Day 12—Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Ezekiel 33:6

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.

I will confess to all that read this, and to our Lord I have said the following quote. “A good friend bails you out of jail the next morning, a great friend is sitting next to you.” To be fair this was said in my college years through my late 20s. No, I have not sat next to a friend in jail. I start this quote to emphasize that it is the opposite of what Ezekiel’s quote would be. I would believe if the prophet had to write a similar passage it would be “A great friend warns his companion of future actions and stays out of jail, a bad friend stays silence and follows him into jail sharing responsibility.”

This verse comes after Jerusalem has fallen. Ezekiel is transitioning to a more hopeful tone of warning and teaching. Because the city has fallen, there are no actual swords coming anymore. To me the swords that are coming are sins and actions of individuals, and the watchman is the individuals’ friend. The watchman is the individual’s “people” as we have learned in the “Find Your People” sermon series.

We as Christians should warn each other if we see trouble ahead in our lives. As an introvert myself, I find it very hard to speak out with a warning or a helpful hint. My close friends, not so much, but to speak out to a stranger or even a distant church member would be difficult for me.  However, I did it at Snowshoe Mountain at the little food shed at the bottom of Cup Run. I was invited to sit at a picnic table where two couples were conversing. They were talking about what to do when they become “empty nesters,” they were discussing their future purpose.  Although they were not deciding what bad actions to take or how to go to jail that night, I decided to speak up. As I was leaving, I mustered up enough gumption to say “I’m sorry to ease drop. I am not an empty nester yet, so I really don’t know what emotions you are feeling. If you are worried about purpose or things to do, getting involved with a church or any community involvement may be a good start.” They said thank you, and I hit the chair lift.

What they thought or said after I left, I have no idea. I know what I was feeling, however.  I was feeling joy that I played a role as a watchman!  The blood on my hands for not “warning” would have been the “I should have, would have, could have” thoughts.

Let’s all be good watchman, lets all be good “people” and find one another and watch for one another. Amen.

-Hunter Moore