Today's text is Ezekiel 33:1-9.
1And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, 3and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, 4then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. 5‘He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life. 6‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’
7“Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. 8“When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will 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 from your hand. 9“But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.
The passage begins: "Speak to your countrymen (the sons of your people)..." This is a political message, as well as a theological one. This blog post of mine today is not only to my usual readership, but also to the broader pool of my fellow Americans.
The central theme of the passage is 'approaching war, judgment and tremendous devastation'. The prophet, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speaks of a "watchman", who warns the people of what's on the horizon. Predictably, people will have one of two responses: either they will listen to the watchman or they will not. There is also a warning to those designated as watchmen: they are to speak what they know to be true. They are to warn the people (33:6).
Today, we have many such men and women serving in this role, being obedient to this call. They are often reviled and belittled for the unpopularity of their messages. The question is: are we listening to what they have to say?
One such watchman is Joel C. Rosenberg. I have long been a fan. Many words come to mind to describe him. He is a Christian of Jewish descent, a New York Times best-selling author, a specialist in Israeli affairs, a husband, father, blogger...a watchman.
For our further meditation today on Ezekiel 33, I'd like to ask you to go read his blog post entitled, "Three Existential Threats Facing America". You can find it at this address:
https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/
If you believe what this watchman says, as I hope you do, what should be your response? Share this message with others. Be bold to share the gospel with others. And, then, hit your knees. Begin to pray even more diligently for souls to be saved, for America to be saved as a nation. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. God is in control of 'kings', and He is able to 'turn their hearts' (Proverbs 21:1). Pray for your elected representatives, and warn them too.
Do you believe that we are entering into "the last days", as described in many prophetic Bible passages? Do you believe that Jesus' return to earth is near? All the signs indicate that He could return at any moment. Be ready. Be faithful. The time is short.
Dear Lord, thank you for faithful watchmen and watchwomen, modern day prophets/prophetesses who boldly proclaim the words You put in their mouths, without fear of what man may do to them. May your children keep their eyes on the eternal, making it their focus to pray, study and share the gospel with every person you place in their spheres of influence. My personal prayer is that, as a member of Your Bride, I may be found "ready" when the trumpet of God sounds. In Jesus' name, amen.
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