The Watchman, Part 3

by Nicholas A. Catania

May - June 2010

Go to the previous issue.

In our last issue we noted how gracious and merciful God is when dealing with his people.

Isaiah 57:11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?

God is longsuffering however there is a limit to the grace and mercy God will extend to us if we continue to refuse and disobey his word.

NIV Psalm 50:21 These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

BBE Romans 2:4 Or is it nothing to you that God had pity on you, waiting and putting up with you for so long, not seeing that in his pity God's desire is to give you a change of heart?

Our father God has entrusted mankind with the gospel of salvation. He knows our short comings and gives us abundant time and opportunity to get on the same page as him. His heart is to bless. He does not rejoice when people fail or refuse to believe his word.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Psalm 103:8-14 ⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. ⁹He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. ¹⁰He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. ¹¹For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. ¹²As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. ¹⁴For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Isaiah 57:11b ...have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?

If a person refuses to respond and humble himself before the Lord, God will eventually judge that person. It may take a wile but when you get on the wrong side of God you always lose.

Isaiah 51:12-13 ¹²I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;13Who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid? [In the original, the pronoun is feminine Who art thou, O woman! The rebuke is unworthy the name of a man.]

God is saying it is such a weak and womanish thing to give way to these perplexing fears.

Isaiah 51:13 And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

In other words this is what God is saying:

"You are afraid of a man that shall die and wither away as grass, and you forget me the Lord your Maker, who is also the creator of all the world, who has stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and therefore has all the hosts and all the powers of both at his command and disposal."

Our inordinate fear of man is our unspoken forgetfulness of God. When we disquiet ourselves with the fear of man we forget that there is a God above him, and that the greatest of men have no power but what is given them from above.

We forget the providence of God, by which he orders and overrules all events according to the counsel of his own will; we forget the promises he has made to protect his people, and the experiences we have had of his care concerning us.

Ezekiel 33:1-7 ¹Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ²Son 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: ³If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; ⁴Then 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. ⁵He 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. ⁶But 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. ⁷So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them fro

A watchman must be a man of integrity, honesty, and pure in heart. He must love the Lord with all his heart, soul and strength. He must be above reproach, a teacher of pure doctrine and a doer of the word. He must always speak the truth and never fear man. He cannot be bought, intimidated, or manipulated. He must always seek God first and be an example to the church by service.

Psalm 119 describes a faithful watchman.

NIV Psalm 119:1-3 ¹Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.²Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. ³They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

As a servant of the most-high God a watchman must have an unrestrained commitment to God first. He must endeavor to do that what is right in the sight of God first and he must strive to do that which is right in the sight of man. Only then will he be able to perform God's will in the body to which he was called to serve with God's blessing and guidance.

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.ÿ

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Note: All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. NIV indicates The New International Version, NKJV indicates the New King James Version, ASV means the American Standard Version, BBE means the Bible in Basic English, DBY means the Darby translation, and NAB means the New American Bible translation. For more information, go to the Works Cited page.