And the doorkeepers Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren; Shallum was the chief.
Four men are named here as gatekeepers at God's house in Jerusalem after the exile, and one of them is put in charge. Why does Scripture record the names of men whose whole work was standing at a door? And what does that work mean for God's people now?
The chapter opens with the nation's collapse, then traces the small company God brought home.
1 Chronicles 9 shows us the final ruin of the people: "Judah was carried away to Babylon because of their transgression" (v. 1). We then find the restoration of a feeble remnant, mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, to wait for the promised Messiah at Jerusalem... Finally, it defines the functions of the doorkeepers of the temple very exactly.
Shallum himself was no newcomer to the work. His name marks a family line:
Ancestor of a Levitical family of doorkeepers who returned from exile. 1 Chr. 9:17; Ezra 2:42; Neh. 7:45; Neh. 11:19; Neh. 12:25.
Their work was far wider than opening a gate, and it reached back a long way.
In verses 17-23 we learn part of what the Levites' service was. In these days of restoration they were doorkeepers at the gate of the temple, called "the king's gate."Before that, they had been keepers of the thresholds of the tent. Their fathers, set over the camp of the LORD, were keepers of the entrance. Phinehas the son of Eleazar was once the ruler over them. Of him it was said, "the LORD was with him" (v. 20), and that says everything. David and Samuel had appointed the doorkeepers to their trust when the temple had not yet been built. But still more, these Levite doorkeepers were over the rooms and the treasuries of the house of God. They stayed around the house during the night, because the charge was on them, and the opening of it every morning was their work (vv. 26-27).
Older translations call this work an "office." One writer looks at the margin instead.
They were keepers of the gates of the tabernacle, keepers of the entry, porters of the door of the tabernacle, porters in the gates. And note, wherever you find the word "office," the margin reads, "trust." We will find this is not truth for officials, but for every child of God, as a trustee of Christ.
Standing at a gate looks like a job for the humble and nothing more. One writer asks for more than that.
We do not reflect often enough that the service of the doorkeepers, like that of the priests (1 Chron. 9:13), required these qualities. It is not enough to say that this unattractive task needs humility, dependence, zeal and self-forgetfulness. Strength and valour are needed too.
Gatekeepers rank lowest among the temple's workers. God does not rank them that way.
The Spirit of God condescends to arrange by David for the porters, just as truly as He did for the high priest, or for the different courses of priesthood. All has its place, and whatever has to do with the service of God is great in God's eyes. Indeed, it is only we who make so much of the differences between great and small. To God, the smallest thing has a value.
The same writer turns this into a word for anyone handed a job that feels too small to matter.
These were modest tasks. Yet without them the whole order of the Lord's service would have broken down, or even stopped! Let us think of this. When the Lord entrusts a service to us, however small it may seem, let us carry it out with zeal, reminding ourselves that it is necessary for the order of the house of God.
Writers apply these gatekeepers to a present question: who may come in among God's people. One links slackness here to a loss no one expects:
Only the redeemed can sing the songs of Zion. So the porters must carry out their responsibilities faithfully, if the Lord is to have His portion. To let in those without divine qualifications is to admit those who cannot sing. Slackness in the porters means loss to the singers. Where the porters are slack, worship is lost.
The work is warm, not just defensive:
Are you a good porter? A few good porters in the Assembly are a great help. They keep out what ought not to be in, and let in those who have a title to go in. It is a great cheer to a young soul when the porters can say, "Come in, you blessed of the Lord." I like a good warm-hearted porter.
- Ruin — Judah went to Babylon for their sin. God brought back a feeble remnant to wait for the promised Messiah.
- Trust — where older translations read "office," the margin reads "trust." Door-keeping is not for officials. Every child of God is a trustee of Christ.
- Strength — the task needs humility, dependence, zeal and self-forgetfulness. It needs strength and valour too.
- Worth — God arranges for gatekeepers as truly as for the high priest; only we make much of great and small.
- Result — without these modest tasks the whole order of the Lord's service would stop. Where the gatekeepers grow slack, the singers lose their song.
And they have been hitherto in the king's gate eastward they were the doorkeepers in the camps of the children of Levi.
1 Chronicles 9 lists the people who came back to Jerusalem after the exile, and among them are the gatekeepers of God's house. This verse records who stood at the king's gate on the east side — which raises a question: why does Scripture take such care over who watched a door?
The chapter records the nation's collapse, then a small group brought back. In that setting it stops to name the men who guarded the entrances.
1 Chronicles 9 shows us the final ruin of the people: "Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith" (v. 1). Then comes the restoration of a weak remnant, mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, to wait for the promised Messiah at Jerusalem… Finally, it defines the duties of the temple doorkeepers very exactly.
The verse's own words point backwards. "The camps of the Levites" recalls a time before the temple, when these same families guarded the entrance of the tent.
Verses 17-23 tell us part of what the Levites' service was. In these days of restoration they were doorkeepers at the gate of the temple, called "the king's gate." Earlier they had been "keepers of the thresholds of the tent, as their fathers had been in charge of the camp of the LORD, keepers of the entrance. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the chief officer over them." Of him it was said: "the LORD was with him" (v. 20), and that says everything. David and Samuel had given the doorkeepers this trust when the temple, called "the house of the tent" in verse 23, had not yet been built.
Some jobs look too small to matter. One writer answers that directly.
What a range of jobs these humble servants carried out! Small jobs, yes, but without them the whole order of the Lord's service would have broken down, or even stopped! Let us think about this. When the Lord entrusts a service to us, however unimportant it may look, let us carry it out with zeal, remembering that it is needed for the order of the house of God.
Writers apply this post to the care God's people owe over whom they receive. One points to Peter, who once turned Simon the sorcerer away.
Peter acted as a doorkeeper that day and kept Simon out. Be thankful if you see souls converted, but do not try to shove them into the Assembly. Leave that to the doorkeepers. A good doorkeeper lets in what ought to be inside and keeps out what ought to stay outside. So his work is very important. It keeps the Assembly of God from being defiled by those who are not converted or who are religiously unclean. I do not mean that any such formal office exists now. I mean that the saints should take this godly care over whom they receive among them.
Another writer links the door to the singing inside.
The singers gave the Lord His portion. Only the redeemed can sing the songs of Zion. So the doorkeepers must carry out their responsibilities faithfully, if the Lord is to have His portion. To let in those whom God has not qualified is to let in those who cannot sing. Where the doorkeepers are slack, worship is lost.
The gate was the lowest job. One writer finds the highest place hidden inside it.
The doorkeeper's place is the lowest as to self — and the highest in Christ, with songs of praise. And these same doorkeepers are keepers of the ark. And is not that ark Christ? Are they not trusted to make known the very heart of Christ?
- Ruin. Judah was carried off to Babylon. The chapter names these gatekeepers among the weak remnant back in Jerusalem, waiting for the promised Messiah.
- Restoration. Order at the entrances comes back first. The chapter spells out the doorkeepers' duties with unusual care.
- Continuity. The post is old. These families once guarded the entrance of the tent, and David and Samuel gave them the trust before any temple stood.
- Necessity. The tasks look small. Yet without them the whole order of the Lord's service would have stopped. So any service He entrusts is worth doing with zeal.
- Reward. The door and the song go together. Care at the gate keeps the house clean, and slackness there costs the worship. The lowest place proves to be the highest in Christ.
And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent, and their fathers, set over the camp of Jehovah, were keepers of the entrance.
1 Chronicles 9 lists the families who came back to Jerusalem after the exile, and it stops to name the men who watched the gates. Why does God keep such careful record of men who stood at a door?
Korah's name carries a shadow. He went down alive into the pit, yet his sons stand here in God's service.
How terrible sin is in the sight of the Lord! ... Numbers 16:25 never says that the sons of Korah went down with their father. Numbers 26:11 tells us, "Nevertheless, the sons of Korah did not die." Yes, in the riches of sovereign grace God saved them from going down alive into the pit. And this was not all. Because they belonged to the family of Kohath, God gave them the cities of refuge, and Hebron is named first. Oh, how our God delights in mercy! Grace spares them from the pit and gives them the place of Abraham, for Abraham lived in Hebron.
One reference work sums up where this family served.
Descendants of Korah, the grandson of Kohath. Their two main offices were the service of song and keeping the doors of the sanctuary.
The verse looks back to earlier days. One writer fills in who led that service then.
Earlier they had been "keepers of the thresholds of the tent," and their fathers had been "keepers of the entrance" to the camp of the LORD. "And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the chief officer over them in time past." Of him it was said, "The LORD was with him" (v. 20), and that says everything. David and Samuel had established the doorkeepers in their trust. At that time the temple, called "the house of the tent" in verse 23, had not yet been built.
The chapter belongs to a time of ruin and a small return. That is where the gatekeepers get their fullest description.
We then find the restoration of a weak remnant, mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, waiting at Jerusalem for the promised Messiah... This chapter also defines the work of the temple doorkeepers in exact detail.
Where older translations read "office," the margin offers another word — and that shift changes who the passage is addressed to.
They were keepers of the gates of the tabernacle, keepers of the entry, porters of the door. And notice, wherever you find the word "office," the margin reads, "trust." This is not truth for officials. It is truth for every child of God, as a trustee of Christ.
Stanley then carries the picture forward, reading the door itself as a person.
What is the door now but Christ? Their first service was to keep the door. Do we not have to guard the door now? We must not only keep Satan and men from closing the doors again. We must also maintain the gospel of Jesus, the way into the holiest. Notice, they were stationed in divisions. The porters stood at four sides — east, west, north, and south. Oh, that each beloved servant of the Lord may know his appointment from the Lord!
Standing at a gate looks like the least of the jobs. One writer says it asks for more than patience.
We do not think often enough that the service of the doorkeepers, like that of the priests (1 Chron. 9:13), called for strong qualities. It is not enough to say that this unimpressive task needs humility, dependence, zeal, and self-forgetfulness. Strength and valour are needed too.
The chapter piles up small duties. Rossier draws the lesson for anyone given a task that looks unimportant.
Modest functions, yes, but without them the whole order of the Lord's service would have broken down, or even stopped! Let us think about this. When the Lord entrusts a service to us, small though it may seem, let us carry it out with zeal. Remember: it is necessary for the order of the house of God.
Bellett ends where this family began — in the pit.
Saved from the lowest depths of the pit, these very sons of Korah were "in charge of the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent." What a stewardship! ... And now what a stewardship — all the riches of the glories of Christ committed to us, who were children of the pit.
- Spared. Korah's sons did not die with him; mercy kept them from the pit and gave them a place among God's servants.
- Stationed. That mercy became a trust — the song and the door — handed down from fathers who had kept the entrance of the camp.
- Strengthened. The gate asks for humility and dependence, and just as much for strength and valour.
- Small. Not one of these modest duties was optional; without them the order of the Lord's service would have stopped.
- Specific. Each porter had his own side of the house, and every servant of the Lord should know his own appointment.
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them formerly; Jehovah was with him.
A long list of the families who returned from exile pauses over the men who guarded the temple gates. It reaches back to name the leader once set over them, and says one thing about him: the LORD was with him.
The verse looks backward. The gatekeepers of the restored city stood in a line of service that began at the tent in the desert.
In these days of restoration they were doorkeepers at the gate of the temple, called "the king's gate." Before that they had been keepers of the thresholds of the tent. Their fathers, set over the camp of the LORD, were keepers of the entrance. "And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the chief officer over them in time past." Of him it is said, "the LORD was with him" (v. 20), and that says everything.
The verse does not introduce Phinehas; it recalls him. His record explains why his name still carried weight over an office centuries later.
Son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron. He showed his zeal for God when he killed Zimri and Cozbi. God commended him for it, and promised His "covenant of peace" to him and his descendants — "the covenant of an everlasting priesthood." He succeeded Eleazar as high priest.
Phinehas had made his name in a single moment. One writer looks at that act, and at the risk he took in stepping outside his normal role.
His whole life was a training for that one blow. All his character showed in it: zeal, discernment, boldness, speed. In normal times it was completely outside his role to step in and pass judgment like this. But these were no ordinary times. More than the usual legal process was needed, or the nation would perish. The plague was already raging among them. Many another man would have seen what to do a few seconds too late. He saw it, and at once he struck … and saved a nation.
Another writer ties that act of judgment to his priestly work:
Phinehas is no less a priest, standing in the place of intercession, when he uses the sword of judgment.
The verse calls Phinehas the chief officer over these men, so gatekeepers served under him. One writer warns that the qualities we would first expect of them are not enough.
We do not reflect often enough that the service of the doorkeepers, like that of the priests, called for able and strong men. It is not enough to say that this unimpressive task needs humility, dependence, zeal, and self-forgetfulness. Strength and courage are necessary too.
The task had two edges, and both needed care:
The doorkeepers had charge of all the gates of the temple. They had to be able to drive back any attack on the house of God. They had to watch with unbroken energy, so that no defiled person entered the courts of the Lord. They also had to keep the doors open, so that no priest who had the right to enter the temple was shut out.
One writer brings the office forward to our own day, and asks what the door is now.
What is the door now but Christ? Their first service was to keep the door. Do we not have to guard the door now? We must not only try to stop Satan and men from closing the doors again. We must also hold up the gospel of Jesus, the way into the holiest place. Note, they were set in fixed watches. The gatekeepers stood in four quarters — east, west, north, and south. Oh, that each beloved servant of the Lord may know the Lord's appointment for him!
One writer counts up the many small jobs given to these servants, and asks what would happen without them.
How many different jobs these humble servants carried on! Modest jobs, yes, but without them the whole order of the Lord's service would have broken down, or even stopped! Let us think about this. When the Lord entrusts a service to us, however small it may look, let us carry it out with zeal. Let us remind ourselves that it is necessary for the order of the house of God.
- Charge — The gatekeepers of the restored temple inherited an old office. It began at the doorway of the tent in the desert camp.
- Man — Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron, once led them. God met his zeal with a covenant of peace and an everlasting priesthood, and he became high priest.
- Zeal — One act revealed his whole character: zeal, discernment, boldness, speed. Using the sword did not make him any less a priest.
- Presence — The verse adds only that the LORD was with him. One writer says that this says everything.
- Trust — A doorkeeper shuts out what is defiled and holds the door open for those with a right to enter. No task in God's house is too small to matter.
Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was doorkeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
This single line sits inside a long list of names of people who came back from exile in Babylon. Why does Scripture stop to name the man at the door, and what is such work worth to God?
This verse sits in a chapter about collapse and then a small return. Even there, the record is exact about who guarded which gate.
1 Chronicles 9 shows us the final ruin of the people: "Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith" (v. 1). Then we find a small, weak remnant brought back... to wait at Jerusalem for the promised Messiah. ... It also defines the work of the temple doorkeepers very exactly.
Meshelemiah's line runs back to Korah, who led a revolt in the wilderness. That his descendants now stand at God's door is the point.
"The sons of Korah." Who were they? These were the family of the man who led the disastrous revolt in the wilderness described in Numbers 16. When he and his company were swallowed up, God in His mercy spared his sons: "Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah did not die" (Num. 26:11). Sovereign mercy snatched them from the very edge of destruction, and later brought them into God's sanctuary and gave them places of honourable service there.
The work was wider than standing at an entrance. David and Samuel set it up, and it filled the nights as well as the mornings.
In these days of restoration they were doorkeepers at the gate of the temple, called "the king's gate." Earlier they had been "keepers of the thresholds of the tent," and their fathers had been "set over the camp of the LORD as keepers of the entrance." ... David and Samuel had given the doorkeepers this trust before the temple was built. And there was more. These Levite doorkeepers were "over the chambers and over the treasuries of the house of God. They stayed around the house of God at night, because the charge was on them, and they opened it every morning."
In these verses the word "office" means more than a job title. One writer shows how far that reaches.
They were keepers of the gates of the tabernacle, keepers of the entry, gatekeepers of the door of the tabernacle, gatekeepers in the gates. Notice that wherever you find the word "office," the margin reads "trust." We shall find that this is not truth for officials, but for every child of God, as a trustee of Christ.
The same writer draws the line forward to what a Christian now guards:
What is the door now but Christ? Their first service was to keep the door. Have we not now to guard the door? We must not only keep Satan and men from closing the doors again — we must also uphold the gospel of Jesus, the way into the holiest place. Notice, they were placed by watches, in four quarters — east, west, north and south. May each beloved servant of the Lord know the place the Lord has appointed him!
We assume a door needs only patience. The families chosen for this work say otherwise.
Meshelemiah, the son of Korah, has eighteen sons and brothers marked out for this office in his family... Of Obed-Edom's sons it is said that they were rulers in their father's house, that they were mighty men of valour, able men in strength for the service. We do not think often enough that the service of the doorkeepers, like that of the priests, needed these qualities. It is not enough to say that this unattractive task needs humility, dependence, zeal and self-forgetfulness. Strength and valour are needed too.
Leave the gate unguarded and nothing else in the house runs. That is the force of naming one man at one door.
How many different tasks these humble servants carried on! Modest tasks, yes, but without them the whole order of the Lord's service would have broken down, or even stopped! So when the Lord entrusts a service to us, even if it looks unimportant, let us do it with zeal, remembering that it is needed for the order of the house of God.
A line from the Psalms sets the doorkeeper's place above comfort anywhere else. One writer looks at his hours and at where he sits.
"I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." ... The doorkeeper is first to let others in, and he has to stay till the last; he is there longest of all. The margin reads, "I would choose rather to sit at the threshold." ... He is content with the threshold, the lowest place, as long as he is in God's presence. Was God there? He would be there too.
- Ruin. The chapter tells of a nation carried off for its sin, then a small remnant brought back. Even there, God records who guards which gate.
- Grace. Zechariah comes from Korah's line. Sovereign mercy spared that family, then brought them into the sanctuary for honourable service.
- Trust. The word "office" here means a trust. It is not truth for officials, but for every child of God, as a trustee of Christ.
- Strength. Keeping a door asked for humility, dependence and self-forgetfulness — and for men of valour, able in strength for the service.
- Order. The task looks small, yet the whole order of the Lord's service depends on it. And the lowest place in God's house is the best place to be.
All these chosen to be doorkeepers at the thresholds were two hundred and twelve. These were registered by genealogy according to their villages David and Samuel the seer had instituted them in their trust.
1 Chronicles 9 lists the people who came back to Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon, and verse 22 stops to count 212 gatekeepers. Why does Scripture number doorkeepers so carefully, and what did their "office" involve?
The chapter moves from national ruin to a small return, and then turns to the men at the gates:
1 Chronicles 9 shows us the final ruin of the people: "Judah was taken into exile in Babylon because of their breach of faith" (v. 1). We then find the restoration of a feeble remnant, mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, to await the promised Messiah at Jerusalem... Finally, it defines the functions of the doorkeepers of the temple very exactly.
The word translated "office" here means something entrusted. That changes who the verse is speaking to, and what the trust now covers:
They were keepers of the gates of the tabernacle, keepers of the entry, doorkeepers of the door of the tabernacle, doorkeepers in the gates. And notice, wherever you find the word "office," the margin reads "trust." We will find this is not truth for officials. It is for every child of God, as a trustee of Christ. What is the door now but Christ? Their first service was to keep the door. And do we not now have to guard the door? We must not only seek to keep Satan and men from closing the doors again, but also maintain the gospel of Jesus, the way into the Most Holy Place. Notice, they were placed in set watches. The doorkeepers stood at four sides — east, west, north, and south. Oh, that each beloved servant of the Lord may know his appointment from the Lord!
David and Samuel set these families in place long before there was a building to guard. Their work reached far past the doorway:
David and Samuel had placed the doorkeepers in their trust before anyone built the temple, which verse 23 calls "the house of the tent." But still more, these Levite doorkeepers were "over the chambers and the treasures of the house of God." They "lodged around the house of God, for on them lay the duty of watching, and they had charge of opening it every morning."
A gatekeeper's job cuts both ways:
The doorkeepers had charge of all the gates of the temple. They had to be able to drive back any attack on the house of God. They had to watch with constant energy, so that no defiled person entered the courts of the Lord. But they also had to keep the doors open, so that they shut out no priest who had the right to enter the temple.
The Lord keeps a record of each of these men, and the job itself ranks near the bottom of any staff list:
Each name is known to the Lord, and registered; that is enough for the servant of the Lord... Most people think of a doorkeeper as the lowest position in any organization. And it is true here also; if any man would serve the Lord, he must take the lowest place.
Yet the same men carried the ark and led the praise, which turns the ranking upside down:
Lowest, as to self, is the doorkeeper's position — highest in Christ, with songs of praise. And these same porters are keepers of the ark. And is not that ark Christ? entrusted to make known the very heart of Christ?
Strip out the gatekeepers and the whole system stops. That is why a modest task deserves wholehearted work:
How many different duties these humble servants carried on! Modest duties, yes, but without them the whole order of the Lord's service would have faltered, or even stopped! Let us think of this. When the Lord entrusts a service to us, however small it may appear, let us carry it out with zeal. Let us remind ourselves that it is necessary for the order of the house of God.
- Trust. The word rendered "office" here means a trust. So the verse speaks to every believer as a trustee of Christ, not to officials only.
- Trusted early. David and Samuel set this trust in place, and it still held after Babylon — the assignment outlived the tent, the temple and the exile.
- Trusted both ways. The trust meant shutting out what defiles and keeping the door open for every rightful worshipper.
- Trusted low. The doorkeeper takes the lowest place. Yet these same men carried the ark and sang the praise — lowest in self, highest in Christ.
- Trusted small. Remove these modest duties and the whole order of God's house halts; so do with zeal whatever the Lord entrusts to you.
And they and their sons were at the gates of the house of Jehovah, the house of the tent, to keep watch there.
In a long list of names, one verse stops to name the men who guarded the gates of the Lord's house — and it hands the same duty to their sons. Why does a book full of genealogies pause over doorkeepers, and what did this small post carry?
The chapter stands between ruin and a small recovery.
1 Chronicles 8 has brought us to the kingship according to the flesh. Its ruin will be shown to us in 1 Chronicles 10. 1 Chronicles 9 instead shows us the final ruin of the people: "Judah was carried away to Babylon because of their transgression" (v. 1). We then find the restoration of a feeble remnant, mentioned in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, to wait at Jerusalem for the promised Messiah... Last of all, it defines the work of the doorkeepers of the temple very exactly.
The verse calls the sanctuary "the house of the tent" — a name older than the temple. It also passes the post from fathers to sons.
In these days of restoration they were doorkeepers at the gate of the temple, called "the king's gate." Earlier they had been "keepers of the thresholds of the tent, and their fathers, set over the camp of the LORD, were keepers of the entrance. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in earlier days." It says of him, "the LORD was with him" (v. 20), and that says everything. David and Samuel had placed the doorkeepers in their trust when the temple — called "the house of the tent" in verse 23 — had not yet been built.
The same writer takes up the doorkeepers again later, and shows their watch pulling two ways at once.
The doorkeepers had charge of all the gates of the temple. They had to be able to drive back any attempt against the house of God. They also had to watch with constant energy, so that no defiled person could enter the courts of the Lord. But they had to keep the doors open too, so that no priest with the right to enter the temple was shut out.
Several titles in these verses name the same job. One writer stops on the word older translations use for it.
They were keepers of the gates of the tabernacle, keepers of the entry, doorkeepers of the door of the tabernacle, doorkeepers in the gates. And notice: wherever you find the word "office," the margin reads "trust." We shall find this is not truth for officials, but for every child of God, as a trustee of Christ.
The same writer then moves from the door to the place each man was given.
after-note: DELETE
What is the door now but Christ? Their first service was to keep the door. Do we not have to guard the door now too? We must not only try to keep Satan and men from closing the doors again. We must also hold up the gospel of Jesus, the way into the holiest. Notice, they were placed in set posts. The doorkeepers stood in four quarters — toward the east, west, north, and south. Oh, that each beloved servant of the Lord may know the place the Lord has given him!
One writer carries this duty forward to God's people now.
In Israel there were doorkeepers who watched at the gates and kept the doors of God's house (see 1 Chron. 9:17-27 and Neh. 7:1-3). Their duty was to let in those who should come in, and to refuse entry to those who should be kept out. So today in God's assembly the work of doorkeepers is greatly needed. It keeps the assembly from being defiled by the entry of the unconverted and the unclean. There is no formal office of doorkeeper in the assembly. But this godly care must be shown over those who are received.
The gatekeeper's work looks like the smallest job in the sanctuary. One writer draws the opposite lesson from it.
How many diverse functions these humble servants carried on! Modest functions, yes, but without them the entire order of the Lord's service would have been interrupted, or even discontinued! Let us think of this, and when the Lord confides a service to us, insignificant though it may appear to be, let us carry it out with zeal, reminding ourselves that it is necessary for the order of the house of God.
- Trust after ruin. Judah went to Babylon for its transgression, and only a weak remnant came back. In that setting the chapter still spells out the doorkeepers' duties with care.
- Trust, not title. Older translations read "office," with "trust" in the margin. The lesson is not for officials, but for every child of God as a trustee of Christ.
- Trust older than the temple. The charge reaches back to the tent and its keepers of the entrance. It reaches back to Phinehas, of whom it is said the LORD was with him, and to the order David and Samuel set up.
- Trust that swings both ways. The keeper must turn back what defiles and keep the door open, so that no one with a right to enter is shut out.
- Trust in a set place. The doorkeepers stood on all four sides of the house. The whole order of the Lord's service rested on that small post, and each servant should know the place the Lord gives him.