The Watchman

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” Ezekiel 3:17-19

The responsibility of the watchman is to warn the people he is commissioned to protect of eminent danger so that they will have the opportunity to avoid or defend the threat. Warning systems are necessary. If the bridge is out, you want someone to put up a barricade to keep you from driving over the edge. If you were suffering with a life-threatening disease, you would want the doctor to tell you about it so you could seek the proper treatment. If a hurricane or a tsunami were headed your way, you would want someone to notify you so you could make preparations and find shelter. God told Ezekiel that he was responsible to warn the people of Israel of the destruction that He was going to send their way. If he warned them, and they failed to change their ways, it was not Ezekiel’s fault; but if he failed to warn them, the Lord would hold him responsible for what happened to them. In much the same way, we are responsible to share the gospel with the lost. We need to realize that they are depending on us to tell them that Jesus saves!