Day 126: The Watchmen (SoS 3:3)

 The watchmen who go about the city found me; I said, “Have you seen the one I love?”  (Song of Songs 3:3)

As the Bride roamed the city searching for her Beloved, the city watchmen found her. She wasn't seeking them but they found her as they performed their duties. Of what significance are watchmen to intimacy with Jesus?

Watchmen in the Old Testament were very significant to the community. They were men whose duty was simply to stay on the walls and the watchtowers, or move about a designated place and be on the lookout for sudden attacks and potential danger. They did not just look out for enemies, they warned the townspeople and the king of approaching threats as we see in 2 Kings 9.

In 2 Samuel 18, a watchman informed King David that a messenger was coming with news. So, watchmen do not only look out for enemies but also friends and newsworthy activities and report them to the king.

Isaiah 5:1-2 says watchmen are also stationed in vineyards and farmlands to protect them from theft and animals. Isaiah 21:11-12 shows that watchmen were also tasked with announcing a new day. They also observed the welfare of the citizens and reported to the king.

Watchmen in the Old Testament also referred to prophets God appointed as spiritual overseers for Israel. The Lord specifically told Ezekiel in Ezekiel 33:7 that He had appointed him a watchman over Israel.

Spiritual watchmen were tasked with delivering God's message to the people. They warned them of the consequences of wrong actions and led them to do God's will. According to Ezekiel 33:2-6, a watchman who didn't do his job was held accountable for the sins and calamities that befell the people. If he however warns the people and they do not listen to him, he is not guilty of their sins.

Watchmen were to obey the Lord and do His bidding regardless of being accepted or persecuted by the people he was sent to. We see an example of intense persecution with the prophet Jeremiah and many others in the Bible for speaking and doing as they were instructed by the Lord. A cowardly, disobedient, or lazy watchman puts the whole city in danger. So they were required to be diligent and alert at all times.

The age and duty of the watchmen however did not end with the Old Testament, rather it got broader in the New.

Who are the watchmen of the church?

1. Spiritual leaders are watchmen

Hebrews 13:17 (Amplified version) says:

Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognizing their authority over you], for they are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you.

And Acts 20:28 (New Living Translation) says:

“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.

2. Every believer is a watchman

i) Leaders are not just to watch the flock, they are to watch themselves too

Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:16 (New International Version):

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

ii) Not only leaders should watch  themselves, but we must also watch ourselves too

1 Peter 5:8 says:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

iii) We are to look out for other believers

Philippians 2:4 says:

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Every believer/spiritual leader has a place in the city to look out for new or lost believers and believers in the night season of their lives. The enemy targets believers in desperate, delicate times of life. The enemy will steal, kill, and destroy believers in the night season if we as watchmen don't watch as we should.

So, as the Bride roamed around the city, she wasn't the one who found the watchmen (she wasn't looking for them), but they found her. When they found her she asked in humility: ‘Have you seen the one I love?’ That speaks volumes and we'll look into that and the duties of the New Testament watchmen in subsequent lessons.

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear Lord, I commit again to honoring and submitting to the men and women you have placed over me. Help me take my place in the city, fill my heart with love for your body and help me selflessly look out for other believers even as I watch over my soul.

REFLECT & ACT:

• How well do you submit to and honor your spiritual leaders, especially in the local church?
• Do you wholeheartedly look out for other believers (especially those in your local church)?
• Meditate on two of the scriptures read earlier: 1 Peter 5:8 and 1 Timothy 4:16.