In the Garden of Eden, God placed the man to tend and keep the ground. The word tend conveys service and labor, while keep translates as shamar, meaning to guard and protect. This duty included guarding against deceptive influence and the commission of sin. After the entrance of sin drove the man and woman from the garden, cherubim were stationed with a flaming sword at the east entrance to guard the way to the tree of life, again using the term shamar to protect the presence of God. The same responsibility appears in the Tabernacle and Temple, where Levite gatekeepers were appointed to open and close the doors, receive tithes and gifts, oversee vessels and furnishings, prepare showbread and spices, and stand guard day and night to prevent any unclean person from entering. Their role was one of profound trust, ordained by God, and carried atoning value when performed with zeal, as modeled by Phinehas. This guarding extends to personal conduct. Believers are instructed to keep their hearts with all diligence because the issues of life flow from them, and to set a guard over the mouth and lips. God Himself is repeatedly described as the one who keeps, guards, watches over, and preserves His people, using shamar six times in a single psalm to assure protection of soul, going out, and coming in. In the New Testament the body becomes the temple of God indwelt by His Spirit, making each believer a spiritual gatekeeper responsible to discern and shut out what originates with Satan. Jesus Christ alone is the perfect door and gatekeeper who opens to His sheep and excludes all that defiles. The sons of Korah illustrate the transformation possible when one rejects pride and self-exaltation, choosing instead the humble station of doorkeeper at the threshold of God's house. Their example shows that any position assigned by God is honorable when it keeps the heart near Him and guards the holiness of His presence.