Keep The Serpent Out!

March 18, 2025

The Hebrew words translated “watchman” are natsar, shamar and tsaphah. They mean to guard or protect by watching over. In ancient times they were also used to describe hedging around crops with thorn bushes to keep out encroachers.(1) The words include the concept of hiding or concealing something.(2) Watchmen, through intercession, create the Psalm 91 secret place of protection. 

Genesis 2:15 is the first time one of them is used in Scripture: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep (shamar) it.” Adam was told to guard or “keep” the garden. From what? It had to be the serpent! I assert this firstly because it is much in keeping with the nature of God to have warned him. To have done otherwise would not have been consistent with God’s character. 

Second, neither Adam nor Eve seemed shocked when a snake talked to them. It evidently didn’t come as a total surprise. Third, what else could there have been before the Fall to guard, keep or protect the garden from? Only the serpent.

This is an important point – the first mention of watching or protecting in Scripture gives us the primary responsibility of the watchman: Keep the serpent out! Guard or protect that which God has entrusted to your care from the subtle encroachment of the serpent. Keep him out of your garden: your home, family, church, city, nation! Keep him out!

These three Hebrew words are also translated in several other ways. I’m going to list several of them, elaborating briefly, to provide a more well-rounded understanding of the concept. As you will plainly see, many pages could be written commenting on the symbolism and connection to prayer. For brevity’s sake I have not done so, but I would encourage you to think on each definition, allowing the Holy Spirit to bring insight to you personally.

1. Keep or Keeper

This is by far the most frequent usage of these three words, translated as such at least 250 times in the King James Version. Watchmen “keep” possessions, places, and individuals safe. They ensure against loss, theft or damage. They “keep” things intact, in possession.

2. Guard

Watchmen are guards. They protect possessions, places, and as the next usage demonstrates, people. 

3. Bodyguard

Watchmen guard and protect individuals, shielding them from danger and harm. They are the secret service agents of the Kingdom, guarding and protecting others.

When I pastored, intercessors in our fellowship were faithful to cover me in prayer. More than once I was told, “Pastor, I was up through the night praying for you.” Occasionally they asked, “Was something wrong?”

“No,” I always responded. They were a bit confused, thinking they had misheard the Holy Spirit, until I replied, “And your prayers are probably why! Keep praying; it’s working!” It was a comfort to know I had spiritual bodyguards. Ministers would be more effective if the body of Christ had more faithful watchmen.

4. Doorkeeper

This one is obviously similar to the next, so I will comment on both of them together.

5. Gatekeeper

Watchmen have the ability,  through prayer, to determine who or what enters their homes, their families’ lives, their churches, their cities, etc. They discern by the Holy Spirit what to allow in, and through prayer, open and close the door. They invite in the work of the Holy Spirit and reject the works of darkness, keeping enemies out. 

6. Preserve or Preserver

Watchmen preserve, keeping things from ruin and destruction. They preserve lives, anointings, moves of God and a host of other things by covering them in prayer. In their book, How to Pray for Your Family, Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock tell of four ladies who functioned as watchmen for their farms. These women walked the perimeters of the fields while the husbands worked, sometimes covering as much as six miles in a day.

They prayed for protection from insects, crop diseases, hail and drought. They asked God to give their husbands wisdom in farming and marketing and prayed for angels to be assigned to the efforts.

The results were amazing. It turned out to be one of their better years. No storm or insect damage, no unwise decisions and a good profit – while others around them had a difficult year with little profit.

We simply aren’t practical enough at times with our intercession tactics. These ladies, watching in intercession, opened the way for God’s blessing upon their families’ financial endeavors.(3)

7. Pay attention

Watchmen must be on the alert, paying attention. Though this is obvious, we often fail to do so. Like soldiers, God “calls us to attention.” Lives are at stake. The spiritual harvest fields must be guarded. Pay attention, watchmen!

8. Observe

Be observant. Quite simply, watchmen must watch! If they do so, they’ll observe what others fail to see. This involves the concept of discernment.

9. Behold

This usage is similar to observe, of course, but I list it because it intensifies the command to watch: Behold!

10. Beware

Watchmen must be vigilant, aware, on the alert. First Peter 5:8 warns us to be of sober spirit. Always beware, intercessor! Watch for satan, who roams about like a lion, seeking someone to devour. When you discern him at work, enforce Calvary's victory with your God-given authority. 

11. Protect

In the same sense as guarding and keeping, watchmen protect. They build walls or boundaries of protection from the attacks of the devil. 

12. Maintain

Watchmen maintain things for other people and for the Lord. They are the maintenance crew. They may not build or plant, as some do, but they maintain what has been built, keeping things working well, preventing breakdowns.

Ask the Lord to strengthen you in your ability to watch and pray. Ask Him for sensitivity – the ability to sense in the spirit realm, being able to pick up and hear His alerts and warnings. Let’s do so now.

Pray with me:

Father, it is never Your will for the serpent to encroach on our “gardens.” He is subtle, but You have sent Holy Spirit to help us, alerting us to his attacks. Teach us to listen, to always be alert, paying attention to Your promptings. Fine tune us. We want to be watchmen for our families, friends, and leaders. 

We are also to be watchmen for our nation. Had we been alert, prayer would not have been removed from our schools, and the murder of babies in the womb would never have been the law of our land. Had we been paying attention and taking action, our government would not have been overtaken by those who dishonor You, our education system by unrighteous propagandists.  

You are giving us another chance to step into our role of protecting and preserving what You gave us. You are raising up an army of watchmen who refuse to allow our harvest and our inheritance to be stolen. Release boldness and determination to this army, enabling them to be fearless and unwavering. May we find ourselves faithful in this strategic and unprecedented hour. In Christ’s name, we pray, amen.

Our decree:

We decree that we have ears to hear and hearts to obey what God is saying. 

Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer, published by Baker Books.

Watch the video:

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1. James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 8104.

2. Ibid., ref. no. 5341.

3. Sherrer with Garlock, How to Pray for Your Family and Friends, (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1990), pp. 152-154, adapted.