Ezekiel 33:1-11
The Watchman and His Message
1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman,
3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people,
4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.
6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’
7 “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.
8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
10 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?” ’
11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

The Lord is coming back again. He is not willing that any should perish, and is giving more time for sinners to repent. However, there will always be those who refuse to accept His love and salvation, and they will have to suffer for their own choices eventually.

Before the Lord comes, He will send out messengers to tell others, and warn them so that they will return unto Him, repent, and turn from their wicked ways!

The LORD sent this message to His watchman, "Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?"

But will the watchman or messenger take the message of God, and tell others faithfully?

Suppose an army is coming against another country. What will the watchman do? He is chosen by his own people, and he is called to watch and warn.

When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he must sound the alarm to warn the people. But if those who hear the alarm and refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. And if they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives, and even the lives of their own families and others.

But if the watchman sees the enemy coming, and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is very irresponsible, and will be guilty for his inaction. The people may die, but the watchman will be held responsible for their deaths.

A watchman has an important role to play. To watch and to warn!

Suppose there is a wolf in our midst or in the house of the Lord. If the watchman or pastor or shepherd knows about the matter, and does not warn the lambs about the wolf, many more of their lambs might be injured or died as a result.

The wolf may be a boss, a leader, a pastor, a father, a mother, a family member, a friend, a close acquaintance or a colleague. But if the wolf is a paedophile, a serial rapist, a serial murderer or a serial offender continually causing more evils, concealing his or her sins may mean more lambs or people will be harmed! There is a responsibility to be watchful, and to warn others about the matter!

Living today is not simple. There are many complex issues and problems we are facing daily! And we ourselves are very complex beings. Many of us live but our walk in life doesn’t match our talk.

There is a time to keep silent. And there is a time to speak out. There is a time to mind our own business, and not be a busybody. There is a time not to pry into the privacy of others, and respect their rights. But there is also a time to sound the alarm if the need arises. For example, if some neighbours are having quarrels over family issues, it may be wise to keep quiet, and bring their problems to the Lord in prayers. But if they are fighting brutally, and some lives are endangered, it is necessary to make a phone call and alert the police!

But many people choose passivity and inaction. They don't care, and thus they don't share! Worst, some people do the wrong actions by spreading fake news and information, and murmuring complaints and criticisms! In doing so, they have become not truthful, and very selfish! If they are not affected, they may turn a blind eye, or gossip casually about the matter! But if they are affected even very slightly, they will complain and criticize loudly!

2 Timothy 3:1-5
Perilous Times and Perilous Men
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Over time, through passivity and inaction, the hearts of many will be hardened, and they will grow indifferent to the things of the Lord, having no true interests for God and others! During perilous and difficult times, these people will become perilous! They will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and very ungrateful. They will be lawless, considering nothing to be sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving. They will slander others, and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. We are exhorted to stay away from such people!

A watchman must be active, and not aggressive. We just deliver, and tell the gospel message of God faithfully and graciously, and leave the decisions to the people. We cannot impose our worldviews, values, opinions and beliefs upon others! The result is in the hands of God!

We must also do whatever is right in the sight of the Lord. What will Jesus do? We need to live and act in a manner that would demonstrate and reveal the love of Jesus in our generation. Not being selfish or trying to impress others, we need to be humble, thinking also about the interests of others and not just our own!

Whatever comes our way, we must be actively living the new life we have in Christ! Loving and helping others by our genuine caring and sharing!

We cannot be passive, having no passion and compassion for others!

Written on 6 August 2021