Are you listening?

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me” (Ezekiel 3:17). This biblical statement from God to Ezekiel, the priest, is as true today as it was when God said it. Ezekiel, who wrote the twenty-sixth book of the Old Testament, was a man of “stern integrity and strong purpose completely devoted to God. In chapter 3 of his prophecy, we see him as “God’s watchman.” Christians are God’s watchmen, or representatives, or ambassadors in a sin defiled world until the Lord Jesus returns. 

Our text says, Whenever you hear a word from my mouth.” God speaks to us through His Word—the holy Scriptures. And so, we must obey. “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). This requires obedience and commitment. The effectiveness of God’s Word is guaranteed. “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). God will always bless His word and in turn we honor Him when we are obedient.

God’s Word is our divine authority. The Lord Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). “We can confidently bring the truth of salvation to the world because we have Jesus’ divine authority to empower us and give us wisdom. Our job is to be obedient to His command and to be His faithful messengers—telling others about His saving grace through faith in Him. When we do this, the Lord Jesus will draw men and women to Himself” (The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, p. 1178). 

Many of us can well remember in years gone by that there was much more of a hunger and thirst for the good news of God’s saving grace. And lots of enthusiasm for the Church to be involved. Gospel crusades were held in many cities and towns and people responded. Fast forward to the 21st century, there seems to be a sort of “vacuum,” in the sense that perhaps enthusiasm has waned. Could it be that the Christian community has failed to be “a watchman . . . to give them warning” from the Lord? 

The watchman has two fundamental and sacred responsibilities in our context. First, a willingness to “hear a word from my mouth” and a willingness to “give them warning from me.” From time immemorial, God’s Word has never and will never change. And “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The problem is that we change for different reasons. One reason could be that we have not remained firm in our commitment to the Lord, His cause, and His Church. Hence, there needs to be an urgent revival before the Lord’s second advent.

Interestingly, the prophet Jeremiah reveals that God commissioned him to go down to the potter’s house and observe the potter at work. “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words. So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at the wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do” (Jeremiah 18:2-4). Jeremiah obeyed and discovered that God is able to take the “marred vessel” and remake it into a useful vessel. As Christians, we are marred vessels, but God will “rework” us into useful vessels. Here is a tremendous lesson for us. God is the potter, and we as clay in His hands. Therefore, we must be willing to allow God to “break us, melt us, mould us, fill us, and use us,” for His glory and grace. This aught to be our heartfelt prayer to the Almighty. It is most reassuring to know what the “Potter” is able to perform when we allow Him to reshape or refashion our lives for His will and purposes.