless the Lord Yahweh watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” (Ps. 127:1). The writers of Scripture repeat this theme frequently… God keeps watch over the whole world of mankind, over the righteous and the unrighteous, the good and the bad (Prov. 15:3). God’s eyes are observant like any good watchman, only He is watching over the whole universe and every person on earth (Jer. 32:19). His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth (2 Chron. 16:9), acutely aware of every deed, every step. God’s ears are attentive to prayers (1 Peter 3:12), to the cries of the brokenhearted. Creator God keeps watch over each of us, from the moment we are conceived (Ps. 139:16) to our dying breath. God is the perfect watchman who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:3), always looking out over His creation. “Not a creature exists that is concealed from God’s sight, nothing is hidden. Everything is naked, uncovered, stretched fully open to the eyes of the One to whom we must give account of ourselves.” (Hebrews 4:13). Our God is the best kind of watchman, a Good Shepherd who is able to keep His eye on everything and everybody as He remains the Guardian of our souls.

The Watchful Tree. What is the significance of miracle of Aaron’s branch developing ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8), as opposed to figs, or pomegranates or dates? Why almonds? In answer to that question, there’s a good chance the Lord was reminding everyone of the divinely inspired lampstand in the Holy Place. Yahweh had given strict instructions that the golden lampstand in the tabernacle was to be shaped in the form of an almond tree, with its branches, blossoms and almonds all engraved in the gold. (Ex. 25). It turns out that the Hebrew root word for “almond” was “watching.” Those two words are basically the same in Hebrew, and the Lord used the almond tree to let the people know that He would be observant over His Chosen people, alert to His word that it be performed as He said. Jeremiah said it best, “Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am always watching to see that my Word is fulfilled, ready to perform my Word.‘” (Jer. 1:11-12). In other words, almonds are a sign from God that He is always watching to make His word fruitful, to bring them through all the stages of growth, to bring forth fruit, just like Aaron’s fruitful rod in the Holy Place. It was no accident that Aaron’s rod blossomed as the branch of an almond tree. It was not random. It was all God’s design. No wonder that the Hebrew name for the almond tree was the “Watchful Tree.” Indeed, God is the watchguard of Israel, and His word will be accomplished as He said.

The Role of ‘Watching’ as Believers. Jesus Himself was quite the watchman, as we would expect the Son of God to be. He was constantly on the alert for what His followers and skeptics were thinking, and He sounded the trumpet of warning often enough that it certainly should have stuck in their memory. He, God’s designated Watchman, warned us that we needed to both watch ourselves and watch over others. As a result, believers are aptly described as people of the watch. Followers of Jesus are watchmen in the biblical sense as we shrewdly observe our surroundings, announce the good news, warn of spiritual danger, care for those around us by being a responsible guardian, and listen carefully to the words of the Lord.  His words of warning to Peter in Gethsemane is apt for all of us: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41). Jesus the watchman has given all of us fair warning repeatedly about the Last Day:

1. “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36; also refer to 24:42 and 25:13).
2. ‘It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes… be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” (Luke 12:37-40).
3. “Keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:35-37).

But we are not to focus all our watchfulness on ourselves. We are charged to lovingly watch over each other as well. Keeping the watch over fellow believers include all the ‘one-anothers’ in the New Testament:  Warn each other of danger; be kind to each other; harmonize with each other; bear each other’s burdens; exhort each other; honor and build up each other; bear with each other; encourage one another. Being each other’s watchman can be summed up in the key quality of Christ, Love each other.