Psalms 127:1

Watchmen

I have made thee a watchman. Ezekiel 3:17.

Except the Lord keep the city, The watchman waketh but in vain. Psalms 127:1.

The words of our first text were spoken to the prophet Ezekiel. God made him a watchman to warn Israel of the danger of their wicked ways.

But God is speaking these words also to you and to me. To each of us He is saying, “I have made thee a watchman.”

Now a watchman is a very important person, and he has great responsibilities, so let us see if we can find out some of the things he has to do.

In the Old Testament we are told a great deal about watchmen. In those days the big cities were surrounded by strong walls, and the gates of the cities were always guarded by watchmen. Their business was to look out for enemies and to give warning of any danger. In time of war the number of the watchmen was greatly increased. They were stationed at different points round the wall, and each man kept a sharp look-out on his part of the wall and to call out to the others if any danger threatened. The safety of the city depended on the carefulness and watchfulness of these men, and if one of them had fallen asleep on duty the city would have been in great danger.

Now God has made us all watchmen. We have each a city to guard. Can you guess the name of the city? It is the city of our heart. God has made us soldiers. We are to fight His battles, and that is very difficult and very honorable work. But He has made us sentinels too, and a sentinel's work is even more difficult and more honorable than a soldier's, for the safety of the army or the city depends on him.

If the enemy came with a great flourish of trumpets and beating of drums, it would be easy enough to defend our city. But he very rarely does that. He creeps in very quietly and very cunningly, so stealthily sometimes that we never notice him till he is right inside and our city is betrayed.

Here is the name of one of our enemies. He is called General Hot Temper. He has a way of taking us suddenly by surprise. He lies in wait close to our wall and rushes on us when we are off our guard. He makes a big hole in our wall to enter by, and each time he comes he makes the hole bigger. If we don't mend the wall and keep a closer guard, some day he will take possession of our city.

Here is the name of another enemy. He is called Colonel Selfishness. He takes our wall down stone by stone, very slowly, but very surely. He creeps quietly into our city and conquers it bit by bit. So we must see that the stones are put in their places again and that the wall is carefully patrolled day and night.

And here is the name of yet another enemy. He is called Captain Meanness. He has a cunning way of attacking us. He makes a great disturbance at one gate of the city, and when we hurry to defend it he rushes in at quite another gate. So we must be very alert in order to keep him out. He is one of the most despicable of our foes.

There are other enemies too Major Envy, and Lieutenant Discontent, and Sergeant Ill-Humour, and Corporal Laziness, and a host of others. You each know your own. The important thing is to keep them out at the beginning. If you don't, they will bring a bigger and a bigger army with them each time, until at last they may overwhelm you altogether.

And that is where the second text comes in. We can never be quite sure that our city is secure unless

God is watching with us

Except the Lord keep the city,

The watchman waketh but in vain.

These words have been chosen as the motto of the city of Edinburgh. I wonder how many of you have visited Edinburgh. I wonder how many of you have walked along Princes Street and looked up at the Castle built high on the top of a precipitous rock. At the other side you approach the Castle by quite a gentle slope, but on this side is the sheer precipice. It looks as if it would be impossible to scale that rock, yet once upon a time the fortress was taken on this very side.

It happened in this way. Six hundred years ago Robert Bruce was fighting for the freedom of Scotland. But Edinburgh Castle was in the hands of the English, and although he very much wished to take it, he did not know how it was to be done.

At last a man called Francis told Sir Thomas Randolph, one of Bruce's leaders, of a narrow path which led up the steepest part of the rock. The Castle wall was low at that side, and no guard was set as no attack was expected from that point. In the darkness Francis led Randolph and thirty men up the steep path. They leapt over the wall and found the garrison asleep, all except the guard at the gate. So the Castle was taken even the strong Castle of Edinburgh, which depended on its own strength.

Except the Lord keep the city,

The watchman waketh but in vain.

If we want to keep our city safe we must ask God to watch with us. He is the best of all watchmen, for He is never weary. He never slumbers or sleeps. He will keep us if we ask Him, and when His love is all round us and over us then we are safe indeed.