Have you ever worked somewhere that you felt unimportant? You scrubbed and cleaned. You counted and made records. You watched or patrolled an area. The truth is that some jobs are not very glamorous. And when we have that kind of job, we may get discouraged about our worth to the people we work for. But is any job really unimportant? The Bible tells us about a group of people who did one of these “unimportant” job, but they didn’t feel unimportant because they enjoyed serving the Lord. Who were they and what did they do?
- What does it say? (1 Chron. 9:17-27)
In Jerusalem, the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brothers. Shallum was their chief. They had previously been gatekeepers for the camps of the Levites at the King’s Gate on the east side. Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brothers, from his father’s house, the Korahites, were put in charge of serving as gatekeepers for the tabernacle. Their families had previously been keepers of the entrance to the camp of the Lord. Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been in charge of them in the past. The Lord was with him. Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was in charge of the door to the tabernacle of meeting.
There were 212 people chosen to be gatekeepers. A record of their genealogy was recorded in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had entrusted them with this responsibility. As a result, they and their children were in charge of the gates and tabernacle of the Lord according to their assignment. The gatekeepers were assigned to the east, west, north, and south. Their family members in their villages served for seven days at various times. This trusted office was overseen by four chief gatekeepers who were Levites. The people lived all around the house of God to fulfill their responsibility. They were in charge of opening it every morning. - What does it mean?
The tabernacle gates needed guards (1 Chron 9:17-18).
The tabernacle was originally surrounded by a large fence shaped like a rectangle. It was 75 feet wide, 150 feet long, and 7.5 feet tall (Ex. 27:18). Its entrance was 30 feet wide (Ex. 27:16). By the time of David, the area surrounding the tabernacle had four entrances, one for north, south, east, and west. We are not told why there were four entrances, but each entrance needed to be guarded. Why was that? There could be several reasons for this.
First, think about the materials used in the tabernacle. The sockets for the fence were made of silver and brass. The interior of the temple contained golden objects. Without people guarding the tabernacle, these items would be tempting to a thief. Second, think about the people of Israel. There were many times when the Israelites turned away from the Lord. At those times, they would not be thinking about God’s holiness and would be tempted to not treat the tabernacle with respect. The gatekeepers would keep these people out. Third, the tabernacle yard had limited space. Only a certain amount of people could enter at any one time. The gatekeepers would coordinate who could and could not enter the courtyard at any time.
The tabernacle gates needed reliable people (1 Chron 9:19-21).
We have already seen that gatekeepers were essential to guard the tabernacle. But we now see that these gatekeepers needed to be reliable guards. Shallum and the Korahites had been placed in charge of these duties. Their fathers had been in charge of this task before them. And their overseer was Phinehas the son of Eleazar. He is noted as someone whom the Lord was with. He was also the grandson of Aaron and the one had stopped a plague by killing the ones who brought immorality into the camp (Num. 25). The gatekeepers and their overseer were reliable people who had been trusted to guard the tabernacle entrances for generations.
The tabernacle gates needed numerous people (1 Chron. 9:22-27).
How many people were needed to guard the temple entrances? There were 212 gatekeepers. These people were assigned to the four entrances on the north, south, east, and west. That means that there were 53 people assigned to each entrance. But not all of them served at the same time. They lived in their own villages most of the time, but when they were needed, they served for a week before returning home. During their time of service, they lived all around the tabernacle and were in charge of opening the gates every morning.
How many people did it take to guard the tabernacle entrances? There were 212 gatekeepers who guarded the four entrances. Divide 212 by 4 and you get 53. This means that there was approximately 1 family who could guard the gate every week every year. There may have been more than one gatekeeper assigned each week. But at a minimum, there would be at least one man and his family in charge of an entrance each week during the year. Can you think of any high-profile person who served an allotted time in the temple? Yes, John the Baptist’s father was a priest who served a certain number of days in the temple (Luke 1:8-9,23).
The last thing we see here is that there were four chief gatekeepers who were put in charge of the chambers and treasuries of God. These four were entrusted with the offerings and money given to the Lord each day. They were trusted to watch over these things.
The tabernacle gates needed contented people (Psalm 84:10)
Psalm 84 was written by the sons of Korah. These were the people whom we have been reading about in 1 Chronicles 9. One of the most famous verses from this psalm is verse 10. The gatekeepers sang to the Lord saying that serving one day in God’s house was better than 1000 days elsewhere. Their service as door keepers was better to them than dwelling in the tents of wickedness. This shows that they were content in their service as gatekeepers.
Some might have pointed to the more high-profile positions in which others served. There was King David. Everyone would like to be king! There was the high priest. This was a noble office reserved for only one priest. He brought the blood into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer for the sins of the nation. What a privileged position! But the gatekeepers were content in their service for the Lord. They were happy to have their part in serving the Lord. To them, this seemingly menial task was much better than living in the tents of the wicked. Why was that? It was because they loved the Lord and took the opportunity to serve the Lord where He put them, just like their fathers had done before them. - How does it apply?
The Lord has a place for you to serve.
The Korahites were given a job which they fulfilled for many generations. It was not necessarily the flashy, high-profile job that others had. But it was where God had called them and their families to serve and they were content in that. What about you? Sometimes, the jobs we are given in the church seem to be menial. Who makes the coffee? Who counts the money? Who vacuums the carpet? While some of these jobs may seem unremarkable, they are all important. If nobody made the coffee and brought donuts, our church would seem a little less friendly. If nobody counted the offering money, we would never know what was given and what we had to invest in ministry. If nobody vacuumed the carpet, our church would look less inviting when visitors came.
The point is that there is always something for us to do for the Lord. And if you are willing to serve and are qualified for the job, you will be put to work. God has a way of bringing the right people into the church at the right time. But we are sometimes tempted to think that our work for the Lord is meaningless or that we are too important to stoop to menial tasks. Both attitudes are wrong. Get involved in serving the Lord. And if you are looking for something to do, talk to your pastor and he will let you know what the needs are.
The Lord notices what you are doing.
Hidden in the seemingly boring details of this chapter is a reminder that God notices what we are doing for Him. Notice that the names of the faithful servants are mentioned in verses 17, 19, 20, and 21. These men were faithful servants whose names were mentioned because of their willingness to serve the Lord. Notice also the mention of Phinehas the son of Eleazar in verse 20. He is mentioned as someone the Lord was with. All of this points us to the fact that God knows and appreciates what people do for Him.
Do you feel unnoticed? Do you feel like you have been serving without recognition for many years? While you may serve without anyone patting you on the back or saying thank you, this passage should show you who ultimately knows your faithfulness to Him. That is the Lord Himself. He knows what you are doing and “your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). Someday, He will reward us for our work for Him. And it will be worth all the hard work to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Conclusion
The gatekeepers of ancient Israel served in what seemed to be an unimportant role. They simply guarded who entered the tabernacle or temple courtyards. But this was an important role for them and as they served, they grew to love their job. What is it that the Lord has called you to do? While you may not feel particularly useful to the Lord or important, think back to how the gatekeepers responded. They were happy serving in the place that God put them. Let me encourage you to find contentment in whatever place the Lord has you. Your work for the Lord is important no matter how big or small it seems to others.
Bibliography
Merrill, Eugene H., “1 Chronicles” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1989.
“Who was Phinehas in the Bible?” as viewed at https://www.gotquestions.org/Phinehas-in-the-Bible.html on 3/29/2026.