Leviticus 8:33-36 MKJV You shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation seven days, until the days of your consecration are at an end. For He shall consecrate you seven days. 34 As He has done this day, Jehovah has commanded you to do, to make an atonement for you. 35 And you shall remain at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of Jehovah, so that you do not die. For so I am commanded. 36 And Aaron and his sons did all the things which Jehovah commanded by the hand of Moses.
“As He has done this day, Jehovah has commanded you to do, to make an atonement for you.” Jehovah has commanded that this rite was to be performed or repeated for seven days. The words imply the whole ceremony was to be repeated for seven days.
Exodus 29:36-37 MKJV And you shall offer every day a bull, a sin offering for atonement. And you shall cleanse the altar when you have made an atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to sanctify it. 37 You shall make an atonement for the altar seven days, and sanctify it. And it shall be a most holy altar. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy.
“This repetition of the act of consecration is to be regarded as intensifying the consecration itself; and the limitation of it to seven days is to be accounted for from the signification and holiness of the number seven as the sign of the completion of the works of God.” – Keil & Delitzsch Commentary of the Old Testament
It was probably meant that during the 7 days, they were not to leave the court of the Tabernacle to do any other normal, or routine, business. Basically only the calls of nature.
“charge” – mishmereth – H4931
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
Feminine of H4929; watch, that is, the act (custody) or (concretely) the sentry, the post; objectively preservation, or (concretely) safe; figuratively observance, that is, (abstractly) duty, or (objectively) a usage or party: – charge, keep, to be kept, office, ordinance, safeguard, ward, watch.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
1) guard, charge, function, obligation, service, watch
1a) guard, watch, house of detention or confinement
1b) keeping, preserving
1c) charge, injunction
1d) office, function (ceremonial)
Part of Speech: noun feminine
“Thus Christ’s apostles were appointed to wait for the promise of the Father, Acts 1:4. During this time appointed for their consecration, they were daily to repeat the same sacrifices which were offered the first day, Leviticus 8:34. This shows the imperfection of the legal sacrifices, which, because they could not take away sin, were often repeated (Hebrews 10:1-2), but were here repeated seven times (a number of perfection), because they typified that one offering, which perfected for ever those that were sanctified. The work lasted seven days; for it was a kind of creation: and this time was appointed in honour of the sabbath, which, probably, was the last day of the seven, for which they were to prepare during the six days. Thus the time of our life, like the six days, must be our preparation for the perfection of our consecration to God in the everlasting sabbath: they attended day and night (Leviticus 8:35), and so constant should we be in our meditation on God’s law, Psalm 1:2. They attended to keep the charge of the Lord: we have every one of us a charge to keep, an eternal God to glorify, an immortal soul to provide for, needful duty to be done, our generation to serve; and it must be our daily care to keep this charge, for it is the charge of the Lord our Master, who will shortly call us to an account about it, and it is at our utmost peril if we neglect it. Keep it that you die not; it is death, eternal death, to betray the trust we are charged with; by the consideration of this we must be kept in awe.” – Matthew Henry’s Commentary
What does “watch” entail? It reminds me of the time when Jesus took Peter, James and John into the Garden of Gethsemane and asked them to “Wait here and watch with Me”. These disciples are the ones who were with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.
Matthew 26:36-39 MKJV Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane. And He said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray there. 37 And He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Wait here and watch with Me. 39 And He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.
“watch” – gregoreuo – G1127
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
From G1453; to keep awake, that is, watch (literally or figuratively): – be vigilant, wake, (be) watch (-ful).
Jesus asks His closest companions to go with Him, to be with Him in the time of His greatest sorrow. As a source of encouragement, support, and to pray for Him. But, they cannot seem to stay awake. They fall asleep at times because Jesus has to do this alone. The job of taking on the sins of the world cannot really be shared with anyone else. He had to face this horror on His own. Someone must have been awake enough to have seen Jesus praying, coming back and forth to this little group of disciples, sweating drops of blood because it is recorded. But they evidently couldn’t stay awake, or attentive, or engaged with Him. They may have been willing but the body was weak. Little did they know that their own great trials were about to begin as well and they needed to be in prayer themselves to be strengthened. They were about to be tempted to deny and forsake the Lord.
“The word rendered ‘watch’ means, literally, to abstain from sleep; then to be vigilant, or to guard against danger. Here it seems to mean to sympathize with him, to unite with him in seeking divine support, and to prepare themselves for approaching dangers.” – Barnes Notes On The Bible
1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch! Stand fast in the faith! Be men! Be strong!
1 Peter 5:8 KJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
How do we stay alert, watchful, vigilant, focused?
Psalms 1:2 MKJV But his delight is only in the Law of Jehovah; and in His Law he meditates day and night.
1 Peter 4:7 KJV But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
Colossians 4:2 ESV Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-10 MKJV But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief. 5 You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day. We are not of the night, or of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us watch and be calm. 7 For those sleeping sleep in the night, and those being drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be calm, having put on the breastplate of faith and love and the hope of salvation for a helmet. 9 For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we watch or sleep we should live together with Him.
Romans 16:17 And I exhort you, brothers, to watch those making divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them.
Matthew 24:42-47 MKJV Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes. 43 But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for in that hour you think not, the Son of Man comes. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over His household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his Lord shall find him doing so when He comes. 47 Truly I say to you that He shall make him ruler over all His goods.
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