Gospel Responsibility
Daily Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 33-35
Daily Focus Passage: Ezekiel 33
The prophet Ezekiel received the command to stand as the watchman over the people. The watchman was responsible for watching out for oncoming danger and alerting the people. The act of warning the people served as an opportunity for them to receive the message and take responsibility for responding appropriately to escape the coming onslaught. The Lord did not call Ezekiel to stand on the physical wall as a watchman; instead, the Lord called Ezekiel to be the spiritual watchman over the people. The responsibility received by Ezekiel continues to extend to the lives of believers today. Thus, we must hear the command to serve as the spiritual watchman and carry out the task.
THE TASK OF THE SPIRITUAL WATCHMAN
The task of the spiritual watchman centers around the calling of the Lord to declare the gospel's message and call people to repentance. The prophet Ezekiel received the calling to declare the coming wrath of God in the form of death if the people continued to live in their wickedness and rebellion against the Lord. The message of Ezekiel included not just a warning but a call to action. He commanded the people to hear the warning and respond in repentance.
Believers today must stand as the watchman and declare the warning cry. We must announce that sin causes separation from the Lord and demands God's wrath. The wrath of God occurs in the place called Hell and includes the eternal separation from the Lord and the eternal torment from the Lord. Likewise, we must consist of the truth that the activity of righteousness is never enough to appease the Lord and overcome our sin guilt.
We must seek to follow the warning cry with the call to repentance. As the spiritual watchman, we declare the coming wrath and give the people direction to avoid it. The call to repentance is to seek forgiveness from the Lord, turn from wickedness, and turn to living in the Lord. This turn occurs because we live in a new life. Thus, as the spiritual watchman, we warn and offer the only escape.
THE WARNING AGAINST NEGLECT
Both Ezekiel and the people faced a warning of what would occur if the message and calling were neglected. As Ezekiel declared the message, the people came to a crossroads. They needed to choose who they would serve and who they would follow. If the people heard the truth from the Lord and decided to ignore it, they would face God's coming wrath. When Ezekiel declared the fact and the people ignored it, Ezekiel was not held accountable for their punishment because he was faithful in declaring the message of repentance.
Ezekiel's declaration demonstrated a moment of faithfulness. The Lord warned the prophet that if he neglected to declare the message, the eternal blood of the people would rest on his hands. Thus, the declaration of the message relieved Ezekiel from the responsibility of the people's eternity. This truth continues to exist for believers today.
We must recognize that the calling to declare the gospel is not an add-on to our spiritual walk. Instead, believers must include this act of sharing in faithfulness. We must bring people to the eternal crossroads where they decide to follow or neglect the Lord. We are not responsible for their response, but we are responsible for their knowledge. At the same time, we must recognize that the failure to serve as the faithful spiritual watchman stains our hands with the blood of those we neglected to bring to the eternal crossroads through the message of the Lord.
When we consider the call on Ezekiel's life, we must commit to the task of living as the spiritual watchman. As a spiritual watchman, we must warn people about the coming wrath of God if they fail to repent and turn to the Lord. We must share the gospel and bring them to the spiritual crossroads. We must recognize that failure to obey this call causes us to live with the spiritual blood of those we fail to engage with the gospel on our hands.
