"We are getting into the book of Ezekiel this
evening, and I think it’s appropriate to start out
with an illustration. The term “watchman” is a
term that we don’t frequently use anymore. Years
ago there was what was termed a “night
watchman.” Everybody else was in bed sleeping;
this one person was supposed to see if anything
happened—fire breaks out or some vandalism
occurs.
Going back further than that, at the time Ezekiel
was written, generally towns were almost like a
little fort. There was a wall around these towns.
The fields that the people farmed were outside
the wall. When there was danger, people came
into the town inside the wall. The gates were
closed and they were in a fortified situation
where they were protected.
There was an important responsibility in these
areas, and this was the job of the watchman.
Normally, on any city wall, there was a high
tower at a strategic point along the wall and in
that tower was an individual whose job was to
watch. In the type of terrain that you have in
many areas in the Middle East, you could look
out quite a distance and you could observe
something out of the ordinary.
Particularly, you would see a dust cloud. A lone
horseman or one individual walking wouldn’t
make much dust (a horse would make a little
more than an individual walking), but a whole
gang of horses and chariots would really kick
up a lot of dust. You could see that quite a way
on the horizon. It took them time to get there.
The very fastest traveling was on horseback or in
a chariot pulled by a horse, so you had a little
time.
The watchman would observe and if it appeared
that danger was approaching, his responsibility
was to sound a blast of alarm. They sounded a
blast. Generally, the shofar (a ram’s horn) was
customarily used because it made a high shrill
sound that could be heard for a long distance. It
wasn’t long ago that bells were often used to
signal the time—a dinner bell, etc. This ram’s
horn carried a sound more like what we would
think of as a brass trumpet today. It was a very
important job because the survival of the
community could depend on the watchman doing..." Read More!!