When you read Ezekiel chapter 3, beginning at verse 16, you’ll find these challenging words, “At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, ‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. So hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.”
We, like the prophet Ezekiel, are to be watchmen who warn sinners of God’s righteous judgment. If we are faithful in warning sinners and they repent, we get double reward. But if they don’t repent at least we don’t have their blood on our hands. If we, however, don’t warn them they will die in their sin and their blood will be on our hands.
Paul talks about this in his farewell talk to the leaders of the church at Ephesus. He says in Acts 20:26-27, “I am free from the blood of all men because I have preached the whole counsel of God.”
Everything that needed to be said was said, so that the hearer could order his life aright and turn from the life of rebellion and sin and come into fellowship with God. Paul told all of them all the truth.
Oh, to be one who has the sense of peace that you have faithfully represented God and are free from the blood of all men.
