Thursday, June 24, 2021
Gatekeepers
David gathers materials to build a palace and temple structure; he commands the nation’s leaders and priests to support Solomon; he prepares the liturgical cult, the treasurers and magistrates, the tribal leaders and overseers, and then the entire assembly for the coming of the new king. He readies the architectural plans, the offerings, and even his final prayer before he dies. David thinks of everything.
One of the groups he names and calls is the Gatekeepers. These are men who divide themselves among the city gates to take up the watches of those gates. They provide the warning call when enemies approach, because if the tent of the tabernacle is to be replaced by an immovable structure; the sentinels must take their work seriously. There will be no folding up and moving this Holy of Holies to safety. The task of gate-keeping takes on major importance.
THE ARQUEOLOGICAL STUDY BIBLE tells us on page 614 that these gatekeepers were not only the city’s security force; they also oversaw the city revenues and were in charge of maintaining the temple precinct. Lots were cast to determine the gate and the time of the watch. This method of selection prevented partiality and emphasized the divine nature of the decision, since the outcome of a lot was from the Lord.
We might think of the gate-keeping that happens in our own lives. Who are our sentinels? On whom do we rely to raise the cry when enemies approach? Are all the gates covered? Are there any watches that have too few guards? Are there any places or any sentries who have proven unreliable? What do we do when we realize that a gate has been breached? Do we rely on God alone to appoint the time and place for our gate-keeping assignments?
Yesterday’s MAGNIFICAT reflection was written by Father Bede Jarrett, a Dominican priest who died in 1934. He writes: Each one of us has some special work to do for God. God made his plans for us before we came into the world at all – for the work is of primary importance, it comes first in God’s thought, and we follow as instruments. When an architect is commissioned to build a house, he has to know first its destined use, its locality, and the weather conditions, etc. Every detail must be taken into consideration. Only then can he collect his materials and begin to work . . . God is the architect. He has made our souls a certain size and shape, to fit certain holes, so to speak. It is not for us to say that we are incapable, or unfitted for the work given to us . . . Nothing is ever quite what we anticipated. There is the interplay of circumstances on our desires. It makes known to us what is God’s will for us; and so we give up in our desires what does not fit in with God’s plan for us, content to do as he wishes.
And so we wonder, as God builds the great temple of creation, if we are called to be a gatekeepers, will we be happy with our duty post? Will we be content with the shift to which we are assigned? Will we stay awake when it is dark? Will we be alert during the day or the late afternoon? If we prefer the morning hour, will we be called to serve at dusk? And if we are, will we go without grumbling to our expected post? Will we be faithful gatekeepers?
Isaiah 62:6: On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; never by day or by night shall they be silent.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDY BIBLE (NIV). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005. 614. Print.
Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 28.2 (2009. Print.
Image from: http://www.pray4zion.org/TheWatchmanofIsrael.html
Adapted from a reflection first written on March 1, 2009.
The Noontimes 