The Call of a Watchman

Introduction

The Prophet

Limited information is known about Ezekiel other than he was a priest who was captured and exiled prior to the destruction of the temple. He is a contemporary of Daniel. He had a wife, and he was forbidden to mourn her death (Ezekiel 24:16 “16 “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down.” This prophet, as with many others, was required to live through that which Israel put God through so as to be an example to the people.

The People

The nation of Israel were a stiff-necked people. They were disobedient and careless in regard to the Law and the Covenant relationship.

The Problem

Disobedience and abandonment of the covenant relationship through idolatry.

The Purpose

The watchman would serve to direct the people of God back to covenant relationship with Him.

One aspect of the prophetic writings that many of a western mindset do not appreciate appropriately is the recursive approach the prophets utilize where they will come at a topic from one angle, complete the thought, and then approach the same idea from another angle. The western mind has been trained to think linearly, but the ancient near eastern mind was not so. We see this style to some extent in this passage today.

I have broken the passage into two sections where we will look at the call of the prophet and his responsibility followed by the conditions of the call.

The Calling (vv. 16-21)

The Call of God (vv. 16-17)

Ezekiel 3:16–17 ESV

16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “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.

What is a watchman?

2 Sam 18:24-25 “24 Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer.”

2 Kings 9:17 “17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came and said, “I see a company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’ ””

In a Christian setting, we can see this idea of a watchman in Hebrews 13:17:

“17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Watchmen were chosen or appointed from those who possessed especially keen eyes, for the safety of the city over which they watched depended on their warning.

In verse 17, God says that He has “made” Ezekiel to be the watchman of Israel, but we need to understand the meaning behind this word is getting at the causation of the appointment.

In the case of Ezekiel, God is the one who is cause for warning because Israel’s disobedience is what will bring about the calamities of God, and God will give utterance to Ezekiel when it is appropriate.

In other words, Ezekiel must wait, watch, and warn.

The Call to the Wicked (vv. 18-19)

Ezekiel 3:18–19 ESV

18 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 person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

How are the wicked to know that what they are doing is, in fact, wicked?

The watchman must call to them in warning.

Romans 10:14-15 “14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””

The watchman is responsible for the knowledge he possesses, especially if that knowledge will give opportunity for others to be ready for imminent danger. If the watchman withholds saving knowledge, then the blood of those whom he could have saved is on his hands, and he has sinned not only against those who are now lost but against God who called him to that ministry.

The Call to the Righteous (vv. 20-21)

Ezekiel 3:20–21 ESV

20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

Why would a watchman need to call to the righteous as well as the wicked?

Watchman warn indiscriminately. Regardless of moral status, socio-economic status, or any other status one might concoct, the watchman is charged and called to sound the alarm and call for the response of those within earshot.

This call includes the righteous.

Righteous people are just as prone to wandering from the presence of the LORD just as much as the unrighteous readily run from it and actively avoid it. This is especially the case when their focus shifts away.

Righteous people, like the unrighteous, have minds that think. All sin starts as a thought, though the thought itself may not be a sin. The thought, if dwelled upon at length without rebuke will lead to sin. The rebuke must come from the watchman whom God has charged to look for danger in both the lives of the righteous and the unrighteous.

The Conditions (vv. 22-27)

Of the Call (vv. 22-23)

Ezekiel 3:22–23 ESV

22 And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face.

Ezekiel is not called once or twice, but he is called continuously by God to do His will. Starting in chapter 2 and continuing through chapter 3, we see this continuous call.

Ezekiel recognizes who calls him and responds appropriately (i.e., falling on his face).

Of the Charge (vv. 24-26)

Ezekiel 3:24–26 ESV

24 But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel was charged by God to be the watchman for the house of Israel, and He told him that Israel would refuse to listen. Further, He told Ezekiel that he would be isolated, bound, and mute, unable to rebuke, reprove, or correct any of the sinful acts or thoughts of Israel.

Note, though, in verse 24 how the Spirit of God set him on his feet. This picture is seen numerous times during the calling process from chapter 2 through 3.

Of the Commission (v. 27)

Ezekiel 3:27 ESV

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

Any rational person in and around the city would never ignore the cry or trumpet of a secular watchman and yet God says they would refuse to hearken to a spiritual watchman.

Revelation 22:11 “11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.””

Conclusion

Spurgeon comments that:

"one of the devices of Satan" is that "he seeks to lull God's prophets into slumber, for he knows that dumb dogs that are given to sleep will never do any very great injury to his cause. The wakeful watchman he always fears, for then he cannot take the city by surprise; but if he can cast God's watchman into slumber, then he is well content, and thinketh it almost as well to have a Christian asleep as to have him dead: he would certainly sooner see him in hell, but next to that, he is most glad to see him rocked in the cradle of presumption, fast asleep."

Awake, O Sleeper, in the Valley of Bones,

Born dead in sin, wandering alone.

Awake, O Sleeper, you go your own way,

Thinking pleasure is freedom but covered in chains.

Awake, O Sleeper, from dust your were made,

This life is a vapor and it quickly fades.

Awake, O Sleeper, you try to live right,

But darkness prevails, overcomes all your might.

Awake, O Sleeper, before all is lost,

Trust not in yourself but blood on a cross.

Awake, O Sleeper, and turn to the one

whose love—so amazing—surrendered His Son.

Awake, O Sleeper, in the Valley of Bones,

Rescued from sin, no longer alone.

Church, we are the watchmen of this age, so be awakened and proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ to the world so they might be free from sin and you will not be responsible for their ruin.