The Watchman Waketh but in Vain

Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

Ezekiel 33:1-6 

Watchmen are appointed to protect and govern citizens. Pastors and elders are appointed to protect and govern citizens of the city of God. The apostle Paul considered himself free from the blood of all men because he gave the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26, 27). When considering the aforementioned passage in Ezekiel we no doubt must take serious the warning that the watchmen who will not warn the people will be guilty before God in their abdication. For Paul, in the following verses in Acts 20, warns those in authority to watch out as wolves will come in and not spare the flock. These enemies will come from without and from within to draw disciples to themselves speaking perverse things to lead people away from the faith. 

His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

Isaiah 56:10 

I am not a watchman. I am not an ordained minister nor must I give an account for any flock under my care. I don’t have a trumpet, so to speak, to sound as an authority to the church to warn of all the enemies without and within. But I do have a sword and I do have a shield and I know how to make some noise. For years now I and many like myself have been warning against the various enemies within and without the church. These enemies have not held back. Much of this is due to pastors and elders not sounding the trumpet. So here we are on the cusp of yet another surge in evil forces rising up to lead many more astray. In response we are making more noise as lesser magistrates to warn you. Even so, we have pastors who also speak. Take heed to the warnings, test them with the word, and know that we will not slumber. We will fight for our wives, our sons and daughters, our friends, their sons and daughters, yes even our foes. We seek to cast down arguments and silence the foolish ignorance of men for we know and do believe Christ to be King and that all his enemies will be a footstool for his feet. 

So we call upon pastors and elders to speak up and be willing to take the first hits as those who will give account over the flock, we support you. We call upon men to be men and women to be women, restoring biblical roles for husbands to provide and wives to be homemakers. We call for parents to remove their children from pagan institutions of discipleship and instead train them in the faith. We call for children to be obedient to their parents in good faith. We call for church discipline to be reinstated and for worship in the church to be designed not for the unbeliever but according to the word of God and for his Son. We call for governing authorities to obey the law of God as those who are to execute his wrath and not man’s wrath. We call upon all who are weary to be strengthened and the strong to put his strength to use for good. Let us not be those who sink back but those who storm the gates of Hell and conquer. Our king has promised to be with us so whether we live or die let us do it in obedience to our Lord. He has purchased our very lives we did not perch him on the throne of our hearts. So take heart brothers, take heart sisters. We have much work to do. 

Grace, peace, and mercy to you and your household.

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Psalm 127:1