Ezekiel 33:7-9

God reminded Ezekiel that He had appointed him a watchman for the Israelites (cf. Ezekiel 3:17-21; Isaiah 21:6-9; Jeremiah 6:17). He was responsible to deliver the Lord’s messages to His people. If Ezekiel failed to warn the people that they would die for their sins, God would hold him responsible for their deaths (cf. Genesis 4:9; Genesis 9:5). But if Ezekiel warned the sinners of the consequences of their iniquity and they disregarded his warning, they would die, but God would hold them, not Ezekiel, responsible (cf. Acts 20:26). Ezekiel had carried out his commission faithfully. Chapters 4-24 of this book contain the warnings that he delivered concerning the judgment that God intended to send on Judah and Jerusalem for the people’s sins.

"Warning others of the consequences of judgment inherent in sin is never a popular assignment. Believers have a duty to be ’watchmen’ who warn those who are in the world and are without God of the destructive nature of sin and its final irrevocable result-death and hell (Ezekiel 33:1-33). Our responsibility is to warn and proclaim as persuasively as possible, but how the message is received is beyond our control." [Note: Cooper, p. 294. Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:20; 1 Timothy 5:22; 1 Peter 4:17 to 1 Peter 5:2.]