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Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Yesterday, Mr. Ezekiel challenged us to consider our vital life roles in our families and society as ‘watchmen’. It was God’s calling & commission to Ezekiel. (Ez. 3:16,17) For Ezekiel no further explanation was needed. He understood and greatly respected the role of a ‘watchman’ in his world, at his time in history.
But as God often does, God clarified His “watchman’ assignment with further details for Ezekiel, so let’s listen as we seek to discern God’s word for us today.
Ezekiel recorded what he heard from God this way: “The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so, hear the word I speak and give them warning from ME! When I say to a wicked person, ‘you will surely die’; and you the watchman do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold YOU accountable for their blood! But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.“ (Ez. 3:16-19) Now what do you think Ezekiel understood God was explaining to him about his vital role as a ‘watchman’ for the people of Israel?
‘Watchmen’ were not warriors or commanders of warriors in Ezekiel’s world. Watchmen were ‘heralds’, proclaimers of the warning. Like the strong beam of the lighthouse piercing through the night darkness warning nearby ships of dangerous rocks or reefs below the water surface; like loving parents and grandparents warning their children of ensnaring dangers in society; like air traffic controllers warning pilots of dangerous wind currents or other nearby aircraft; watchmen understood their vital role was to WARN the people of impending danger. The watchmen were NOT responsible for the response of the people.
People depended on the watchmen to confidently and convincingly proclaim their warning, even if the people seemed uninterested! Everyone knew lives hung in the balance. The worst thing a watchman could do was see danger but keep silent. The worst thing people could do was hear the warning of the watchman but ignore or reject the warning! Pause… it should not be difficult for you and me to make the application to our lives in both situations. Have we ignored warnings when warnings have been proclaimed to us? Or have we refused to warn others of the danger we know is serious? In both cases, what is our responsibility, our liability, our complicity in the results?
The world in which you and I both live has complicated and in many cases diluted the role of the ‘watchman’, do you agree? Consider with me these three major factors opposing a good watchman in our day, no matter where you live in the world:
1. No ultimate standard of RIGHT and WRONG.
In the absence of clear morality or ethics, ‘danger’ is a relative term. The effective watchman warns according to a clear standard for that which is wrong and dangerous. But when evil or wickedness is acceptable in society or embraced or even celebrated, then the watchman’s warning cry is foolishness for that which the watchman deems to be dangerous is actually welcomed by that dysfunctional society! Pause… do you see evidence of that in your society?
2. No ultimate standard of TRUTH or FALSE.
If truth is subjective and based upon opinion or desire or what is easy rather than an unchanging, unwavering standard of truth, the watchman’s cry of warning is viewed with skepticism and easily ignored or rejected if those hearing the warning don’t like or believe the warning, because without truth there is no trust, no reliability, no assurance of reality. Is truth inconsistent or unreliable or unpredictable or even subjective opinion in your world?
3. No Sovereign Authority overall.
In the absence of sovereign authority there is anarchy, and social collapse. Without sovereign authority responsibility is arbitrary and accountability is insignificant.
Watchmen in Ezekiel’s day clearly understood their role in society. The people depending on their effectiveness as watchmen, and those who placed them in their roles, and even their families held them to the highest standard of effectiveness, integrity, legitimacy, reliability as watchmen. Failure in their role would likely cost the lives of those who depended upon them. Watchman failure shamed the watchman, their family, their friends and any who knew them because their role was so highly respected and vital to society. Watchman failure would be met with very strong consequences, perhaps even execution by the authority who had entrusted them with this vital role.
Now my friends, it should not be difficult for us to apply Ezekiel’s commissioning by God, as a watchman for the people of Israel, to our day and our situation, no matter where you live in the world, no matter your age or gender or marital status or education.
1. What is the ultimate standard of Right & Wrong which enables you to detect danger to your life and those God has entrusted to you as a ‘watchman’?
God says that because God is the Creator HE is the only One who defines what is ultimately right and wrong for the human race created in His image!
2. What is the ultimate standard of TRUTH and FALSE which enables you to detect danger to your life and those God has entrusted to you as a ‘watchman’?
God says as Creator He is the only One who defines what is true and false for that which HE has created.
3. What or WHO is the Sovereign Authority over all things, at all times, in all places?
God says ONLY HE, the Creator, is the Sovereign Authority over all He has created!
And what do you and I, and our world say about that? For Ezekiel these three statements were the framework of the messages God entrusted to Ezekiel to proclaim to all Israel. What about you and me, your family and mine, your city and mine, your nation and mine? What is God holding you and me responsible for as ‘watchmen’ in 2025??
And here’s another great song to help us think about that, and I’ll meet you right back here tomorrow, for there is so much more Ezekiel wants us to understand.
Today’s Scripture: Ezekiel 3:16-21.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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