Keepers of the Gates
1 Chronicles 9:19
"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 gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the LORD, were keepers of the entry."
Years ago I had the privilege of traveling to England to preach. While I was there, the pastor took me to the place where the crowns and jewels of the kings and queens were kept. This was quite an astounding tour. One of the things that caught my attention were the guards who stood outside the doors. These guards had guns in hand ready to use in case someone tried to steal anything. In all reality, these guards were simply keepers of the gates.
In the verse above, God established that there were some men whose job it was to keep the gates. In other words, there job was to guard the gates. Just like these men kept the gates of the temple, there needs to be people who will keep the gates of the home and church. In the Scriptures, you will find that being a keeper of the gate meant that your presence held several responsibilities.
First, the gates were in place to keep the criminals out. One of the purpose of having a gate is to make sure the wrong people don't get in. As a keeper of the gate, one of your responsibilities is to make sure the wrong influences don't enter your home or church. Parents are to be sure that their home is protected from wrong influences. That means you need to watch what you allow to be played on your television. You need to be careful who you allow to come into your home. Parents are the keepers of the gates of their home, and they should understand they have children whom they need to protect from the wrong influences that would destroy them.
Likewise, preachers are the keepers of the gate of the church. No, the church is not theirs, the church belongs to God. They are simply like the guards who stand outside of something to protect it to make sure nothing wrong gets inside. Preachers, you must be very careful who you let preach in your pulpits. Be careful what influences you let influence your people. You must guard the church from the wrong music getting in. A preacher must keep all wrong influences from getting in.
Second, the gates were a place of security. As long as the gates are properly protected, then those on the inside will feel secure. Everyone is under someone who is a keeper of our gates. Let me warn you from trying to leave those gates. The gates that God has set up in your life are there to protect you from harm. Stop trying to run outside the gates and stay inside where you are safe. It is not that the keeper of your gates hate you or don't want you to enjoy life, it is simply that they see what is harmful on the outside and they keep those influences from getting to you.
Finally, one day you will be a keeper of a gate. While you are inside those gates, you need to learn what you must guard against. Don't simply let your feeling of security cause you not to learn how to guard the gates yourself. Everyone will have to step up and guard someone's gates. Be sure that you learn how to guard and what to guard against.
The gates of our lives are very important. Let's not be careless about the gates in our lives. Let's be sure that we keep the wrong influences from getting in. Furthermore, let's train those on the inside about the harmful influences on the outside so that when they become keepers of the gates they will know how to identify those who would harm them and others if they get inside.