RESUME FOR GATEKEEPERS
Part 1

“I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness”
(Psalm 84:10).

Dear wife and mother, God has graciously given you a home to make into a place where God loves to dwell. You are also the doorkeeper of your house of God. Can you reiterate the words of this psalmist? Are you happier to be a doorkeeper in your home than to go to a career each day, leaving your home unguarded?

Gatekeeping is not insignificant work. It reveals the likeness of God. 2 Kings 12:9 talks about the priests who guarded the doorway. The word “kept” in the KJV or “guarded” in other versions is the Hebrew word shamar which means “to keep safe, to preserve, guard, protect, watch, and hedge about.”

The very first time this word is used is about the home. Genesis 15:2 says: “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it (abad, to work in it) and to keep it (shamar)". What is God’s plan? We are to work in our homes and guard them. Not very difficult to understand, but this great work is a fulltime lifestyle.

The Hebrew word, shamar is the same word used of God who is our Keeper and the Keeper of Israel.

God reveals Himself as our Keeper six times in Psalm 121:2-8:
v. 3: He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth (shamar) thee will not slumber.
v. 4: Behold, he that keepeth (shamar) Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
v. 5: The Lord is thy keeper (shamar): the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
v. 6: The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
v. 7: The LORD shall preserve (shamar) thee from all evil: he shall preserve (shamar) thy soul.”
v. 8: The LORD shall preserve (shamar) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

What blessedness to know that God watches over us night and day. He never slumbers or sleeps. He watches our coming in and our going out. He doesn’t miss one thing we are doing. We are continually in His watchful care. God guards us individually, but He also guards our homes, especially if we fear Him. Psalm 34:7 says: “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them” And He has specifically promised to guard Israel. The land of Israel would not be standing today without God watching over her.

Just as God faithfully watches over us, in the same way we must faithfully watch and guard the rooms, walls, doors, and gates of our home. In Revelation 21:12 we read that God has twelve angels guarding the twelve gates of the heavenly Jerusalem. If God deems it necessary to the guard the gates of His city, surely we should seriously guard the gates of our homes.

During the time of David’s tabernacle he appointed 4,000 gatekeepers (each doing their duty in their courses) to guard the entrances and treasures of the temple. As we read through the Scriptures we see that gatekeepers had to be of a certain caliber. They could not be wimps. They didn’t casually become gatekeepers. 1 Chronicles 9:22-29 tells us they were “chosen,” “ordained,” “given oversight,” “given charge,” and “appointed.” The word “chosen” is barar and means “examined, cleansed, polished, purified, purged, and made clean.” They were examined and cleansed before they could fulfill their task of gatekeeping.

It’s amazing to read the different character qualities that are required for gatekeepers. These qualities should also be part of our resume as the gatekeepers of our homes. Let’s look at the resume needed:

1. We must be trustworthy

1 Chronicles 9:22 (HCSB) tells us that David and Samuel appointed the gatekeepers to their “trusted positions.” The word in the Hebrew is emuwnah and means “moral fidelity, faithfulness, stability, truth.” A number of translations use the word “dependable.”

1 Chronicles 9:26 (NLT) says: “The four chief gatekeepers, all Levites, were trusted officials.” It takes dependability to be a gatekeeper. We cannot give up on the job. We cannot guard our gates effectively if we leave them.

We’ll continue the resume next week.

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, thank you for showing me the importance of my role of gatekeeping. Thank you for choosing me for this position. Please help me to be faithful and dependable as I guard my marriage and the children in my home. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I am a trustworthy gatekeeper of my home.

To learn more about gatekeeping, you can purchase the book, Gatekeepers of the Home. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/GatekeepersOfTheHome