Ezekiel Commanded to be a Watchman

"And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: '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. If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die," and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life.'" (Ezekiel 3:16-19) [Read Ezekiel 3:16-27]

Ezekiel moved south to Tel-abib in Babylon along the "River Chebar" (actually a man-made canal with water from the Euphrates River) where he had been assigned by God to go and deliver His message to Israelites in captivity there. But what did Ezekiel do? When he arrived, he lay day and slept for seven days. Was he exhausted completely, or did he just dread to get started on the work God had assigned him to do? Maybe he just didn't quite know how to do the job he had been assigned. But at least, he was in the right vicinity. Maybe when he saw the faces of his countrymen, in denial and in despair, he got cold feet. After all, God's commission to His servant oftentimes gets boggled down for multiple human reasons. For seven days Ezekiel rested-and hesitated. Then God said to him, "I have made you a watchman!" And with this new commission a warning that if he does not tell the wicked of their way their blood shall be required at Ezekiel's hand. Now the responsibility to tell and to warn, to deliver God's Word, takes on a high level of priority. Is Ezekiel really his brohter's keeper? Yes, he is! And so are we. The watchman's job is extremely important. He is the one who determines if the gate is secured and who can go in and out. Even when drowsiness is the tendency, the good wtchman will be awake and alert. God is the watcher over all, but to Ezekiel and us he gives the task of guarding, watching over and warning from downfall. Likewise, the watchman is alert at all times, and is noted for "theorel" (GK)-perception and understanding.

It is a privilege to be appointed a watchman by the Lord. But at the same time, it is a grave responsibility. IT carries the idea of extreme vigilance in the face of something impending. Ezekiel was to take the Lord's message to those in captivity, to warn them not to take on the ungodly principles of foreign worship, to be true to Yahweh. We likewise are to warn persons outside of Christ of their fate. We are also to be alert to the Lord's return. Listen to Jesus' words: "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming...Therefore you also be read, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him." (Matthew 24:42, 44)

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Saturday, October 2, 2010