Shamar: Being a KEEPER of the Earth

Keep, guard: shamar, verb (Strong’s 8104)

Root: שָׁמַר

Sounds like: sha’mawr

Last week I did a sermon on Cain’s response to God after he killed his brother Abel. He said to YHWH, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Hebrew word for keeper is shamar. This week we’ll take a deeper dive into this word. Here’s where it first showed up:

Genesis 2:15

Then YHWH God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend keep/guard it [u-l-sham’rah וּלְשָׁמְרָֽהּ]. 

Humans were designed to be the earth’s keeper, its caretaker, its guardian. This is the essence of the word shamar… a guard, a keeper, a caretaker. Even though Adam and Eve couldn’t stay in the garden, their commission to be “shamars” didn’t change. In fact, it would become even more essential. In a world now corrupt with the desires of power, notoriety and wealth it was now more important than ever to highlight the need for looking after each other and guarding each other’s well-being. Without this human trait the world would spin even further out of control.

After Eve and Adam were expelled out of Eden, YHWH placed cherubim to “to guard [li-sh’mohr לִשְׁמֹ֕ר] the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24). There was a separation between humans and God-space and until the cosmic world was made right again, the way to Eden remained shut and guarded.

Immediately after this separation, in the very next chapter, we read the story of the earth’s first murder. Cain killed his brother and YHWH confronted him:

Genesis 4:9

Then YHWH said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper [ha-shomer הֲשֹׁמֵ֥ר]?”  

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is YES. Yes, Cain, you are your brother’s keeper. Humans were created to be keepers/guardians/caretakers of each other. It was our divine calling from the very beginning.

Guard Yourself!

Before we can be good guardians of each other, we must be good guardians of ourselves. This is a repeated theme, especially in the book of Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 11:16

Guard [hi-sham’ru הִשָּֽׁמְר֣וּ] yourselves so that your heart will not be deceived and you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. 

Deuteronomy 4:9, 15a, 16-18, 23-24, 40

“Only be careful for guard [hi-shamer הִשָּׁ֣מֶר] yourself and watch over your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons…

“So be very careful greatly guard yourselves [w-ni-sh’mar’tem m’ohd מְאֹ֖ד וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם]…  so that you do not act corruptly and make a carved image for yourselves in the form of any figure, a representation of male or female,  a representation of any animal that is on the earth, a representation of any winged bird that flies in the sky,  a representation of anything that crawls on the ground, or a representation of any fish that is in the water below the earth… 

“So be careful guard yourselves [hi-sham’ru הִשָּׁמְר֣וּ], that you do not forget the covenant of YHWH your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything against which YHWH  your God has commanded you.  For YHWH  your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God…

“So you shall keep [w-shamar’ta וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֞] His statutes and His commandments which I am giving you today, so that it may go well for you and for your children after you, and that you may live long on the land which YHWH your God is giving you for all time.”

Deuteronomy 8:11

“Beware Guard yourself [hi-shamer הִשָּׁ֣מֶר] that you do not forget YHWH your God by not keeping [sh’mohr שְׁמֹ֤ר] His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget YHWH your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  

Guarding  yourself means also looking after what you say and do:

Proverbs 21:23

One who guards [shomer שֹׁמֵ֣ר] his mouth and his tongue, guards [shomer שֹׁמֵ֖ר] his soul from troubles.

David held onto this commandment for himself:

Psalm 39:1

[David:] I said, “I will watch guard [ey-sh’m’rah אֶֽשְׁמְרָ֣ה] my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard [ey-sh’m’rah אֶשְׁמְרָ֥ה] my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present.”

David’s words remind us of the trial of Yeshua (Jesus). He remained silent, guarding His mouth in the present of wickedness.

Keepers of What?

There were three big keep requests that God required, and they were repeated throughout the Torah:

•   Keep My Covenant
•   Keep My Statutes
•   Keep the Sabbath & Feasts

Keep My Covenant

Genesis 17:9-10

God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep [ti-sh’mohr תִשְׁמֹ֑ר] My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep [ti-sh’m’ru תִּשְׁמְר֗וּ], between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.  

Keep My Statutes

Leviticus 18:4-5

You are to practice My judgments and keep [ti-sh’m’ru תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ] My statutes by walking in them. I am YHWH your God. Keep [u-sh’mar’tem וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֤ם] My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am YHWH. 

Keep My Sabbath

Deuteronomy 5:12-14a

“Keep [shamohr שָׁמ֣֛וֹר] the Sabbath day to treat it as holy, as YHWH your God commanded you. For six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of YHWH your God…”

Keep the Feasts

Exodus 23:14-17

“Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. You shall keep [ti-sh’mohr תִּשְׁמֹר֒] the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. And no one is to appear before Me empty-handed.

Also (you shall keep) the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labours from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labours from the field. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord YHWH.”

If we guard our Covenant with YHWH, keep God’s commandments, keep the Sabbath holy (set apart), and keep observing the feasts, then those actions are an invitation for YHWH to be our Guardian… an invitation He will always accept!

YHWH the Great Guardian

We are called to be guardians of each other and keepers of the things that keep us close to God, but it is YHWH who is the greatest guardian of all:

Proverbs 2:6-12a

For YHWH gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, watching the paths of justice, and He guards [yi-sh’mohr יִשְׁמֹֽר] over the way of His godly ones.

Then you will discern righteousness, justice, and integrity, and every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be delightful to your soul; Discretion will guard [ti-sh’mohr תִּשְׁמֹ֥ר] you, understanding will watch over you, to rescue you from the way of evil…

 

Psalm 146:5-10

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in YHWH his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and everything that is in them; who keeps [ha-shomer הַשֹּׁמֵ֖ר] faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.

YHWH frees the prisoners. YHWH opens the eyes of those who are blind; YHWH raises up those who are bowed down; YHWH loves the righteous.

YHWH watches over guards [shomer שֹׁ֘מֵ֤ר] the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked.

YHWH will reign forever, Your God, Zion, to all generations. Hallelu-Yah!

God is a faithful keeper of His oath to us…

Deuteronomy 7:8-12

“YHWH did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because YHWH loved you and kept [u-mi-sham’ru וּמִשָּׁמְר֤וּ] the oath which He swore to your forefathers, YHWH brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

“Know therefore that YHWH your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps [shomer שֹׁמֵ֧ר] His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep [u-l-shom’rey וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י] His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face.

“Therefore, you shall keep [w-shamar’ta וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֨] the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them. Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep [u-sh’mar’tem וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם] and do them, that YHWH your God will keep [w-shamar וְשָׁמַר֩] with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. 

With YHWH as our Guardian, we are blessed! Aaron’s prayer of blessing highlights this:

Numbers 6:24-26

May YHWH bless you and keep [wai-sh’m’reka וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ] you; may YHWH cause His face to shine on you and be gracious to you; may YHWH lift up His face to you and give you peace.’

David the Keeper/Guard

David was elevated as a Keeper of God’s commandments. When his father, Jesse, asked him to bring provisions to his brothers on the battlefield, he agreed:

1 Samuel 17:20

So David got up early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper [shomer שֹׁמֵ֔ר] and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the entrenchment encircling the camp while the army was going out in battle formation, shouting the war cry.  

David was a shepherd, but he left his flock with a substitute keeper to go help his brothers. He was his brothers’ keeper… caring for them and bringing them what they needed. This action placed him where he was needed: on the battlefield to face Goliath. This courageous act put into motion the great pivot in David’s young life… from being a sheep-keeper to becoming the chief guardian of the nation of Israel.

However, kingship didn’t come immediately for David. King Saul felt the pressure of a rival and fought against him. David, in a rather surprising move, turned to the Philistines for protection. He befriended Achish, the Philistine king of Gath, and offered his allegiance:

1 Samuel 28:1-2

Now in those days the Philistines gathered their forces for warfare against Israel. So Achish [king of Gath] said to David, “You must understand that you and your men are to go out to battle with me.”

David replied, “Then you will come to know what your servant can do.”

“Very well,” said Achish. “I will make you my bodyguard [shomer שֹׁמֵ֧ר] for life.”

Literally in Hebrew this last sentence reads “the keeper of my head for all the days.” Without full comprehension, Achish made a prophetic statement. David was a Life Guard and the ancestor of the Messiah, the true life-keeper for all time.

David, would eventually become king and, when not out in the battlefield, he wrote many psalms. The Davidic Psalms repeatedly used the word shamar:

Psalm 17:4-8

[David:] As for the works of mankind, by the word of Your lips I have kept [shamar’ti שָׁ֝מַ֗רְתִּי] from the ways of the violent. My steps have held to Your paths. My feet have not slipped. I have called upon You, for You will answer me, God;

Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech. Show Your wonderful faithfulness, Saviour of those who take refuge at Your right hand from those who rise up against them. Keep me [sham’reni שָׁ֭מְרֵנִי] as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings.

 

Psalm 25:20-22

[David:] Guard [sham’rah שָׁמְרָ֣ה] my soul and save me; do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. Let integrity and uprightness protect me, for I wait for You. Redeem Israel, God, from all his distress.

 

Psalm 31:5-7

[David:] Into Your hand I commit my spirit;  You have ransomed me, O YHWH, God of truth.  I hate those who regard guard [ha-shom’rim הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים] vain idols, but I trust in YHWH. I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul.

 

Psalm 34:19-22

[David:] The afflictions of the righteous are many, but YHWH rescues him from them all. He protects guards/keeps [shomer שֹׁמֵ֥ר]  all his bones, not one of them is broken. Evil will bring death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will suffer for their guilt. YHWH redeems the souls of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will suffer for their guilt.

Blessed are the Keepers

God sees and loves when His people live up to their potential as caretakers of the planet. When we focus our lives around being righteous caretakers (having right relationship with God, the people and the earth) then we are living with wisdom:

Proverbs 8:34-36

“Blessed is the person who listens to me [wisdom], watching daily at my gates, waiting guarding [li-sh’mohr לִ֝שְׁמֹ֗ר] at my doorposts. For one who finds me [wisdom] finds life and obtains favour from YHWH. But one who sins against Me injures himself. All those who hate me love death.”

Keeping wisdom brings blessing, and keeping truth (remaining faithful) brings peace:

Isaiah 26:1-4

On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security. Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, the one that remains faithful keeps [shomer שֹׁמֵ֥ר] truth. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in YHWH forever, for in Yah YHWH, we have an everlasting Rock.”

Wisdom, faith, peace… they are all rooted in us being keepers of God’s commandments and active representatives of God’s love:

Hosea 12:6

So as for you, return to your God, maintain keep [sh’mohr שְׁמֹ֔ר] kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually.

Let’s be the guardians of kindness and justice we were made to be! It’s simple. We ARE our each others’ keepers. We are the caretakers and guardians of all the earth and everyone and everything that lives in it. Keeping the Covenant (the relationship with have with God) and following His commandments (showing love and kindness, compassion and mercy, helping the needy and the vulnerable) is a reward and a blessing worth living for!

Are you your brothers’ or sisters’ keeper?… 100%, absolutely, yes you are! Don’t you forget it!

Next week: Sermon tbd