16At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:
17"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
18When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
- P112
21But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself." - P112
22The hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you."
23So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.
- P113
24Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your house.
25And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.
26I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.
- P113
27But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.
- P113
God makes Ezekiel a watchman for the people of Israel. He must warn thewicked and the righteous. If he fails to warn a wicked person, the Lord will holdhim accountable for their blood, but if he warns them, he saves himself - P113
. TheLord will make Ezekiel mute except when given a message. When the Lordspeaks, He will open Ezekiel‘s mouth to proclaim His word. - P113
God makes Ezekiel a watchman for His people. A watchman’s role, in the traditional military sense, is to protect soldiers and civilians by keeping watch from a tower and blowing the trumpet when danger is approaching. - P114
Likewise, as a spiritual watchman, Ezekiel is to personally warn people whose souls are in danger due to disobedience and rebellion. - P114
Believers today should be willing to do the same for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. If we truly care about their well-being, then we should warn them when they are straying away from God’s commands. We should also be grateful when we receive warnings from others, taking them to heart instead of being defensive, because even those who are righteous are in need of such warnings. - P114
Believers today should be willing to do the same for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. If we truly care about their well-being, then we should warn them when they are straying away from God’s commands. - P114
We should also be grateful when we receive warnings from others, taking them to heart instead of being defensive, because even those who are righteous are in need of such warnings. - P114
Heavenly Father, I confess that I am sometimes stubborn and rebellious, wandering and making excuses instead of following You. - P115
Soften my heart so that I may obey Your commands and faithfully watch over my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. In Your Son’s name I pray, amen. - P115
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