The Watchman's Job Description

We continue our study in Ezekiel, the last time we met was Ezekiel 32. You can read more in my Ezekiel Studies here and here.

Today Ezekiel 33:1-9

 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, ³ and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, ⁴ then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. ⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.



Ezekiel is given a picture of a watchman and his duty.  He is to give this picture to the people of Israel.

Supposing a peoples know trouble is coming so they set up a guard.
The guard then does his job and gives warning.
The people have a choice: heed the warning or Do not heed the warning. 
If they heed it...YAY!!!
If they don't heed the warning...it's their own fault.

BUT if the watchman sees the danger and goes MEH.... it'll be fine...well SHAME ON HIM!!!   Whatever then happens is the watchman's fault.  
 
⁷ “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. ⁹ But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

God then makes it really clear that Ezekiel is the watchman.  God has not let Israel choose their watchman, he made the decision for them and Ezekiel is it.  So Ezekiel's job is clear.  Proclaim the warning!!!!   And if Ezekiel doesn't....then it's all on Ezekiel's head. (literally)

I sit here wondering....so what is the connect for me?
I haven't (as far as I know) been appointed a watchman for God to a group of people.  
Nor even for family...though hmmm... 

I don't know... am I a watchman in my family.?
I tend to think of that as hubby's job...but perhaps I have a role to play as well.   I am not always sure about this....
Is it my job to be guarding my son's heart and mind to the best of my ability, helping him to mature into the person that I can see him becoming?   A shared responsibility I think, but how are those roles defined?

 Oh...but I need prayer to do this, to figure it out better.. oh my.... I see my failures so often...I see his need as well and so often find myself wanting.   How does one figure it eh?

I don't know right now.. right now my mind is filled with a lad upset and tired about school ... and I'm feeling flummoxed about how to help or even if I can... And wondering how that fits into this idea of being a watchman doing his job.   

All a watchman is, is a watcher, one out to spot the danger and give warning.  That's it.
The watchman isn't responsible for the outcome. 
The watchman is merely responsible to say "DON"T GO THERE!  or BEWARE DANGER APPROACHES!!!!"   That's solely his job.  Nothing more. 

That is what I need to take and hear, that I can be a watchman, I don't have to worry about the end result as that is not my responsibility.  Mine is only to say "Ware...the danger".