Question 1

What does it mean that God made Ezekiel a watchman for Israel?

Accepted Answer

When God calls Ezekiel a watchman, he is using the picture of a guard on a city wall who looks out for danger and warns the people. Ezekiel is not watching for enemy armies but for spiritual danger. His job is to listen carefully to what God says and then pass it on as a warning. If he keeps quiet when God tells him to speak, he shares in the guilt of those who fall into sin and judgment. So “watchman” means a servant who stays alert and speaks God’s warning to protect others.

Question 2

Why does God say He will require the wicked person's blood at Ezekiel's hand?

Accepted Answer

This language shows how serious Ezekiel’s duty is. If God tells him, “The wicked will surely die,” and Ezekiel does not warn that person, then the wicked person still dies in his sin, but Ezekiel is also held responsible for not speaking. God says He will require that person’s blood at Ezekiel’s hand, meaning Ezekiel bears guilt for his silence. If Ezekiel does warn, and the person refuses to turn, then the person dies in his sin, but Ezekiel is free from that blood. The focus is on faithfulness in speaking, not on controlling the outcome.

Question 3

What is the warning about a righteous person turning from righteousness?

Accepted Answer

The passage says that if a person who has been living in a right way turns aside into sin, and the prophet does not warn him, that person will die in his sin and his former righteousness will not be remembered. This shows that past good deeds do not excuse present rebellion. It also shows that God expects His servants to warn not only open sinners but also those who are drifting from the right path. If the righteous person is warned and does not fall into sin, he will live, and the watchman has saved his own life by being faithful.

Question 4

Why is Ezekiel told to shut himself in his house and be silent?

Accepted Answer

After seeing God’s glory again in the plain, Ezekiel is told to go home and shut himself inside. God says people will bind him so that he cannot go out among them, and God will make his tongue stick to the roof of his mouth so he cannot speak as a reprover. This strange command shows both judgment and mercy. The people are so rebellious that, for a time, God will not let Ezekiel speak freely to them. Yet God also says He will open Ezekiel’s mouth when He has a word to give, so Ezekiel will only speak what God wants, when God wants.

Question 5

What does this passage teach about God's character?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God is holy and takes sin very seriously, since He warns that both wicked and once-righteous people can die in their sins. It also shows that God is patient and caring, because He appoints a watchman to warn people and seeks to “save their life” by calling them away from evil. God holds His servants responsible for how they handle His message, but He also gives His Spirit to strengthen them. He allows people to respond or refuse, yet He keeps sending clear, honest warnings to a rebellious house.

Question 6

Why does God say, "He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear"?

Accepted Answer

These words show that, after God has spoken clearly, each person must choose how to respond. Ezekiel’s duty is to say, “Thus says the Lord God.” Once the message is given, those who are willing can listen and obey, and those who refuse can ignore it. Their response does not change the truth of what God has said. It does, however, affect their own life and outcome. This line makes it plain that the watchman is responsible to speak, while the hearers are responsible for what they do with God’s word.

Question 7

How does Ezekiel's watchman role apply to believers today?

Accepted Answer

While this passage is about Ezekiel’s special calling, there is a pattern that still speaks today. God’s people are not free to twist His message or keep silent when He clearly speaks in Scripture. Those who teach and lead in the church carry a real weight to warn against sin and point to repentance and life. Ordinary believers also have a part in lovingly warning friends and family when they are running toward harm. The passage reminds us to speak truth from God’s word and to listen humbly when we are the ones being warned.

Question 8

What was happening around Ezekiel when God gave him this message?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel was living among exiles from Israel in a foreign land after their nation had been judged and many had been taken away. The people were stubborn and resistant, called a “rebellious house.” Ezekiel had already seen a vision of God’s glory by the river and had been called to serve as God’s messenger. After seven days of sitting among the exiles, God spoke again, set him as a watchman, and then sent him out to the plain. There he saw God’s glory again, fell on his face, and was strengthened by the Spirit for this hard work.

Ezekiel 3:16

And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

A Watchman for Israel

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Ezekiel 3:16

And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

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A Watchman for Israel

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