33:1 耶和華的話臨到我說:
33:2 「人子啊,你要告訴本國的子民說:我使刀劍臨到哪一國,那一國的民從他們中間選立一人為守望的。
33:3 他見刀劍臨到那地,若吹角警戒眾民,
33:4 凡聽見角聲不受警戒的,刀劍若來除滅了他,他的罪(原文是血)就必歸到自己的頭上。
33:5 他聽見角聲,不受警戒,他的罪必歸到自己的身上;他若受警戒,便是救了自己的性命。
33:6 倘若守望的人見刀劍臨到,不吹角,以致民不受警戒,刀劍來殺了他們中間的一個人,他雖然死在罪孽之中,我卻要向守望的人討他喪命的罪(原文是血)。
33:7 「人子啊,我照樣立你作以色列家守望的人。所以你要聽我口中的話,替我警戒他們。
33:8 我對惡人說:『惡人哪,你必要死!』你─以西結若不開口警戒惡人,使他離開所行的道,這惡人必死在罪孽之中,我卻要向你討他喪命的罪(原文是血)。
33:9 倘若你警戒惡人轉離所行的道,他仍不轉離,他必死在罪孽之中,你卻救自己脫離了罪。」
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of
man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a
land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their
watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet
to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the
warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their
own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the
warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning,
they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and
does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes
someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I
will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for
the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When
I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not
speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for
their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn
the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die
for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
**********
這段話說明到傳道人重要的職務:就是要警戒人,使人免陷入罪中滅亡。
傳道人不是說好聽話討好人,若是這樣就有虧守望者的職責了,因為人都是往滅亡的道路而行,因為人被罪綑綁。因此上帝設立傳道人如先知一樣警戒人,讓人聽見上帝的話而悔改歸向上帝。
若不願意聽傳道人的警戒的人,這人要承擔自己的罪。但是傳道人不警戒人,反倒傳道人要承擔自己的罪。所以,身為傳道者的人,要勇敢警告人:人若不透過耶穌基督是無法得上帝拯救的。上帝的救法,就是耶穌基督!
讓我們本著上帝愛人的心,勇敢警戒人吧!