Ezekiel 33:7-9

I have set thee a watchman.

The true watchman

I. The true watchman’s vision of his own work. He sees--

1. It entails great responsibility on himself. Failure of duty here is nothing less than “blood guiltiness.”

2. It involves the greatest results to his hearers.

3. It utters the emotions of God.

4. It proclaims both the hope and the method of men’s improvement. The hope is in God; the method is from God. The hope is in His call and promise of love; the method is in penitence, “pine” for sins; return; pardon, “none of his sins shall be mentioned”; rectitude, “doing righteousness.”

II. The true watchman’s vision of the conduct of others. He is emphatically the seer. For he not only has to gaze steadily, reverently, intelligently at the truth of God he has to reveal to men, he has to look bravely, fixedly, tenderly at the condition and character of men. The old English watchman, to whom the care of our streets by night was formerly entrusted, often uttered in his hourly cry of “All right” what was indeed a sorrowful satire. For under the pall of night what concealed felons, what secret assassins, were plotting their cruelty and wrong! No such misleading watchman must be ours. In his vision of the conduct of others the true watchman sees--

1. The gross sins of many of them.

2. The hypocrisy of many more. The cloak of the hypocrite’s profession, the words of flattery that trifle with himself, fail to mislead the true preacher. (Urijah R. Thomas.)

Sermon to ministers

We are called to be messengers, watchmen, stewards of the Lord.

I. The Divine appointment. A faithful minister is a watchman appointed of God Himself. The vows of the Lord are upon us. How have we fulfilled them? What efforts have we made, with a single eye, to serve God for the promoting of His glory and the edifying of His people?

II. The solemn duties.

1. The first part of a watchman’s duty is to watch for himself and over himself. The sentinel at his post is ever exposed to the watchful eye of the enemy; and so the Lord’s watchman is, more than others, always exposed to the ever-watchful eye of Satan. He stands forth as a mark against which the fiery darts of the wicked one are ever being hurled.

2. The watchman has to watch over and for the souls committed to his charge. We are assailed with the changeable winds of doctrine in all their force; we have the same blight of formality resting on the outward church; the same seeds of error and discord sown now as in the days of old. Against all these we must watch as we love the souls of our flock; yea, we must lift up our voice, and spare not, warning them against all the evils of sin, Satan, and the world.

I shall conclude with a word of exhortation and a word of warning.

1. As to the warning; that we be not unfaithful.

2. But if the warning voice of Scripture speaks loudly to the unfaithful watchman, not less loudly and powerfully do the promises of the Scriptures speak, to exhort and encourage the faithful. True, our responsibility is very deep, our difficulties very great; but let us remember, we stand not alone; if truly called of God and man, we may take to ourselves the promise, “Lo, I am with you.” (Evangelical Preacher.)

God’s ministers the watchmen of Israel

I. The reason and propriety of this representation. The Christian Church may be considered as a large and extensive country, bordering upon the world, a country yet more large and extensive. The spiritual watchman is to view what passes in both, and to give his own countrymen, the true Israelites, information and warning (Isaiah 21:5; Habakkuk 2:1). Or, the Church of Christ is a city (Psalms 87:1; Isaiah 60:1; Isaiah 62:1; Hebrews 12:22; Philippians 3:20 --Gr.) under one Chief Magistrate, Christ; who has appointed the laws, customs, and language thereof. This city should be at unity with itself within, and surrounded, as by walls and bulwarks, with salvation by the Lord, and by the faith, prayers, and watchfulness of the citizens. And on these walls, elevated by their knowledge, God having shined into their hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6), and by their Divine appointment, and secured by the Divine protection (Revelation 2:1), the ministers of the Gospel are placed as “watchmen.” This country of Christianity is liable to be invaded from without, and this city of the Church of God to be attacked by the world and its prince. It may be invaded and attacked in its doctrines, by error; in its duties, by sin; in its privileges, by unbelief, despondency, formality, lukewarmness, and sloth. The watchman gives notice and warning. This country or city is liable also to commotions and disorders from within. As to individuals, from the flesh and its lusts. They may become luxurious, wanton, covetous, ambitious, proud, self-willed, discontented, impatient, etc. Or, as to the whole community, by surmises, jealousies, envyings, enmities, evil-speakings, which things would destroy the peace and unity of its members, and produce strife, contention, parties, divisions. The “watchman” must warn and reprove the citizens, and lay their conduct before their Prince.

II. What is especially the office and duty of ministers under this character. They must regard no toil, labour, or suffering. They must be faithful to the Lord and the people (Luke 12:42). They must distrust themselves, and apply to and depend on the Lord for supernatural aid. The Chief Shepherd only can keep, feed, and rule the flock, and, in another view, that “unless the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Isaiah 62:6). But, more particularly, their duty is set forth (Habakkuk 2:1). We are not at liberty to imagine or conjecture or suppose this or that as necessary or expedient to the people over whom we watch, or retail our own opinions or fancies to them, but must come to our hearers with “Thus saith the Lord,” and that, with respect to doctrines to be believed, privileges to be enjoyed, precepts to be obeyed, promises to be expected, and threatenings to be revered. We must observe, all mankind are naturally wicked, all need repentance, all have encouragement to repent (Ezekiel 33:11; Ezekiel 33:14); that repentance implies not merely confession of sin, and a partial reformation, but a turning of the heart from sin to righteousness, followed by its proper fruits, and that without this there is no salvation (Luke 13:1). Nor is repentance sufficient without faith (John 3:18; Mark 16:16). Nor is faith sufficient without love; an ardent, admiring, grateful, complacent love to God, especially in consideration of His goodness to us, and an affectionate, disinterested, active love to all men, in imitation of God’s love to them (Hebrews 12:14). And we must persevere (Ezekiel 33:12; Ezekiel 33:18; John 15:4; John 15:6; Romans 11:17; Hebrews 10:38).

III. The consequence of neglecting, or fulfilling, their duty.

1. “If thou do not warn the wicked”--sincerely, earnestly, frequently, with repeated admonitions, as the word signifies, giving them light by thy instructions, and making the matter clear and evident to them. Thus the apostle warned all (Acts 20:31)--He “shall die in his iniquity.” But is not this a hard case? No. For, though not particularly warned by any messenger of God, he had the Word of God in his hands, or, at least, he had the fight of nature, and knew more or less of what was required of him.

2. If the watchman fulfil his duty, he at least derivers his own soul (Ezekiel 33:9). The faithful watchman glorifies God. For it is much for the glory of all his attributes that sinners should be warned, whether they take the warning or not; e.g., His holiness, justice, mercy, love. He receives a reward in proportion to his labours (Isaiah 49:4; 1 Corinthians 3:8). The Lord always gives him some success (Matthew 7:16; John 10:2; 1 Timothy 4:15). (J. Benson.)

Faithful dealing with men’s souls

The following incident occurred on his first visit to Waterbeach when Charles Spurgeon was a lad of seventeen. “He was put up for the night at the house of Mr. Smith, and shared a bed with Mr. Smith’s son, then a young boy. Charles Spurgeon, before retiring, went upon his knees, but his companion tumbled into bed without prayer, and lay down. No sooner had young Spurgeon finished his devotions than he inquired of his bedfellow if he were not afraid to go to bed without asking God for protection during the night: ‘What a fearful thing would it be,’ he said, ‘if you went to your last sleep without a prayer and a Saviour.’ For an hour or more the young preacher talked to the boy, and his earnestness was so evident that the boy was moved. Charles Spurgeon had him out of bed, and prayed with him, and that night the lad was converted. He is now an honoured deacon at Waterbeach.” (Christian Age.)

Warning the impenitent

If at an assize town at the time of any celebrated trial, and the prisoner had been found guilty, and sentenced to death, Whitefield would, at the close of his sermon, his eyes full of tears, pause for a moment, and then, after a tenable denunciation upon those who neglect so great salvation, exclaim, “I am now going to put on my condemning cap; sinner, I must do it. I must pronounce sentence against you.” And then he would repeat the awful words of our Lord: Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (R. Winter.)

Pastoral vigilance

Latimer told the clergy in his time that, if they would not learn diligence and vigilance of the prophets and apostles, they should learn it of the devil, who goes up and down his diocese, and acts by an untired power, seeking whom he may destroy. When the wolves are abroad, the shepherd should not sleep, but watch, remembering that he were better have all the blood of all the men in the world upon him, than the blood of one soul upon him, by his negligence or otherwise. (T. Brooks.)

O wicked man, thou shalt surely die.

Office and responsibility of ministers

I. What God saith to the wicked.

1. The people addressed are all who do not unfeignedly turn from sin to God.

2. Death is here denounced as the judgment to be inflicted on all who turn not to their God; and to the same effect the inspired writers uniformly speak (Isaiah 3:11; Romans 6:23; James 1:14).

3. There is an implied assurance that the wicked, if they will repent, shall not die. And this is expressly stated in the following context: verse 14-16, so that, awful as this passage is, it is no less encouraging than it is awful; because it assures the contrite and believing sinner that he shall never perish.

II. The necessity imposed on ministers to proclaim it. The consequences of neglect in any minister are declared in two respects:

1. The person whom he neglects to warn will perish. If, through the sloth or treachery of the sentinels, a, camp be surprised at midnight, nothing but confusion and ruin can ensue. Thus if a person appointed to warn the wicked neglect to do so, the wicked will continue regardless of their impending doom, till it is too late to avert it. And it will be to no purpose to say, “I was not aware of my danger; my minister has betrayed me.” No; the wicked have means of information within their oval reach, independent of their ministers; and they have secret intimations in their own consciences that they ought to repent: and therefore they must take the consequences of their own wickedness: “they must die in their iniquity.”

2. He himself also will be dealt with as the author of that sinner’s destruction. As a sentinel who, by neglecting to give notice of the enemy’s approach, occasioned the overthrow of the army to which he belonged, would be chargeable with all the consequences of his neglect, so will the blood of all that perish through the minister’s neglect “be required at his hand.” (Skeletons of Sermons.)

The important message

I. The end in which the evil ways of the children of men terminate is an awful end. It is a way that terminates in death, and that not temporal death alone, but eternal death. Many are the terrific views which are given of the world of woe; but what view can be more terrific than that of dying forever, and yet to be never dead after all? It will be awful in its nature, and still more so in its duration. The misery will be inconceivable, and the misery will be interminable. Banishment from all blessedness forever! Blackness and darkness, weeping and wailing, forever!

II. The realisation of this awful end is an object which the blessed God, far from desiring, deprecates and deplores. It is not your death that He desires, but your life.

1. By way of confirming this encouraging truth, we would remind you, in the first place, of what God is in Himself. His nature is love--that is the endearing name by which He is revealed; and as His name is, so is He. Benevolence of the highest, noblest, purest kind constitutes the very essence of His all-perfect character.

2. In connection with what God is in His nature, we would advert to what He has done for our salvation. He has “so loved the world that He gave,” etc.

3. His dealings with the children of men in all ages. How has He borne with them in the face of their innumerable provocations?

III. It is the consequent duty of sinners to forsake their evil ways, the termination of which, if persisted in, will be so disastrous, and to turn at once to him who waiteth to be gracious. “Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Many strange things have been done or endured before now, which appeared unaccountable; and yet there have been substantial reasons to justify them. To see an individual in an unresisting posture, patient and resigned, while persons with their saws and knives were severing one of his limbs from his body, seems a strange sight; and yet there may be no difficulty in proving that such an operation was necessary and desirable, since the sacrifice of a man’s limb has often been the means of saving a man’s life. For multitudes to give their bodies to be burnt; to welcome cruel mockings and scourgings; to abandon their homes, and wander in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth: all this appears to be unaccountable. But there may be the strongest reasons adduced in justification of such severe sacrifices. Hence it is declared of the ancient: worthies, that they were tortured, not accepting deliverance; and why? That they might obtain a better resurrection. But for your course, poor sinner, no reason can be given. (Anon.)

The certainty of death to the wicked

I. Who are the wicked? Profane and gross sinners, who indulge themselves in notorious immoralities (1 Corinthians 6:9; Galatians 5:19; Colossians 3:5; Revelation 21:8). In this black list you not only find such gross vices as are scandalous in the common estimate of mankind, but also such as are secret, seated in the heart, and generally esteemed but lesser evils.

2. All who knowingly and wilfully indulge themselves habitually in any one sin, whether it be the omission of a commanded duty or the practice of something forbidden (1Jn 2:4; 1 John 3:8; 1 John 3:10; John 14:23). I grant that good men sin, and that they are far from perfection of holiness in this life. I grant also that some of them have fallen, perhaps once in their life, into some gross sin. But after all, I must insist that they do not indulge themselves in the wilful habitual practice of any known sin, or the wilful habitual neglect of any known duty. St. John expressly tells us (1 John 3:9), he cannot sin habitually; again, he cannot sin wilfully--that is, with full bent of soul.

3. All who are destitute of those graces and virtues which constitute the character of positive goodness. Wickedness is a moral privation, or the want of real goodness. The want of faith, the want of love, repentance, benevolence, and charity does as really constitute a wicked man, as drunkenness, blasphemy, or any notorious immorality.

4. All who still continue in their natural state; who have never been regenerated, or experienced a thorough change of their views and dispositions, towards God and divine things (John 3:6; Romans 8:8; Ephesians 2:3).

II. What kind of death shall the wicked man die? It is true, natural death is the universal doom of all the sons of men (Ecclesiastes 2:16). The highest attainments in piety cannot secure an earthly immortality. But though there be no difference in this respect, there is a wide difference in another, and that is, the death of the wicked is quite another thing, or comes under quite a different notion, from the death of the righteous. The death of the wicked, like an officer from their offended sovereign, strikes off the fetters of flesh, that they may be carried away to a place of execution. Then, farewell, a long, and everlasting farewell, to the comforts of this life, and all its agreeable prospects: farewell to friends; farewell to hope and peace; farewell to all the means of grace; farewell, God, and Christ, and angels, and all the blessedness of heaven. Now nothing awaits them but wrath and fiery indignation. But even this, dreadful as it is, is not all--there is besides this, that dreadful something called the second death (Revelation 21:8; Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6,14)--which thou, O wicked man, must die. The soul will be forever dead to God and holiness--dead to all the means of grace, and all the enjoyments of this life; dead to all happiness and all hope; dead to all the comfortable purposes of existence; dead to everything that deserves the name of life--in short, dead to everything but the torturing sensations of pain; to these the soul will be tremblingly alive all over, to eternity; but, alas! to be alive, in this sense, alive only to suffer pain, is worse than death, worse than annihilation.

III. What you must do to be saved.

1. Betake yourselves immediately to serious thoughtfulness.

2. Break off from those things that hinder your conversion.

3. Diligently use all means that may instruct you in the nature of true religion.

4. Earnestly pray to God.

5. Endeavour to receive and submit to the Lord Jesus as your only Saviour.

6. Do not delay to follow these directions. (President Davies.)