What pops into your mind?
If it’s the 2014 Oscar nominated, multi-award winning, $773 million dollar grossing, blockbuster film, staring Chris Pratt – you might be close. If it’s the simple word – “galaxy”, you’d be even closer.
Although I would enjoy drawing parallels from the Guardians, whose goal it is to combat evil and create a orderly universe, utilizing their mechanized police force – “The Manhunters”, who sought to eradicate organic life starting in Sector 666 (and left survivors of the massacre called “demons”, who banded together to form a nation called “Empire of Tears”), I will leave that for another time. (1)
What I would like to add to the list of things that could pop into your mind is this: We humans have indeed been selected to be guardians. It’s true. You, me, and every human on the planet, are intended to follow in the steps of Adam, our father and be guardians or “watchmen” over God’s creation – His garden.
That garden first starts within us (Song of Sol. 1:6) and then extends to our planet. Why? Because there is a snake in the garden, and we are to watch, guard and keep the snake out. Man’s role is protector, keeper, and watchman (2) … of the galaxy (if you will) – to keep the snake out!
Yahweh-God took the man and placed him in the graden of Eden to work and watch over it.”
Genesis 2:15 TPT
I believe this is where so many who champion the “Green” philosophy of planet conservation and all, get their mandate. It is valid. We are to take care of “Mother Earth”, and watch out for her for the sake of continued life on the planet. We are to be earth’s stewards.
But there is more to our guardianship of this galaxy, and planet… and it still has to do with keeping the snake out and watching for its encroachments.
A clear example and model of this can be found in the selection (by God) of the tribe of Levi, to guard the sanctuary and presence of God. This family of priests, one of twelve families, was chosen to be guardians of the Tent of Meeting as they traveled through the wilderness and entered into their promised land. Their job involved, guarding the sanctuary, guarding the priesthood, guarding the furnishings, guarding the people, guarding the coverings, screens, and the most sacred ark. Numbers chapter 3 tells of it all.
It is interesting to note that Levi had three sons (Gershon, Kohath, and Merarai) and to each son, along with their family was given the responsibility for a specific part of the Tabernacle. Here’s the interseting part – look at this verse about Kohath (and his family):
Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from the Levites…”
Numbers 4:17 ESV
In other words, take careful heed to see to it that there are always Kohathites (Levites – priests) guarding, watching, keeping and protecting. You see, as 1 Peter 2:5 tells us, WE ARE TO BE A HOLY PRIESTHOOD, offering spiritual sacrifices. What sacrifices? Guard duty, watching for snakes!
Where?
Yes, in the sactuary/assembly. We do watch for snakes in church, we keep guard for actions, attitudes and allurements from the serpent. We identify them. We rally in prayer around them. We bind them. We keep the garden free from the whiles of the enemy.
But also, we keep watch personally and corporately. In our own lives and then in the national life stream. Where there is any evidence of a slithering snake, its poison and deception, we crush it’s head, under our feet. Romans 16:19
In our nation, it is easy to identify the imprint of the snake. Whatever is contrary to The Word, is from the snake. Use the Sword then, to cut it’s head off. Keep it out, protect against its lies and heresy.
I could (and maybe even should) spend another whole blog on the absolute imperative we have to guard liberty. My friend, America’s liberty must be guarded. It is given to us, to safeguard, protect, and defend the liberties our great nation was founded upon and to raise up others who will do the same. “Give me liberty or give me death” is still the revolutionary call.
In our personal lives too, we guard against the lurings of the snake to doubt what God has said, to believe He is holding something back from us and doesn’t want us to be happy and fulfilled. But most importantly, our guard is to be for the keeping of His presence. Let me explain.
The Levites were to guard the presence of the Lord. The ark. They were to keep watch for anything out of line with what God had directed. Their charge was to be watchmen for the presence and to keep the snake out!
We too are to guard the presence of God in our life, in our church, in our nation, in our family. It is all about the presence – God’s presence. Keeping it, guarding it. In fact, being guardians of His presence.
The snake seeks to divert us, distract us, and destroy anything that leads us to the presence of God or experiencing the full presence of God. The holy, awesome, powerful presence of God is the snake’s demise. That is why we are called to be guardians of the presence. Watchmen for His presence and walkers in it, in Him. Seeking to protect it at all costs, through all generations. Cherishing, revering, and guarding His presence is what we have been commission to do.
We are on guard duty. Watchmen on the wall. Guardians of His presence. Keepers of our garden, on the look out for the snake.
So, now, what pops into your mind?
Guardians of the …
Cheers to you,
Debbie
- Wikipedia; Guardians of the Galaxy (film)
- The Book of Genesis; The Passion Translation, Brian Simmons; notes Genesis 2:15
Under Debra’s Palm 
W0W! Snakes … brings back childhood memories of when I was around 10 years old. It was a time when spending a lot of time with your “best friend” was important to us, walking great distances on the nearby railroad tracks, hiking into the foothills exploring and looking for ……. (drum roll) ……. SNAKES! Yes! Every weekend my best friend and I, along with his little brother tagging along, would venture out to the foothills with a packed lunch and water to explore, walk through the river beds, build ourselves a fort, catch crayfish, minnows, pollywogs, lizards and …… SNAKES! Lots of snakes (gopher snakes, garter snakes, ribbon racer snakes, and California king snakes). I would bag them up and take them home to keep as “pets” in glass habitats that my father would build for me. They were kept in the backyard play area that looked like a western corral fence where the swing set and slide were located along with the dog house, pigeon coop, and my collection of reptiles and aquatic critters. While exploring I would also bring back “food” for my pets.
I found snakes to be of particular interest: the way they crawled around with no legs and wrapped themselves around our hands and arms, their tongue constantly darting in and out of their seemingly closed mouth, black eyes that seem to stare off into space and never blinked, the unique colors. patterns and makings of their skin …… a truly remarkable animal.
It was several years later when I became a Believer that I learned about the spiritual implications of the snake and its influence in our livest. That same charm and attraction of the snake is still active and alive and can still have a major influence over us if we don’t have Jesus Christ as our Lord. With the Holy Spirit dwelling within us we have the assurance of being shielded from the influences of the snake.
I think we can certainly see the parallels of the natural snake and the evil spiritual snake! Let us not allow any snake, natural or spiritual, distract us from our walk with Jesus!