Read 1 Chron. 26:10-32 Next we have Hosah's sons. Merari is Hosah's father. Merari means "bitter" and Hosah's name means "hope". Hope sprang from the bitterness of Merari's life through Hosah's life. The first son of Hosah's that is mentioned is Simri. His name means "watchful". He was made chief even though he was not the firstborn. I guess because he was watchful and paid attention. That is all the prophetic is is being watchful to see what God is doing and paying attention to what is going on around you. The second son's name means "portion; smoothness of the tongue". This son knew how to partake of his inheritance and teach it with skill. The 3rd son's name meant "dip or plunge". If we ever dip our toe in the prophetic we will end up plunging in head first. One of the job of the high priest was dip his fingers in blood and sprinkle it on the furniture in the tabernacle, on the people and on the altar. What the high priest did in the Old Testament Jesus did in the New only he plunged his whole body in his own blood. The 4th son meant "to mark so as to be recognized". We have been marked by the blood of Jesus just like the doorposts were marked with blood so that death would not take them. Death won't take us either.
All these personalities had their set time and their own set gate to minister their particular gift. They were all equally important. They divided the gates by directions east, west, north and south. East means "the rising of the sun; the beginning". The group that got that gate meant "a thank offering". Isn't that what we are to do every morning? East also has to do with the law. In the law they could offer thank offerings anytime they wanted, but there were certain times it was required. David sang, "I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart." How appropriate! Jesus will come back through the Golden Gate on the east side. He will be the sun ushering in a new day.
The next lot fell to the family who would stand at the north gates. North has to do with hidden, dark, unknown. Heaven is north and God is going to come from the north to judge the earth, so north could mean judgment. (Jer. 1:13-14) But here I think it is talking about this person knowing the deep things of God and being able to spiritually judge because it says he was a wise counselor.
The lot that fell to the family who would guard the south gates was Obededom. His name means "worker of Edom". South has to do with the natural. Abraham got in trouble when he went south (Gen 20:1) and so did Paul in Acts 27:13. We always do when we move in the natural. These sons were also from the house of Asuppim which is a threshingfloor where offerings were collected. If south also indicated hell then the things sifted and collected would be souls that were thrown out of God's city. Interestingly this is where the dung gate is located where they carried their dung and buried it outside the gates.
The last direction was west. West has to do with "the evening sun; the end; grace" The verse: "As far as the east is from the west so God has removed our sins from us" could read: "as far as the law is from grace, so God has removed our sins from us." The two son's over these gates mean "serpent" and "to flee for protection". The devil is not mentioned in the Old Testament. Satan is only mentioned 15 times. But he is expounded on in the New. These gatekeepers kept out the evil. Remember how Moses's stick became a serpent too. Only his serpent ate up the pharoah's serpent. We are told in Matt. 10:16 to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Thank you Lord that you surround us with your gatekeepers, your angels, to keep us in all that we do.
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