Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in tents of wickedness.

What did biblical gatekeepers do? Here’s the short list:

• They guarded the gates of the house of the Lord—east, west, north and south—for a week at a time. They prowled outside all night, then unlocked the gates each morning. Others tended rooms and treasuries and articles used in the temple service.
• They also provided special flour and wine, olive oil, incense and spices. One Levite baked the offering bread, and others set it on the table every Sabbath.
• Musicians were on duty day and night, exempting them from other responsibilities.

Gatekeeping was NOT a ho-hum job.

Think, though, what these Levites were guarding. Back in the days of the original Tent of Meeting, God had this to say about his holiness:

“They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I AM the Lord their God. You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

The tent, and later the temple, housed the Holy of holies with its ark and cherubim. Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest—at risk of life and limb—entered that holy place and encountered the Presence who dwelt there. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, learned the hard way when they offered unauthorized incense before Jahweh. Fire from the Presence consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
The temple gatekeepers knew God’s HOLINESS. Do WE come into God’s presence with that same understanding? Through Jesus, we know that the I AM wears a face of love and grace, but DON’T MISJUDGE HIS HOLINESS. He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.

That great song in Revelation says it all:

Lord, MAKE ME A FAITHFUL DOORKEEPER IN THE HOUSE OF OUR LORD!
…keeping in mind that my BEST WAY to guard, serve, and sing is through

Please let me know your Doorkeeping experiences. Are you a musician? A maker of bread? A prayer “guardian”? Comment here or email me at egus@me.com