Guarding the temple

Guarding the temple

Scripture:- The alcoves for the guards were one rod long and one rod wide, and the projecting walls between the alcoves were five cubits thick. Ezekiel 40:7

Observation: In the description of Ezekiel’s temple, guards are only mentioned once in that there were rooms for them. However, the lesson for us is that just as there are guards for God’s temple, we who are the temple of the Holy Spirit also need guarding.

First of all, our supreme Guard is of course our Mighty God in Heaven. In Psalms 25:20, David cries to God “Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. In Psalm 127:1, Solomon exclaims “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. Ultimately, our trust should always be in God as our ultimate Guardian from all trouble and enemies.

However, there are other areas of our lives that we too must take especial care to guard. In Psalm 141:3, David prays: Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. He understood that our words, what we say and do is especially important. James likens our tongue to an untamed beast, and we are often reminded that the tongue has the power of life and death. Proverbs 21:23 says Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

In the Proverbs, Solomon often writes of understanding, instruction and discretion guarding us. That’s why it is so important for us to read God’s Word, to let it immerse into our lives, for God’s wisdom will then overflow and guard us from doing wrong and bringing trouble on ourselves. Proverbs 4:23 says “Above all, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”. Our heart is deceitful beyond all cure, who can understand it? On our own strength, we are bound to run into trouble, but if we submit our hearts to the Holy Spirit, and seek to do God’s will rather than our own, we will be safe.

Another area, we must be very careful to be on guard of is greed. Jesus preached “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” in Luke 12:15. Today there are many who preach a gospel focusing a lot on abundance of possessions and money given by God, but we need to be careful that this does not become a snare. There is greed too in other areas, for fame, for entertainment, for food, for leisure that is all dangerous.

Finally, and so importantly is the importance of constant prayer and guarding our minds. Philippians 4:6-8 reads “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” The mind is often said to be the battlefield and we need to think about what we are thinking about. We need to fill our minds with prayers and thinking positive thoughts in God, to guard our hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.

Application: Look to God as our supreme Guardian in all things. Take care to guard our mouths from careless talk, to train ourselves in wisdom in God’s Word, to be very careful against greed in our lives, and to pray and guard our minds to be careful of what we are thinking about. 

Prayer: Lord, I praise You for being My Great Guardian in Heaven. In You always will I put my trust. Teach me O Lord, to guard my heart and mind and especially my tongue. Lead me away from all kinds of greed, and fill my life with Your precious Word and presence. In Jesus name, Amen.