I am always intrigued by the term “watch” in the Bible. The Greek language has two words similar in meaning for watch. Gregoreuo means to stay awake and agrupneo means sleepless. They both can have natural and spiritual connotations for staying fully awake and vigilant.
In the New Testament , the word “watch” is used with “pray” several times. Before he was arrested, Jesus asks Peter, James and John to keep watch as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. When he returned from praying, he found the disciples sleeping. He asked Peter,
Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. The disciples had fallen asleep even though their spirits were alert. Their physical bodies were unable to stay awake. (See Mark 14:38 and Luke 21:36 as well.) Here the term watch (and pray) signifies vigilance and alertness as well as prayer.
In the Old Testament, the term, watchmen on the walls was used as physical watchmen stood guard in watchtowers and on walls; God also spoke personally to his own prophets as watchmen. The physical watchmen were actually guards who were stationed on city walls or towers to spot impending enemies and then warn the people. But God’s prophets warned the Israelites of impending danger of their personal sins, as well as impending danger from without.
God commissioned the prophet, Ezekiel, as a watchman for Israel. He was to warn his people of their sins.
Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. (Ezekiel 3:17-19)
The prophet, Isaiah, was vigilant and prayerful watchman on the wall. He stood continually at his watchtower post during the day and sat at his post each night in chapter 21:8)
And the lookout[ shouted, ‘Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post.’
The prophet, Habakkuk, stated in chapter 2:1 that:
“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he (God) will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.”
So, God’s prophets were watchmen on the walls who prayed for the people and were never silent, as he noted in Isaiah 62:6-7:
I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.
Ezekiel 33:1-6 summarizes the role of God’s prophets:
The word of the LORD came to me (Ezekiel): ‘Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’
Watching (and praying) is totally applicable for believers today.
Every Christian should be diligent and on guard in their own lives and the lives of others. Peter states,
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1Peter 5:8, NLT)
Plus, we are in the endtimes! As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, he provided his disciples with an endtimes prophecy on the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in Matthew 24:3-4.
. . . ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered: ‘Watch’ out that no one deceives you. (Also see Mark 13 and Luke 21)
Jesus goes on to tell the disciples in verses 42 and 44, to keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
Believers must stay on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
Blessings and love.
Spiritual References:
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind (watch). Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.
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