A Watchman

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.” Ezekiel 3:17 ESV 

 Ezekiel the prophet received his call as an exile in Babylon (Chapter1:1-3). The Lord appointed him to be a watchman to the people of Israel, warning them of pending judgment with the intent of leading them to repentance. 

The responsibility of a watchman in ancient Israel was to warn the inhabitants of the city of imminent danger by sounding an alarm. Watchmen were positioned on the city wall from a vantage point to observe an enemy advancing towards the city. In pending danger once he sounded the alarm to warn the people it was up to the people to take action to defend the city. Watchmen were responsible for the lives of the people in the city to give them warning. Once the alarm was sounded the responsibility would shift from the watchman to the people of the city. If the watchman failed to sound the alarm the blood of the people would be on his hands, but if he warned the people the blood was on their own hands. 

God used the example of a watchmen guarding the city to define Ezekiel’s role as a spiritual watchman. Ezekiel was appointed to warn the people about their sin and the coming judgment if they failed to repent. It’s important to understand that we too are called to be watchmen to our generation.

TODAY’S PRAYER

Lord, you have appointed watchmen to warn people of their sin and its consequences. Give us boldness and help us understand our role as watchmen and not remain silent or withhold sharing the Gospel. Give us boldness to share the Gospel with those don’t know you.  

God Bless,

Pastor Matt