I suppose there might have been watchwomen, too, but they aren’t mentioned in the Bible. The watchman usually stood on a tower, at a city or vineyard wall, to warn people of impending danger or to announce the soon arrival of a messenger. He might even blow his trumpet to warn the people in the city because he was accountable for their safety, and that of the king. His duties were different than a guard, who was responsible for crowd control, conducting patrols, and acting forcefully in cases of emergency. In Isaiah 21 6. For example, the Lord tells Isaiah “Put a watchman on the city wall. Let him shout out what he sees” (21.6 NLT).
Jerusalem was once compared to an abandoned watchman’s shelter in a vineyard (Isaiah 1.8), indicating a helpless city under siege.
God appointed Ezekiel to be a watchman of Israel (Ezekiel 3.17), with a holy calling that included prophetic utterances. A prophet was therefore something of a watchman who warned the people of things that were not readily observable. Hosea 9.8 (NLT) informs us that “The prophet is a watchman over Israel for my God, yet traps are laid for him wherever he goes. He faces hostility even in the house of God.”
The watchman at Jerusalem had bad news for David when he was sitting at the gates of the town. The watchman saw a man come running with a message, and it was with the bad news that Absalom, David’s son, had been killed.
The watchman could also tell how long it would be until morning, and in Isaiah 21.12 he says, “Morning is coming, but night will soon return. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask.” There are four watches in the night: even, midnight, cockcrowing, and morning. See for example, Matthew 14.26 and Mark 6.48 when Jesus came walking on the water toward the disciples at the three o’clock in the morning watch.
We have a watchman, the Holy Spirit, who is looking after us, ready to warn us of the dangers of sin, and to give us courage and strength when we need it. This watchman is always with us and in the watches of the night we can call to him. He will tell us what to think and pray about. We will have prayers for the needy and the afflicted, for those in pain and for those dying. We will watch for those times when God wants to speak to us and help us in our lives and we will watch for those times when we can help others in the same way.
On several occasions, the Lord asked the disciples to accompany him when he went to pray. At least once they fell asleep, they couldn’t keep watch. He therefore said to them: “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” (Matthew 26.41). He wanted their fellowship in prayer, but they fell asleep.
I have been like that. When I should have been watching, I fell asleep. Will God punish me for that? Of course not, but I have had many opportunities to be in his service and I have slept.
Think of it: the disciples were being asked by the Son of God to accompany him in prayer and they couldn’t. We can identify with them because we also often want to do great things, “but the body is weak.”
Sometimes, but not as often as I would like, I remain watchful and am conscious of the nudge the Holy Spirit gives me to talk to someone and to help them, but I often miss the opportunity. It may be the person as the cash register, the waiter or waitress, or some random person, but I can only help if I am alert for the occasion.
I often wake up during the night and I am conscious that it is during one of the “watches” of the night. I try to pray and listen to God for prompts. If we do that, it is not a bad thing to wake up during the night. It is much better than worrying about not being able to sleep.
I don’t have a watchman on a city wall who blows a trumpet to warn me, but I thank God for the watchman I have, the Holy Spirit, who is there to help, and keeps me safe from evil. I hope he doesn’t have to blow a trumpet to wake me up.
Karl Franklin
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