Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman
Ezekiel 33
“The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves” (Ezekiel 33:1-5).
In this chapter, there is a transition between God’s judgments and Israel’s future restoration. Judgment had been pronounced and rendered on Judah because of their rebellion and was declared upon the heathen nations. Now, the Lord provided directions in the upcoming chapters for the nations to repent and turn to Him where they would receive relief and salvation. Furthermore, the Lord details a new prophecy to Ezekiel regarding his role as a watchman and the response of His people. For a while, God had turned Ezekiel’s focus towards prophesying words of warning to the heathen nations. However, the Lord was redirecting him to give a new message to His people as they were about to receive the awful news concerning Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians.
The Lord repeated a similar message of what He had told Ezekiel in chapter 3 concerning his call to be a watchman. Once again, the Lord makes it known that He is the One who brings the sword against a land, which is what He did with Israel and the Assyrians and with Judah and the Babylonians. The heathen nations were God’s sword against His people because of their rebellion against Him. Therefore, God had chosen Ezekiel to be the nations’ watchman on the wall to warn them of the judgments they would be facing. The Lord had used the analogy regarding the people selecting men from among them to be their watchmen. This was a common practice for nations to choose capable men to watch the walls of the city to warn of potential threats from their enemies. The watchman was expected to blow their trumpet to warn the people should he see the enemy approaching. Any delay could put the entire city at risk of being breached.
Similarly, the Lord has chosen watchmen today to sound the alarm regarding the times in which we now live. The watchman’s role is not easy, but all who accept the call must be diligent in doing what the Lord requires because lives both spiritually and physically are at stake. The Bible says: “Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors” (Proverbs 8:34). There is no time for the watchmen to be sleep and timid regarding their duties. It is of great essence that this role be taken seriously and executed with due diligence.
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood” (Ezekiel 33:6).
In London, historians have detailed the need for watchmen across England during the thirteenth century. They were plagued with various types of danger, especially when the city grew dark. Burglaries, vandalism, threats of violence, and other immoral behavior became prevalent after dusk. People feared even being in their own homes due to not knowing if someone would break in on them at any given time. This required city officials to hire watchmen who would patrol and safeguard the citizens of their community by making necessary arrests, enforcing city curfews, and deterring suspected criminal behavior. However, as society changed, thus getting more business and people in the city, so did the role of the watchman. More watchmen were needed who could keep up with the demands for the security of the city in an evolving society.
Job of the watchman is:
a.) Watch and be alert (The watchman should have your six.)
The Bible says: “I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7). Got your six is a popular police and military terminology used to let someone know that they have their back. It originated from airline pilots who used themselves as the center of a clock when detailing directions with 12 o’clock being in their front and 6 o’clock being behind them. Therefore, having someone’s six also meant that they had all sides covered. The watchman’s job in the spiritual sense is to guard the people God has given them to over see so they may help cover God’s people from all sides. The enemy comes to attack from all corners. Therefore the watchman must be prepared to handle various situations that the enemy may raise attacks.
b.) Must be able to recognize threats and potential threats.
The Bible says: “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Unlike what takes in today’s time where people are hired based on everything but good qualifications, the Lord expects watchmen to perform their duties in accordance with the qualifications He has given them. They must be able to recognize potential threats that can harm the body of Christ. Therefore, to do so, they must study the Word, pray, and allow the Lord to give them spiritual discernment to recognize false teachers, doctrines, and agents of Satan who wish to divide the body of Christ.
c.) Blow the trumpet, ring the bell, and awaken the people.
The Bible says: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1). The watchman’s job is to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm of impending danger. The devil is deceptive and has all sorts of tactics coming against the body of Christ. However, the watchman is to alert the body of Christ as to the enemy’s deception so they can prepare, defend, and guard against his attacks.
d.) Listen for instructions.
The Bible says: “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds” (Jeremiah 23:21-22). It is important for the watchman to only speak as given utterance from the Lord and His word. To do so, they must listen for instruction and only proclaim what thus saith the Lord. They must sit in the presence of God to receive instructions, read His word daily, pray, fast, and move accordingly as the Spirit leads. A watchman without prayer is like a car without gas—it is going nowhere.
e.) Speak God’s Word.
The Bible says: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The watchman’s job includes speaking the Word of God. This is a part of sounding the alarm for all who will listen. The Word of God cuts in all directions for the one who reads, teaches, delivers, and receives it. It is important for the watchman to be like the Bereans in studying the Word of God and allowing the Lord to speak to him/her personally. Without God’s Word, how can one be a watcher of anything?
f.) Pray for discernment.
The Bible says: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:9). After becoming king, Solomon asked the Lord for help in being able to govern His people. He knew that it was a mighty task that had been given to him, so he asked the Lord for wisdom to lead and discernment to distinguish that which was good from evil. The Lord answered his prayer and gave him more than he asked for. Discernment is needed for any watchman to know how to detect danger. We are living in deceptive times where truth and error are being intertwined. Therefore, the Lord needs His watchmen to have discerning eyes for the things of God.
g.) Reliability and courage to do what God has commanded.
The Bible says: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). Being a watchman is not for the faint at heart. It takes courage, determination, and faithfulness in the Lord to do what He has tasked the watchman with. Nevertheless, whether a person has a gift of a pastor, teacher, preacher, or other role within the 5-fold ministry, a watchman, which includes these giftings, has the task to do it boldly in love, for the souls of many are reliant upon the watchman performing their tasks efficiently in accordance with the Holy Spirit’s leading.
h.) Must not be lazy and fall asleep on the job.
The Bible says: “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied” (Proverbs 13:4). This is not the time for watchmen to be asleep at the wall. There are dangers all around, and it is important for the watchman to stay on guard to protect God’s people from dangerous prey who would try to steal their souls.
To be continued in print...TBA
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