So you, mortal, I have made a Sentinel for the house of Israel;
whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them
warning from me. If I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, you shall
surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from
their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I
will require at your hand.
Ezekiel 33:7-‐8
What is a sentinel? A sentinel is one who warns of danger, one who
oversees a situation and makes sure that all is well, one who
defends to the death. He has an awesome responsibility for if he
fails in his task, people can die or property lost.
In this scripture God is making Ezekiel responsible for his fellow
man. Am I my brother’s keeper? God roars a resounding “YES” and
tells him that “ their blood I will require at your hand” if he fails to
faithfully discharge his obligations. But that’s just Old Testament
stuff isn’t it? God wouldn’t do that today would He? Really?
Evidently our own revered Charles Wesley thought so. In his hymn
A Charge to Keep I Have he states:
Help me to watch and pray
And in Thyself rely,
Assured if I my trust betray
I shall forever die.
We are the only vessels that God and Jesus have to spread the
gospel “unto the ends of the earth.” And if we don’t inform “the
wicked” of the consequences of rejecting Jesus, how will they know.
We are the sentinels (disciples) who must tell others of Jesus’ love.
What a fearsome and awesome responsibility! But also what a
wonderful opportunity to be chosen as God’s special representative
in a less than perfect world.
Dear God, thank you for choosing us as your Sentinels. Help
us to be strong vessels of your love.
