Dangers lurk in every corner of this world, in every crack and crevice, in every facet of society, in every era. For this reason, God provided watchmen who can recognize the often insidious attacks from the outside early on and warn the people accordingly. However, these watchmen have always regularly faced exclusion and disregard from their own people. This will continue until the great day of the Lord.
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Guardian – Of crucial importance
To protect the people of Israel, or Judah, from potential attacks—be they ambushes, surprise attacks, or espionage—watchmen were employed. Throughout the ages and reigns of the kings, these watchmen all shared one thing in common: their difficult lives. On the one hand, they bore a great responsibility; on the other, they regularly encountered resistance. To make matters worse, in addition to the obstacles they faced from the declared enemy, the watchmen also had to contend with internal conflicts.
As a rule, the watchmen dutifully reported suspicious movements, whether groups of people or just individuals. Yet even kings brushed the watchmen aside, narrowly avoiding diagnosing the watchman in question with a “phobia.” The prophet Samuel also recounted this. In 2 Samuel 18, the divinely appointed admonisher of the people describes how such a watchman encountered great resistance. Samuel himself wrote only part of the two books. After his death, other divinely inspired prophets reported on Samuel, his past ministry, and the developments among the people.
Guardians often lonely and unheard
But what good is a watchman whose warnings are ignored? This was also noted by King Solomon in Psalm 127:1:
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
The prophet Jeremiah knew of such a time when the watchmen and their warning cries were simply ignored.
“Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.” (Jeremiah 6:17)
Samuel, from the Hebrew word “Shemuel,” meaning “Heard by God,” lived toward the end of the Judges period, a time between the Israelites’ entry into Canaan and the establishment of the first king. He also witnessed the accession of Saul, the first king over all of Israel at that time (1 Samuel, chapters 8-10). Saul reigned from 1051 to 1011 BC. He was succeeded by King David. The prophet Samuel died during Saul’s reign (1 Samuel 25) and was buried in Ramah.
An account of the interaction between the watchmen and the king is also found in 2 Samuel 18. The watchmen were, as one might say today, somewhat “petty,” but dutiful nonetheless. The watchman reported to the king that he had seen a lone man wandering about. David replied:
“If he is alone, there is a message in his mouth! And he was coming nearer and nearer.” (2 Samuel 18:25)
The watchman soon observed another suspicious movement. Another unknown man was loitering about. King David responded to the renewed report with: “He also bringeth tidings.” (2 Samuel 18:26).
The guard remained steadfast, a loyal guard.
The watchman persisted, speculating that the first man was Achimaaz, Zadok’s son. David, however, knew that Achimaaz was a good man and brought good news. And so it came to pass. Achimaaz knelt before David and brokered peace. A Cushite who had been called in, on the other hand, had bad news. He reported that there was a commotion, with the intention of rebelling against the king. Furthermore, Absolom and his warriors had suffered a defeat. Absolom was David’s third son. It was Absolom himself who had instigated a rebellion against his own father. The son died tragically. The Cushite told David of this incident.
In the Book of 2 Kings, chapter 9, another account of the watchmen’s activities can be found. This account dates back to the reign of King Joram (also Jehoram, 852–841 BCE) in the north, whose capital was Samaria. At that time, Jezreel was a strategically important stronghold. Jehoram was an ally of the southern king, Ahaziah (841–835 BCE, not to be confused with Ahaziah, king of northern Israel, 853–852 BCE—it can be somewhat confusing). Ahaziah and Joram shared the commonality of having rejected the true faith through idolatry and Baal worship.
When Jezebel has her tentacles in play…
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” as the saying goes. This certainly applies to King Joram. He was a son of Ahab and Jezebel, the last king of the short-lived Ahab line. This unfortunate reign of both kings was brought to an end by the later king of northern Israel, Jehu (841-814 BCE). Jehu launched a thorough “clean-up operation,” setting out for Jezreel.
The watchman on the tower of Jezreel reported the arrival of a group of Jehu’s men. King Joram, perhaps already with a premonition of evil, didn’t want to wait long and sent horsemen to meet them, to find out if they brought peace. Jehu, however, was spiteful and rebuffed them, though he tried to win the horseman over to his side. Joram sent another horseman, but Jehu treated him in the same way.
Jehu and Joram met. Joram repeatedly asked whether Jehu brought peace. His answer was unequivocal:
“EAnd it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.” (2 Kings 9:22-23)
Jehu cleaned up the waste
Jehu didn’t hesitate and struck down Joram with an arrow. Jezebel, the epitome of corruption and spiritual catastrophe for the people of Israel, is considered a type of apostasy from the true faith, leading to idolatry and false gods. She brought all this filth to northern Israel, along with a whole column of priests of Baal and Asherah when King Ahab took her as his wife. Jezebel is also seen as a historical image of the Roman Catholic Church, clearly highlighted in the prophetic vision of the seven letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2 and 3), concerning the town of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29). This period covers the 6th to the beginning of the 16th century AD (more precisely 538 to 1517 AD – Info).
Jehu also dealt swiftly with the southern king Ahaziah. Jehu completed the liberation of God’s people from false idols with the striking down of Jezebel. As foretold, she was dragged to the field where she was devoured by dogs.
Phases of the sleeping guardians
However, the guardians were not exemplary in every era. This was also the case during the extremely degenerate period of the southern people, at the time of the prophet Isaiah.
“His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.” (Isaiah 56:10).
Watchmen also bear a deep responsibility before God. The Lord made this crystal clear to the prophet Ezekiel:
“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand” (Ezekiel 33:6).
This means nothing other than, regardless of the response from one’s own ranks, whether ignored, mocked or ostracized, the guardian is obliged to watch and warn!
Micha – A reminder even for today
The prophet Micah (Micaiah, meaning “Who is like the Lord?”), a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea (c. 750–686 BC), also proclaimed extremely important messages, which, especially as an antithesis, fit seamlessly into our current era of the end times. The sleeping, ignorant, and dismissive people of God despise the watchmen, for they “bring discord, strife, and division.” Micah knows exactly what will happen to those who reject the watchman’s warnings (Micah 7:4–6):
“The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.“
So too (of course) is Jesus Christ, in Matthew 10:34-36:
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.“
The reality is usually the opposite
Jesus’ own words not only refute the increasingly pervasive claim that He brought peace with Himself during His ministry, but also demonstrate the brutal division within society, particularly within the own family. Tragically, the valuable wheat is distinguished from the chaff by adherence to God’s law or by the acceptance of arbitrary and blasphemous human (papal) decrees. For the harvest will surely come where the wheat and the tares are separated (Revelation 14:14-20).
Even in the most difficult times, the watchman must never neglect his duty as guardian, admonisher, and alarm-giver! Personal responsibility lies with others. However, if the watchman fails in his duty, he will have to answer to the Lord!
He that loveth father or mother more than me [Jesus Christ] is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Matthew 10:37
Bible verses from King James Version
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