At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.  (verses 16 & 17)

What sort of responsibility would a soldier bear if he were negligent in his guard duties?  If he fell asleep and an enemy attacked, the guard would find himself paying the ultimate price for his negligence.

Ezekiel was a priest in the temple and a prophet of God. When King Jehoiakim surrendered the nation of Israel to the Babylonians, Ezekiel and thousands of his countrymen were taken in a mass deportation to the land of Babylon. The Book of Ezekiel begins as the Israelites are enroute to the land of their captors. God sent a vision to Ezekiel which completely astonished him. For seven days Ezekiel sat among his people in shock, much to the consternation of the people. Our text gives us God’s call upon Ezekiel. Ezekiel had a task, and God impressed upon Ezekiel the seriousness of the task to warn those who live in sin. You and I have the same task today. You must sound the warning of danger to a lost and dying world.

Your have a God-given task to warn others of sin. The last words Christ spoke on this earth were: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We are to give the Gospel to as many people as possible. The responsibility to warn others of sin falls squarely on your shoulders. You do not tell others of the dangers of living in sin simply because you think they are wrong. The warning is God’s message to sinners, and you are God’s chosen messenger. Lest you think that you can escape your responsibility, note how God indicates the commission to Ezekiel. God addresses Ezekiel by saying, ‘Son of man.’ In doing so, God relates Ezekiel to every man. You too are related to every man.

What are your thoughts on this verse?

Is your responsibility to spread the Gospel as serious as a guard watching his post?

How far does your responsibility go?

What can you do to tell others about Christ?