Ezekiel 33:7-11 (NRSV)
Read Ezekiel 33:7-11 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7So 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. Verse 8If 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. Verse 9But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
Verse 10Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: "Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?" Verse 11Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
Devotion
We, like the prophet Ezekiel, have been called to sound the alarm and give warning to anyone whose life is moving in dangerous directions. We are to confront them with their sins and call them to repentance and faith.
I have a friend who takes this responsibility very seriously. She is right to warn her friends when she sees them straying from God. But I do have a problem with the manner in which she communicates her concerns. There is an overriding self-righteous tone to her message, and the spirit of compassion is often lacking.
As we take seriously our responsibility to look out for our neighbors and warn them when their lives are headed in dangerous directions, it is essential that we first examine ourselves and see the sin that is in us. Only then can we approach them with all humility, and only then will our message be received as one that’s filled with the love and compassion of Christ.
Prayer
Compassionate and merciful God, help us to communicate your love and concern to those who have turned away from you. Give us courage to confront them with their sins, and call them to repentance and faith, but never without first confessing the sin that is also in us. Amen.