Who Is Your Watchman?

12/04/2005

“When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose a watchman. When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he blows the alarm to warn the people. Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action—well, it is their own fault if they die. They heard the warning but wouldn’t listen, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives.” (Ezekiel 33:1-5 NLT)

I believe we all need Watchmen in our lives! Lately, God is showing me that I do, in many different ways. Not only to hold me accountable in life each day, but also to warn me that the “enemy is coming,” or many times in my case, that the enemy is alive and well in those I come in contact with. I have come to understand how the enemy works from the inside out (emotionally), but not so much from the outside in…through the irrational acts of others I meet.

You see, I can be very slow to react to things. I noticed something new the other day in traffic. I am not a person who struggles with “road rage.” For the most part I drive along peacefully, and if someone does cut me off in traffic, or any number of things that could irritate others I know, I am usually not even bothered by it. I scarcely notice that any “harm” has been done… When someone I am with reacts quickly to these things, I find it a bit humorous! Until about two weeks ago that is, when a car cut across in front of me, missing me by only inches, in an attempt to cross over yet another lane and onto the off ramp they were needing. My pulse rate went up, and my peace was quickly diminished.

“Wow! That was a close one,” I thought, “and totally unnecessary!”
“What was that guy thinking?!!”

Then God gently seemed to be saying, “The way you reacted to those few inches is the way some people react to ten feet. They cannot help but flinch at what they consider ‘close calls’ even though you do not see it the same way.”

“Oh, that’s an interesting concept,” I thought. Then I went on my way, realizing that other people’s warning lights flicker way before mine do!

It wasn’t more than a couple of days later; Jim and I were doing our laundry at the local Laundromat. Now, this is not usually a time of anger-filled drama, but this day was to be different. It was a busy day and many of the dryers were full of clothes. We noticed that quite of number of the dryers actually had clothes in them, but they were not spinning. There were a couple of men over on the other side, getting ready to put their clothes in available dryers, and we were on the side with the non-spinning ones. A woman was there, seemingly needing dryers also. She actually walked over to the dryers and looked at them, as if to be waiting.

It wasn’t long before it was time to take our wet clothes and find an available dryer. The woman had disappeared outside the Laundromat, so Jim went ahead and emptied four of the dryers, that had just been sitting the entire time we had been there, onto one of the tables. He was careful to put each one into its own pile.

As we were still placing our clothes into the dryers, the “mystery” woman reappeared and began to throw a fit!! Those were her clothes, what were we thinking to have taken them out!! She would never touch another person’s clothes, she had been there all morning, etc, etc, etc…!! The scene could have become quite ugly, and in many cases it could have been the next episode of “Cops” if the situation were not soon resolved. I explained to the woman as calmly as I could that we didn’t realize they were her clothes, we were sorry and we would not have touched them if we had known...would she like some help in placing them in some other dryers that were now available?

She did not want my help, and continued to rant and rave, as I continued to try and calm her down. Jim also said a few things to her, and then left her alone…it was not a comfortable situation. After a while, she grew quiet and we finished our laundry as quickly as possible and got out of there. There’s more to this story, but it started to become more evident as time went on that something was not right with this woman, and arguing with her would have only aggravated an already dysfunctional situation.  But what I noticed when I told others of this “experience,” was they seemed quick to react about who was “right” and who was “wrong,” and I began to wonder what was “wrong” with me?!! Why am I so slow on the uptake so many times in my life? Maybe I was in the “right” and should have stuck up for myself a bit more…

Some say this is a good thing though. I mean, the Bible does say, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:10) But at this speed, I think I might be missing something in most situations in life. Someone can say something to me, and about an hour later I begin thinking…

“You know, what they just did to me wasn’t very nice. I should have said something. I should have reacted differently, defended myself… Am I not paying close enough attention to things, or what?”

Maybe I need a Watchman to watch out for me, to keep an eye out for the enemy that’s out on the prowl, to warn me of impending danger…? Would I even listen? Would I heed their warnings? Would I hear the alarm? Hopefully, especially if it were someone God had put in my life for that purpose, and I had grown to trust his or her judgment on things.

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and affliction
for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see
your teacher with your own eyes, and you will hear a voice say,
”This is the way; turn around and walk here.”
Isaiah 30:20-21 (NLT)

Maybe that’s what I need…someone to say, “This is the way ‘turn around and walk here,’” when I get myself into dysfunctional, harmful or sinful situations. Maybe I need someone to help me recognize the “enemy,” and give me a little encouragement to turn this way or that as quickly as possible? To draw my sword and be ready to defend myself?

I remember hearing stories of Ronald Reagan on the day of his funeral. With all the interviews and comments being made, I remember the talk of who Nancy was in his life. I think President Reagan, for the most part, was a very trusting man, not quick to react to things that might harm him personally. This is not to say he didn’t do a great job for our country, simply that in his personal life, he was not as quick to react as Nancy was to those who might be up to no good in his life. Perhaps God placed them together so she could be his “Watchman,” each day. His responsibility then was to heed her warning, to listen to her and then take a look at whatever the situation might be and make a decision one way or another, especially if someone was leading him off in a harmful or even sinful direction. From what our Lord is saying in Ezekiel 33, once warned, lives could be saved, but if the choice is made to continue on, Nancy’s (the watchman’s) responsibility was finished and she would not be held accountable. She had done her duty.

They heard the warning but wouldn’t listen, so the
responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the
warning, they could have saved their lives. But if
the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t
sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible
for their deaths. They will die in their sins, but I will
hold the watchman accountable.
Ezekiel 33:5-6 (NLT)

That’s huge! For all of us! For those watching over us and for those we are watching over who are headed in the wrong direction—God longs to save those ready to fall into a dark pit of destruction because of some decision being made that is unwise, sinful, full of wrong temptations and harmful to both body and soul! Are we doing anything about it? If not, we need to ask ourselves, “Why?” and understand that we have a responsibility here.

It makes me think of friends that I have talked to about heaven. It boils down to a simple situation that I don’t ever want to find myself in. Say I’m lined up at the gates of heaven, waiting to get in, and there’s a friend of mine there also. When it comes their turn to present their “ticket,” they don’t have one. They thought they did, but they had “bought” into the wrong idea, spent their entire lives following the enemy through the battles instead of the Lord, or were depending on good works instead of the gift of Jesus Christ’s redemption to enter into heaven on their final day? What if they then turn to look at me and ask me a very simple question, “Why didn’t you ever tell me about your Savior?”

I would be devastated. I was called to be their Watchman, to warn them of evil things here on earth, to tell them who the enemy was and what harm he could do, but I didn’t? I should be held accountable for that, I deserve to be punished…they are my friends, my family, those I have met along the way, and I said NOTHING? I’ve read the Book, I know the way, it’s my responsibility to share that Good News! Even if I don’t think so, God’s Word says it’s so!

If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you
fail to warn them about changing their ways, then they will die
in their sins, but I will hold you responsible for their deaths.
But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they
will die in their sins, but you will not be held responsible.
Ezekiel 33:8-9 (NLT)

I’m not saying we have to like this, I’m just saying this is what God’s Word says. We need a Watchman in our lives to remind us of even the little things that might be harming us; perhaps there are things simply taking our focus off our Lord. Our Watchman can help to warn us before we get too far off the chosen path. We also need a Watchman for the big things in our lives, the temptations and dangers that are like an open pit before us that we don’t see in our blindness—we need someone who will take our hand and lead us around it.

Many years ago I was skiing in the Alps, and I wasn’t very good at it! As I was coming down a slope, getting ready to stop, another woman I was skiing with, who was also not very good, ran into me. She sent me on my way down the hill much faster than I would have liked to have been going and without knowing how to bring myself to a quick stop, I was headed to a place where I would have skied right off the edge…like an idiot, simply because I didn’t know how to ski well enough to save myself.

Standing at the edge I was headed towards were some other people I was skiing with that day, and one of them reached out and stopped me from certain disaster. As I approached, she saw I was in trouble, and she put out her arm and stopped me from skiing off the edge. It didn’t take much, I didn’t even knock her down, but it was just enough to save my life on that day. I will never forget it, and the person who saved me is now my best friend…I’d like to say that’s the reason why, but it’s really not! It is a good ending to the story though, isn’t it?

As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure
in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from
their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your
wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?
Ezekiel 33:11 (NLT)

Sometimes, we just can’t do it on our own. Sometimes, we’re just not “good enough at it!” We need a friend who is there, ready to catch us before we plummet off the edge to our death! If someone comes along and knocks us off balance or sends us in a direction and at a speed that is beyond what we can manage on our own, God doesn’t want us to die in those situations! He wants us to live, so He places people in just the right place to catch us when we start to fall. To warn us of impending danger!

How wise would it have been for me to yell to my friend, “Get out of the way! I’m out of control and nothing can stop me now!” Maybe if I had had time to even think clearly enough to shout that out, I might have. Probably so my friend would not have been in harm’s way, but I couldn’t even see straight at that point. Things were moving too fast, I was gripped with fear and headed for certain disaster…my Watchman stood there as my protector. She didn’t flinch, or think of her own safety. She did what had to be done to save a “dying” friend. If I had still gone over the edge, she would not have been held responsible. She had done her best to save me!

Many times though, we just don’t want to be saved. We want to do what we want to do, to have things our way, but we have to remember this is not Burger King…we are serving the King of Heaven and Earth, not hamburgers. We can argue and stomp our feet and tell Him how unjust it is, but in the end, we must trust that He has our best interest at heart. Many times it seems we will be unhappy if we don’t get things our way, but what we will find is that when we get things God’s way, we will be more fully satisfied than we could ever imagine we would be.

Put all your rebellion behind you, and get for yourselves
a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O
people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign
Lord. Turn back and live!
Ezekiel 18:30b-32 (NLT)

God is not against us, He is totally for us! As hard as that is to see sometimes, it is the truth! When our son died, it seemed to be so wrong, so against what we would have chosen for our lives and for his. How could any good come out of anything so tragic? Why would God want us to be so miserable? So Sad? What sense could there be in his suffering for years and dying at a young age? There was no way to be able to imagine then that what God had in store for us was actually going to be good. That there was a life to be had that we had not yet experienced fully.

Through it all, we began to discover that Church could no longer be something we “did” only on Sunday, prayer could not be saved merely for meals, Jesus was not just part of a baby in a Nativity set brought out at Christmas…any play acting had to be finished, or we were. There were choices that had to be made with what God had placed before us…which way would we turn? To Him or away from Him? We had many Watchmen who helped us along, prayed for us, encouraged us, and kept us on the right path, even when we didn’t want to hear it…many times I just wanted to drown in my own self-pity.

“So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money. You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t do it! But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them.”
(Ez. 33:31-33 NLT)

Because of losing our son, if we don’t do what God tells us to do, we are finished, or might as well be, because this world does not hold all that we desire anymore. One important piece has gone missing, and our Lord and Savior will only return it to us when we meet Him face to face—until that time, God is meeting our desires in new ways and we are learning to trust Him more and more as we seek Him out each day. 

As I was reading Acts today though, I read about Peter being called to the house of Tabitha. She had died, and her friends begged him to come as soon as possible. Peter arrived at the house, knelt and prayed by Tabitha’s body, and said, “’Get up, Tabitha.’ She opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up! He gave her his hand and helped her up.” (Acts 9:40-41 NLT)

I’ll tell you, strange thoughts go through my mind when I read something like that. I wonder, should I have prayed, “Get up, Phil?” Would it have done any good? Are miracles like that still possible? I believe they are, and I believe we will hear stories about them until Jesus comes back, but I have to believe that if God had wanted that in our lives, it would be so. That was not God’s plan in this situation, and we have to trust God with His final decision on that.

All of this to simply say, life is tough, the journey is long, but God has a great plan and He has put great people in our lives to help see us through each step of the way. He has called us to truly love each other, and show it by our actions. It’s by our actions that we know we are living in the truth and then we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. (Taken from 1 John 3:18-20 NLT)

And because God knows everything and we don’t, we all need a Watchman to warn us of the enemy’s approach by sounding an alarm in our lives when danger approaches. “Warning Will Robinson! Warning!” (For those “Lost In Space Fans”) And then, we need to LISTEN to that warning, or be willing to be held accountable for what we will do next. “The good works of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the sins of evil people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins…For instance, they might give back a borrower’s pledge, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die. None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live.” (Ezekiel 33:12 & 15,16 NLT)

That’s what Jesus died to give us! He suffered for our sin, and now God’s forgiveness is quick and easy when we turn to the “life-giving” ways of our Lord. When our Watchman cries, “Look out!” We need to look up and see what disaster we are headed towards. Then stop and think for a moment about where we have been and where we are going…then make a decision that is God-honoring.

We're all very close to the edge in life, to all the temptations that can lure us into the pit...the only question becomes which of us will turn our backs to them and which of us will plummet towards the temptations at a breakneck speed? God will not make those decisions for us, our Watchman will not, the enemy certainly won’t…we have to do it, and the consequences for those decisions are solely ours. Our Watchman has done his/her job when they warned us to the dangers; it’s our turn to do what’s right after that.

So, if indeed I am a bit slow on the uptake, if I am not able to react as quickly as I should in certain situations, I know I need not fear. When help is truly needed, God has placed plenty of Watchmen around to keep me safe from harm’s way. If I can’t see the enemy, I know others who can, and I need to listen for the “alarm” that comes through them to warn me. I will know that they are the ones who love me the most.

Perfect obedience would be perfect happiness,
if only we had perfect confidence in the power we were obeying.
                                                                               Hannah Smith

Desiring to listen,

Diane