🎵The Watchman vs The Defender
Today is my 43rd “Spirit-versary” of when I repented of my sins and chose to give my life to Christ. Before July 14th of 1983, I was living a very different life, some of which I’ve shared pieces of in various blog posts. The July 14th repentance story is on my Torah commentary post about Numbers 16 and 17.
Recently, my Bible study has brought me to the book of Ezekiel. This is a hard book to study because the rebellion of Israel has pushed God too far, and He’s got Ezekiel speaking their consequences. In the third chapter of Ezekiel, Yahveh has assigned the prophet the position of a watchman.
Ezekiel 3:17 BSB
[17] “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/ezk.3.17.BSB
I don’t think anyone today who calls themselves a prophet or prophetess would be willing to go through the trials Ezekiel (or other OT prophets) had to endure—especially for a people whom God has said will not listen to him. But even the hard-hearted and hard-headed cannot ignore some of the visual examples Ezekiel had to display. And I’m certain, since it is not God’s will for any to perish (and since He is the same yesterday, today and forever) that God’s hope was to find that remnant who would be moved by the words and deeds of this obedient prophet.
But even with a one-in-a-million hope, prophesying doom and gloom is not the easy path to take. Still, we need the obedient voice of one willing to share the reality of The Law and the dangers of violating it.
The Hard Yet Beautiful Truth
The law defines the boundaries of holiness and exposes what separates us from God. We cannot apply the blood of Christ without first knowing what needs to be forgiven, just as we could not hire a defense attorney unless we know what we need to be defended of.
Ray Comfort (an evangelist) meets people on the street and runs through the Ten Commandments with them asking if they have willingly violated any of them. Most people say yes, and Ray makes them comfortable with their answers by admitting that he is not better than them, and that he has also violated them. He then goes on to tell them about a courtroom scenario where a violation is met with a fine, but someone comes in to pay the fine, so the person is free to go.
Hiding Judgment “Under the Rug”
We live in a culture now that is terrified of being judgmental. We don’t want to offend someone who might turn around and point fingers at us, and—if we’re Christian—we also worry about driving someone away from finding salvation in Christ. In our efforts to love people, we often try to play the part of the defender by excusing bad choices, softening truths, or blurring the lines of God’s law just to make people comfortable.
But when we do these things, when we play the role of defender instead of being a watchman for people’s souls, we are actually stepping into a job that doesn’t belong to us. We are not mediators between the law and the sins people commit that violate it. And we are definitely not called to ignore violations and sweep them “under the rug.” If we do that, no one can experience the blessing and power of forgiveness because we’ve excused the very things that require it.
One Mediator
We’re told in 1st Timothy chapter 2 that there is ONLY one Mediator who can take away human sins without denying or excusing them.
1 Timothy 2:5-6 BSB
[5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave Himself as a ransom for all — the testimony that was given at just the right time.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/1ti.2.5-6.BSB
Though we want to be like YahShua, we do not have perfect blood to shed to cover sins forever. True, compassionate ministry looks more like the high priests of old: gently but clearly identifying the law so that people can see their need, separate themselves from their sin, and place it under the perfect sacrificial blood of Christ. And to be like YahShua means to do all of that with love. It reads well in the second chapter of 2nd Timothy in the World English Bible:
2 Timothy 2:24-26 WEBUS
[24] The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient, [25] in gentleness correcting those who oppose him. Perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth, [26] and they may recover themselves out of the devil’s snare, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
https://bible.com/bible/206/2ti.2.24-26.WEBUS
Loving Like The Lord
Sometimes, the most loving thing we can do for a person trapped in the bondage of sin is to hold up the mirror of God’s Word and Law so they can find a path toward freedom. Love doesn’t mean affirming captivity; it means pointing the way out of the cell. That Way is YahShua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) who is our righteous Judge and Defender of a law He says has not changed by one tiny letter or pen stroke (jot or tittle in KJV).
Matthew 5:18 WEBUS
[18] "For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished."
https://bible.com/bible/206/mat.5.18.WEBUS
What has changed is that we now have a permanent way to cover violations of the law, so we can be made free of their consequences—consequences that still exist for a law that still exists, but with a fine that has been completely paid in full.
2 Corinthians 5:20 BSB
[20] Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/2co.5.20.BSB
Since we are called to be ambassadors of The Lord and urge people to look at their sins and place them under the blood, let’s stop trying to do The Defender’s job and start loving people enough to tell them the truth—the truth that will set them free to live and walk in the newness of life here and in eternity.
2 Corinthians 5:17 BSB
[17] Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/2co.5.17.BSB
Romans 6:4 BSB
[4] We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/rom.6.4.BSB
I must tell this story 43 years later because of the wonderful changes it made in my life. Enjoy these two videos with the song “I Love to Tell the Story,” first by Alan Jackson and then a beautiful a capella version by Chris Rupp.
(a capella–no lyrics unless using captions)
Note: I realized this difference between watchman and defender the other day, and I could not figure out how to communicate it without sounding harsh. With some collaboration tips from Google’s Gemini, I’m very happy with the presentation now.
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