“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
The Gospel of Matthew 5:17-19, NKJV
This study has been exploring these simple words of Jesus in an effort to understand the true nature of His life and ministry. He said that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. We found that these words, Law and Prophets are extremely encompassing – speaking of the entirety of the Old Testament scripture. In a first mention search of the word Law, we were taken to the following passage:
And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Gen 26:4-5, NKJV
Upon reading this passage, we backed up to explore Jesus’ obedience to His Father’s (God’s) voice. We found that Jesus both listened to, and lived His life obeying the voice of God. Now let’s look at the next commendation in the passage above – that Abraham “kept My charge”. Exactly what does it mean to “keep God’s charge”, and did Jesus do so?
The word used for “charge” is משׁמרח (mishmereth), and this is the first scriptural use of the word in this particular form. Let’s explore its meaning:
משׁמרח mishmereth (mish-meh’-reth); feminine of משׁמר (mishmar); watch, i.e. the act (custody) or (concretely) the sentry, the post; (objectively) preservation, or (concretely) safe; (figurative) observance, i.e. (abstractly) duty, or (objectively) a usage or party.
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
In essence, the word means “to keep the watch”, or “to protect.” We may see this same concept practiced in today’s culture – even using the same term: in the military, it would be the “Officer in charge”. In a hospital, it might be a “charge nurse”. What is the charge nurse responsible for? Maintaining the safety and well being of the patients in her keep. Similarly, the charge officer is responsible for the protection of the troops and the mission under his command.
As seen above, the root of mishmereth is mishmar. But mishmar also has a root: שׁמר (shamar), which is defined as follows:
שׁמר shamar (shaw-mar’); a primitive root; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
So the primitive root, shamar, means to protect by (figuratively) placing a hedge around. Shamar is a popular word in the Old Testament scriptures (the Law and the Prophets), appearing over 400 times. As a root of our word and concept under study, mishmereth, it makes sense to understand it’s primary scriptural meaning – that of first mention. Let’s examine its first use:
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it [shamar].
Gen 2:15-17, NKJV
So the first use of shamar is God’s act of handing the Garden of Eden over to Adam for safekeeping. This is very interesting! God created Adam (the first man), and gave him “charge” of the Garden of Eden. Did Adam keep the charge? Let’s examine this…
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Gen 2:15-17, NKJV
Do you see? Part of God’s charge to Adam was to refrain from eating the forbidden fruit – of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Did he keep that part of the charge? The very next chapter of Genesis speaks of the fall of Adam, and the subsequent fall of all creation through Adam’s choice to disregard God’s holy charge. Adam did NOT keep the charge! In essence, God gave Adam one primary instruction that would protect His creation, and Adam did not keep that instruction. Now let’s return to our verse under study:
And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
Gen 26:4-5, NKJV
God commends Abraham for keeping His charge. What exactly was the charge God gave him? What was God asking Abraham to protect? This is a big question, and answering it in detail would require many studies. But we have been given a shortcut to the answer. Interestingly, it is found in the New Testament – the book of fulfillment. Let’s take a look:
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Paul’s letter to the Romans 4:1-4, NKJV
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
The letter to the Hebrews 11:8-10, NKJV
In both of these passages, Abraham is commended for one thing – believing God. God spoke to Abraham and he believed. His belief was an active belief, in that when he was called, he left. And he waited for God’s promise. Let’s go back to the source of these passages:
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
But Abram said, “Lord God , what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
And he believed in the Lord , and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 15:1-6, NKJV
But there’s still more to the idea of keeping God’s charge. Let’s examine the actual giving of the charge and see what Abraham’s role was in the promise:
And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep [שׁמר (shamar)] My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
Genesis 17:9-14, NKJV
You see, God’s charge was His word, and Abraham kept it. He kept God’s word and cherished it in his heart, fully believing that His word was true, and that it would come to pass. But keeping God’s Word in his heart was an active thing. He was required to circumcise his household as a covenant symbol of the promise. Keeping the charge must be in the domain of both heart and hands. For those that are not quite convinced, let’s take a look at Abraham’s crowning proof of his belief:
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
The letter to the Hebrews 11:17-19, NKJV
God gave Abraham His word, and Abraham kept it. Abraham kept the charge of God’s Word. In my next blog, we will examine Jesus’ life, and answer the question: “Did Jesus keep God’s charge?” Ponder this question in your heart until my next post!
May God richly bless you in your study of God’s Word – as you seek to keep the charge! Selah.
YouJi