Section 1169
I. Who the watchman is, that is addressed; and to whom the question in the text is put
1. Some by the watchman understand God himself: [5403] the name and title of a watcher is sometimes given to him, and indeed to all the divine persons, who are called watchers and holy ones, Daniel 4:17 where the affair of Nebuchadnezzar being driven from his throne and palace, to dwell among the beasts of the field, is said to be a matter by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones. I know this is commonly understood of angels, and they are watchers by office, being the guardians of God’s people, and holy by nature; they may be said also to declare and execute the decrees of God; but then his decrees are never called theirs; and besides, this decree is expressly called the decree of the Most High, verse 24, and these watchers and holy ones are represented as having others under them, whom they call upon to execute this decree, verse 23, and where they are called the watcher and the holy one, as before, the plural number is used, to denote the plurality of persons in the Godhead, there the singular, to secure the unity of the divine essence.
Acts of watching are ascribed to God, sometimes in a bad sense, and sometimes in a good one: I mean, that sometimes he is said to watch over men for evil, and sometimes for good; his eyes are upon the ways of all men, good and bad, and he sees all their goings, and watches their sins to chastise or punish for them; he watches over the sins of his own people, to correct them for them, in a fatherly way, but not in a way of strict justice; not so as to demand satisfaction of them, or inflict vindictive wrath upon them; should he mark iniquity in such a manner, there would be no standing before him; though sometimes they think he does do so: thus Job (17), now thou numberest my steps, dost thou not watch over my sin? my transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity; in order to bring it forth one day, as he thought, against him, to his condemnation. God does indeed watch over the sins of wicked men, of a rebellious and impenitent people, to punish them for them; and he watches upon the evil of punishment, to bring it on such for the evil of sin; as Daniel says, (Daniel 9:14) therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: and as he sometimes watches over a people to pluck up and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so he watches over them, to build and to plant (Jeremiah 31:28), or to do them good; he waits upon his own people to be gracious to them, and watches the set time for that purpose: his eyes are always on them, and are never withdrawn from them; they are engraved on his hands, and they are continually before him.
The Hebrew word shamar (shaw-mar’), here translated a watchman, is used of God in Psalm 121:4, 5 and is there rendered keeper, and well agrees with him who is the keeper of his Israel, both in a way of providence, and in a way of grace: he is the preserver of men, yea, the Saviour of all men, as the God of providence, especially of them that believe; he keeps them from evil; he preserves their going out and coming in; he watches over them night and day, lest any hurt them; and indeed, except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (Psalm 127:1): and he is the keeper of his people in a way of grace; they are sensible of their own weakness, and of their need of his power, and therefore apply to him for preservation; one says, keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me (1 Chronicles 4:10); and another says, keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins (Psalm 19:13); and the Lord does preserve the souls of his faithful ones; they are kept by his power through faith unto salvation.
To all which may he added, who so proper to apply unto, to know the time of night, as to God, who hath put the times and the seasons in his own power, and who hath determined the times before appointed, for the performance of every thing that is done in this world? for to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Acts 1:6; 17:26; Ecclesiastes 3:1); every thing is done as it was purposed, and at the time it should, and which is known to God; particularly the time of Christ’s first coming into the world, as agreed and fixed upon between the Father and the Son, called the fulness of time (Galatians 4:4), and was known to them both, and made known in the word: and the time of his second coming is also appointed; God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by Christ, and him he will show in his times; though of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels in heaven, but the Father only (Acts 27:31; 1 Timothy 6:15; Matthew 24:36).
2. Others [5404] by the watchman think Christ is meant; so the Jews [5405] say, this is Metatron, the Keeper of Israel, which with them is one of the names of the Messiah and to whom this character of a watchman agrees, as he is a shepherd; one part of whose business it is to watch over the flock by night and by day: Christ does the whole work and office of a shepherd to his flock: he feeds his flock like a shepherd; he guards and protects it, as David his type did; he secures it from the lion and the bear; and being the proprietor of the flock, whose own the sheep are, will not flee as an hireling does when the wolf cometh, but expose his life to danger for them; and indeed he laid down his life for the sheep. This character of a watchman agrees with him, as the keeper of his people; they are put into his hands, and there they are, out of which none can pluck them; they are preserved in Christ, who is able to keep them from falling, and who keeps a watchful eye over them continually, and will take care that not one of them should be lost or perish, but have everlasting life. And now, as he is the omniscient God, he knows and can declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done (Isaiah 46:10). He knew the time of his first coming into the world, and so likewise of his going out of it. Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father (John 13:1); and he knows the time of his second coming also, and of all intermediate events; of every thing that should happen from his first to his second coming; he knows the things that are, and which shall be hereafter: the book of the Revelation is called, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him to shew unto his servants, things that must shortly come to pass (Revelation 1:1); wherefore whither should we go but to him, to know what of the night it is? But perhaps it may be thought to be too bold, too free and familiar, to address God or Christ under this character, and in such language, Watchman, what of the night ?—Therefore,
3. I choose rather to join with those, who think that a prophet or minister of the word is intended by the watchman: it was usual under the Old Testament, for prophets to be called watchmen: the Prophet Isaiah was one, and perhaps is intended in verse 6, 8, and in the text; and so was Jeremiah; and so was Ezekiel; to whom it is said, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel (Ezekiel 3:17). Gospel-ministers are also called watchmen (Isaiah 53:8); the watchmen shall left up the voice, etc and this in allusion to shepherds, which is one of their titles and characters; pastors, which God gives after his own heart, to feed his people with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15); who, having taken the oversight of the flock, ought to take heed to themselves, and to that; and one part of their work is to watch in all things; and they do watch for and over the souls of men, as they that must give an account. Moreover, they are called watchmen, in allusion to watchmen in cities, of which there are two sorts; some that go about the city, and others that are set on the walls of it; and to each of these the ministers of the word are compared in Song of Solomon 3:3 and chapter 5:7; see also Isaiah 62:6, I have set watchmen upon thy walls, Jerusalem, etc
The qualifications for such an office are quickness of sight, vigilance, constancy, courage and faithfulness; watchmen ought to have their sight, and keep a good look out; they ought to be awake and not asleep, and constant in their post; should be men of resolution and intrepidity in time of danger, and faithful to give warning of it; and so should the ministers of the word. Sad it is, when Zion’s watchmen are blind, and yet we read of such. The four living creatures, mentioned in the book of the Revelation (Revelation 4:6, 8), are emblems of Gospel-ministers; and they are said to be full of eyes within, and before and behind; and they have need of all the eyes they have, to take heed to themselves, and to watch over others: they ought to be sober and vigilant, and in their watch-tower, and on their guard; for while men sleep, the enemy sows tares of error, heresy, and division: they should be “stedfast and immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; ” they should watch, and stand fast in the faith, and quit themselves like men, and be strong; and they should not conceal any thing that ought to be known, or keep back that which is profitable, but declare the whole counsel of God.
Their work is to warn sinners of their evil ways, and of the danger they are in by them; to shew them what an evil and bitter thing sin is, and that the wrath of God, is revealed from heaven against it; that the wages of sin is death eternal; and that destruction and misery are in all their ways, in which they will issue, if grace prevent not; and to convince them of the worth of their precious and immortal souls, and that the loss of them is irrecoverable, and that nothing can be given in exchange for them. Also their business is to arouse and awake sleepy saints; the wise as well, as the foolish virgins sometimes fall asleep, and it is the duty of the watchman to awake them, and let them know how unbecoming it is for persons of their characters to be asleep; they that sleep, sleep in the night—but let us who are of the day be sober: let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch (7). Children of the light and of the day, should not sleep as those who are of the night and darkness; the watchmen should tell them, it is high time to awake out of sleep, and jog them and stir them up; and if this will not do, they should “cry aloud, and spare not, and lift up their voice like a trumpet, ” and say, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light (Ephesians 5:14). Moreover, another part of their office is, to give the time of the night: as it is the business of a watchman on the walls to look out, and if he descries an enemy, to observe his motions and advances, and give notice of approaching danger to them within the city; so it is the business of the watchmen that go about the city, as to take up strolling persons and examine them; so to give the inhabitants the hour of the night, that they may know how much of it is gone, and what is yet to come; and this is the office of the ministers of the word: the watchmen of the Old Testament, the prophets, gave the time of night then; they enquired and searched diligently, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow (11). And so the watchmen of the New Testament, the ministers of the Gospel, it becomes them to inquire what time it now is, that they may be able in some measure to give an answer to such a question as is here put, what of the night ? in order to which it is necessary to study the prophetic part of the New Testament, particularly the book of the Revelation; and which, according to its name, is a revelation, and not a secret; an open, and not a sealed book: and blessed is he that readeth this book, not only privately, but in public, in order to explain it unto others; and blessed are they that hear the words of this prophecy (Revelation 1:3) explained by their minister; so the one will be ready to ask, and the other ready to answer the question here proposed, which is the next thing to be attended to; wherefore I pass on to consider,