Vision of the High Priest

Every night Willy Annen of Lausanne, Switzerland, calls out the hours from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Annen, whose job may be unique in Europe today, is the city watchman. From the windswept belfry of the city’s ancient cathedral, he will cry out: “This is the watchman; i … More

Watchman

Ezekiel found that the Word of God was not only very good for him but something he had a strong desire to read and meditate on (vv. 1-3). If we digest God’s Word we will find that it not only makes us stronger in our faith but in wisdom and makes us a sweeter person. Belief in God is not a crutch for those who want to stand on their own but He makes His followers strong enough to stand against anything or anyone, including those who hate what is right (vv. 8-9). Ezekiel needed to take God’s words to heart before preaching them to other people. God’s message needs to sink deep into our heart and show in our actions before we can effectively help others and apply the Gospel (vv. 10-11).

Ezekiel’s job was that of a watchman standing on the wall warning the people of the judgement to come. Just as a watchman, standing on a wall, was to warn people of approaching physical danger he was to warn the people of spiritual dangers (vv. 17-21). In those days if a watchman failed to warn the people of approaching enemies he would have been held accountable with his life. God would hold Ezekiel responsible for his fellow Jews if he failed to warn them of the consequences of their sins. However, once he told them this responsibility was then on the people and their blood was no longer on his hands. All people are individually responsible to God, but believers have a special responsibility to warn unbelievers of the consequences of rejecting God. This truth is repeated again in Ezekiel 33:8-9, so God saw it very important and therefore had Ezekiel emphasize it twice.

Application

God has told me to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This is not a suggestion but a command. This is my responsibility and if I don’t warn people about what will happen if they don’t trust Christ as their saviour God will hold me accountable. However, once I tell them it will be their responsibility as to what they do with this truth.

Ezekiel 3:1-27 (English Standard Version)


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