Intercessory Prayer (10)
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Watchman
Watchman
As we get ready to dive into our next series-Something to do with Spiritual Warfare, I wanted to discuss the idea of the watchman. I can’t remember if I preached I preached something like this before or just talked about it, but it’s important that we go through it again. Every Christian should be training their watchman ability. There is a specific watchman call, my wife, I believe, has a watchman call. It’s tied largely into discernment. If the watchman are working properly than no one will know they are working. The problem is when someone or something sneaks past the watchman.
Watchman watch. They keep and eye out.
There are several Hebrew words for watchman in the Old Testament
Ntsr & Smr- To guard or protect by watching over or hedging around something.
Tsaphah- to lean forward and peer into the distance.
That’s what watchman do. They lean over and peer into the distance. To for see an enemy attack.
The first place we see this concept of watchman is also the same place we see it’s biggest failure.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Keep=Smr=watch
Robert Morris and other theologians have this concept called the “Law of First Mention.” Authors, including God, when they introduce a concept for the first time they will explain what it means. They define new characters, important words, new worlds, and schemes. So who are Adam and Eve supposed to guard the garden from- Satan.
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
This is the first recorded human battle that we would call Spiritual warfare. And they lost. Why? Not because of Eve. Remember Eve recieved second hand information. Who is mostly likely to get information wrong—Those who receive it from someone other than the source. Adam in this case is the watchman who fails. He was given the two fold warning 1. Do not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and Evil 2. Watchover and protect the garden from the enemy.
I was told in football that the best offense is defense.
Watchman are:
Defensive
Listen: Most the Christian life is better played defensively than offensively. I’d rather see you coming and thwart the attack than have to fight you. I’m not afraid to fight, but I’d rather not.
The main idea of the watchman is this:
To keep the enemy/serpent/fake lion out because when we can’t defend something God has no choice but to remove it so that we cannot pervert it.
24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
The term Guard is also SMR. If we aren’t faithful in our defense God removes us from the game. We see this with David and Bathsheba. David was ran off by his son for a time due to his sin, but because of God’s righteousness and promises David was eventually restored.
Genesis 30:31 we see this concept again with Jacob protecting Laban’s flock.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
This is NTSR-Watch your heart- defend it from the enemy with all vigilance.
This is the warning that we must protect the things that God gives us. I believe we sometimes lose good gifts because we take for granted that they come from God and should be protected, but God provides the springs of life and we are commanded to protect it.
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
New Testament Greek word watchful- watchman
Gregoreo- To be awake- to watch
We see this in the Gospels
40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?
In otherwords- Jesus was asking them why they couldn’t help guard Him from the enemy while he had time with God.
Watchman must pay attention
A good hunter doesn’t look for deer-He watches the leaves and the bushes. He waits for movement. You will often see signs of the presence of deer long before you see the deer. There has to be focus.
The same is true for demonic warfare. We don’t always see the attack right away, but we see the signs. We see the thought changes, the situation changes, the discouragement setting in. We can see all the before signs.
Offensive side:
Smr- besiege/Spie out
16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men.
besieginging=smr
24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.”
spies=SMR
We can go in and spy out what the enemy is doing, but we can also went besiege or take in advance. We don’t have to wait for the enemy; we can go and take what belongs to us.
We can do thjs for individuals, families, towns, cities, states, countries.