Watchman - Ezekiel 3

Ezekiel 3:17 "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me."

It is the same command in Jeremiah 6:17. "Also, I set watchmen over you, saying hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken."

It might be easy to be the watchman if everyone would just listen to you when you sounded the warning that danger was on the way. The thing is that they were warned and not necessarily that they heeded the warning.

v7 "But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted."

See John 15:20

Ezekiel is given a roll of a book so that when he eats it and takes it to heart, he will be able to speak the words of the Lord to the people of Israel.

v 3b "...and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness." See also Revelation 10:9

So the Lord told Ezekiel right off that Israel was hardhearted and that they would not listen but he was to, nevertheless, sound the warning so that he, himself, has at least obeyed the Lord.

v18 "When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." see Timothy 4:16

So this is the burden of the prophet Ezekiel, he is to sound the warning or those he should have warned will be his responsibility. It is an awesome burden.

The same held true if there was a righteous man and he turned toward wickedness and the Lord placed a warning in his path. If there was no warning there (the watchman) then:

v21 "Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul."

Here the Lord takes Ezekiel apart into the plain to talk with him. From there he starts his mission as one shut up in his house, neither moving nor speaking for many days.

v26 "But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear; for they are a rebellious house."