Hebrews 4:1-16
Ezekiel 3:16-6:14
Psalm 104:24-35
Proverbs 26:27

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When God Tells Us to Warn Someone, Will We Listen?

Today’s reading brings up something I think every Christian needs to take seriously. What responsibility do we have when we know what God has said, but the people around us are going in the wrong direction? Do we speak the truth because we care about their souls, or do we remain silent because we do not want to upset anyone?

Hebrews reminds us that simply hearing God’s Word is not enough. We must respond with faith. The chapter also tells us that nothing about our lives is hidden from God and that we can come boldly to Him through Jesus Christ.

In Ezekiel, God gives His prophet a serious responsibility. He is to warn the people about their sins and the judgment that is coming. God holds Ezekiel responsible for delivering the warning, whether the people listen or not.

As we read these passages together, I want us to consider whether we are taking God’s warnings as seriously as His promises. Both come from the same Lord, and both deserve our attention.
   

New Testament: Hebrews 4:1–16
 
 
Hearing God’s Word Is Not the Same as Believing It

  
Hebrews begins with a warning:

“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.”
Hebrews 4:1

The writer is reminding us about the Israelites who came out of Egypt but failed to enter the promised rest because of unbelief.

Those people had witnessed God’s mighty works. They had heard His promises and seen His provision. Yet many still refused to trust and obey Him.

Then we are told:

“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”
Hebrews 4:2

Think about that. They heard God’s message, but it did not profit them because they did not receive it with faith.

We can sit through Bible studies, listen to preaching, and read Scripture every day, yet still miss what God is telling us if we refuse to believe Him.

The passage explains that God’s rest is greater than Israel simply entering Canaan. Joshua had led the people into the land, but Scripture continued speaking about another rest. Hebrews points us toward the rest God has provided for His people, which is entered through faith.

Then comes one of the clearest statements in Scripture about the power of God’s Word:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12

God’s Word does not merely tell us what other people are doing wrong. It exposes what is going on in our own hearts.

Sometimes we convince ourselves that our motives are right when they are not. We excuse things in ourselves that we would quickly condemn in someone else. But God knows the truth about us, including the thoughts and intentions nobody else can see.

Verse 13 makes that even clearer. Nothing is hidden from His sight, and we will all give account to Him.

But the chapter does not leave us without hope. It directs our attention to Jesus Christ, our great high priest.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 4:15

Jesus understands temptation, yet He never sinned. Because He is our great high priest, we have somewhere to turn when we are struggling.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16

God’s Word exposes our sin, but God also directs us to the One who can help us.

The answer is not to hide from Scripture when it reveals something wrong in our lives. The answer is to come to the Lord, confess our sin, and seek His mercy and grace.

We should not be afraid to let God’s Word examine us. We should be afraid of becoming so hardened that we no longer want to hear what it says.

Old Testament: Ezekiel 3:16–6:14
   

The Responsibility of a Watchman

God tells Ezekiel that He has appointed him as a watchman over Israel.

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”
Ezekiel 3:17

In those days, a watchman had an important responsibility. He watched for danger and warned the people when it was approaching. If he saw danger coming and failed to sound the alarm, people might suffer because he remained silent.

God uses that picture to explain Ezekiel’s responsibility. The prophet was not supposed to invent a message or decide what the people might enjoy hearing. He was supposed to listen to God and faithfully deliver what God had spoken.

Then comes a warning that should make us think:

“When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
Ezekiel 3:18

God does not say the wicked person will escape judgment because Ezekiel failed to warn him. The person remains responsible for his sin, but Ezekiel would also be held accountable for failing to deliver the warning God had given him.

We need to be careful not to take a command specifically given to Ezekiel and pretend that every detail applies to every Christian in exactly the same way. But Scripture certainly teaches that those who know the truth should not be ashamed or unwilling to speak it.

Paul said in Acts 20:26–27 that he was pure from the blood of all men because he had not failed to declare all the counsel of God. He understood the seriousness of faithfully delivering God’s message.

Sometimes we become so concerned about offending people that we forget what is actually at stake. We are talking about sin, judgment, repentance, and eternal life. Those are not small matters.

But warning someone does not mean being hateful or enjoying the thought of judgment. God told Ezekiel:

“For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”
Ezekiel 18:32

That should be our attitude as well. We speak because we want people to turn to God and live, not because we want to win an argument.

In chapters 4 and 5, God gives Ezekiel unusual instructions that serve as signs to the people. He is told to portray Jerusalem under siege, lie on his side for appointed periods, and prepare food under conditions that picture the hardship and uncleanness associated with the coming judgment.

God then tells Ezekiel to shave his head and beard and divide the hair into portions. Some would be burned, some struck with a sword, and some scattered to the wind. These actions represented what was coming upon Jerusalem because of the people’s continued rebellion.

By chapter 6, God is speaking judgment against the mountains of Israel, where the people had established places of idol worship. Their idols would not be able to save them when God’s judgment came.

Yet even in judgment, God speaks of those who would remain and remember Him among the nations.

God had been patient with His people. He had repeatedly warned them, but they continued going their own way. Their judgment did not come because God had failed to speak. It came because they refused to listen.

That brings the question back to us. Are we willing to hear God’s warnings ourselves before we try to warn anyone else?

Psalms: Psalm 104:24–35
  

The God Who Created Everything Is Still in Control

After the serious warnings in Hebrews and Ezekiel, Psalm 104 turns our attention toward God’s creation and His power over everything He has made.

“O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”
Psalm 104:24

Sometimes we become so caught up in our daily concerns that we forget how great our God really is. We look at the problems around us and wonder how things will ever work out, yet the same God who created the heavens and the earth is still ruling over His creation.

The psalmist describes the creatures of the sea, both great and small, and how they all depend upon God for their food and continued existence.

“These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.”
Psalm 104:27

God did not simply create everything and then walk away. His creation continues to depend upon Him.

The next verses remind us that life itself is in His hands. When He takes away breath, creatures die and return to the dust. When He sends forth His spirit, life is renewed upon the earth.

That should cause us to think about how completely dependent we are upon the Lord. We may make plans for tomorrow, but none of us can guarantee another breath.

Then the psalmist says:

“I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”
Psalm 104:33

What a wonderful way to respond to the greatness of God. Instead of living as though everything depends upon us, we ought to recognize the One who gives us life and sustains us.

This also connects with Ezekiel. The people of Israel had turned away from the living God to worship things made by human hands. Yet Psalm 104 reminds us that the Lord alone created everything and continues to sustain it.

Why would anyone turn away from the Creator to worship something that cannot even give life?

We need to make sure that nothing in our lives takes the place that belongs to God alone.
   

   
Proverbs: Proverbs 26:27

   
The Danger of the Evil We Plan for Others

Today’s proverb is short, but it carries a warning worth remembering:

“Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”
Proverbs 26:27

Solomon is warning us about the consequences of wickedness. A person who sets out to harm someone else may find himself caught in the very trouble he intended for another.

We see this principle illustrated throughout Scripture. Haman prepared a gallows for Mordecai, but Haman was hanged upon it himself in Esther 7:9–10.

That does not mean every wicked person immediately receives the same kind of punishment he intended for someone else. But Scripture makes it clear that God sees what people do, and no one should imagine that evil will ultimately escape His judgment.

Paul wrote:

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Galatians 6:7

Our actions matter, even when we think no one is watching. Nothing is hidden from God, just as we read in Hebrews.

That applies to the way we treat people. We should never allow bitterness, jealousy, or a desire for revenge to lead us into doing something wicked.

God knows our hearts, and He calls us to walk in truth.

Bringing Today’s Reading Together
   

Hebrews 4, Ezekiel 3–6, Psalm 104, Proverbs 26

As I think about these four passages, one thing keeps coming back to me. God has spoken, and what we do with His Word matters.

Hebrews reminds us that hearing the Word is not enough if we refuse to believe it. God’s Word reaches beyond our outward appearance and exposes what is actually happening in our hearts.

Ezekiel was told to warn the people because judgment was coming. He could not force them to repent, but he was responsible for faithfully delivering the message God had given him.

Psalm 104 reminds us that the God who speaks these things is the Creator of everything. He gives life, sustains His creation, and deserves our worship.

Proverbs warns us that the wickedness we practice against others can bring destruction upon ourselves.

We need to be especially careful about how we approach the responsibility of telling others about Jesus Christ. We should never forget that we are dealing with people’s souls. That means we should not change God’s message merely to make people comfortable, but neither should we speak with pride or act as though we are better than those we are trying to reach.

Paul gives us a good example of the heart we ought to have:

“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…”
2 Corinthians 5:11

He understood that God’s judgment was real, and that knowledge moved him to persuade others.

We need more of that today. Not arguments merely for the sake of winning. Not trying to impress others with how much Scripture we know. We need a genuine desire to see people come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we begin pointing out what everyone else needs to change, we should allow God’s Word to examine our own hearts.

Jesus said:

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
Luke 6:46

We cannot expect others to take God’s Word seriously if we are unwilling to do so ourselves.
    

Discussion Question | Today’s Reading

When we know someone is heading in the wrong direction, do we care enough to warn them lovingly from Scripture, even when it may be uncomfortable?

Just as importantly, are we willing to listen when God’s Word warns us about something in our own lives?

Overview: Hebrews –  Click Here

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