Warning The Wicked
I had the pleasure of visiting the Bald River Falls for the first time back in the 12th month of 2021. As I was shooting everything in sight, I noticed this stone path leading upward. It was narrow, a bit winding with no guardrails to support you, but if you are successful in reaching the top, the beauty of looking down on this magnificent waterfall is the reward. The pictures above is my personal depiction of the narrow path, with only the stones to guide us which are YAHWEH’S Laws. Our Faith in YESHUA is the guide rails we hold on to as we make our way up the path leading us to something extraordinarily beautiful and greater than ourselves; and greater than our lives here on earth.
Warning the wicked, harsh title isn’t it? Same thing I thought when I began reading in Ezekiel. The entire chapter 33 is dedicated to YAHWEH telling Ezekiel that he is a watchman sent to speak to the children of Israel about turning from their wickedness. For example Ezekiel 33:6-8 says: But when the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and does not warn the people, and the sword comes and takes the life from among them, that life is taken away in his iniquity; but I will require his blood at the watchman’s hand. 7: So you, O Son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear the word from my mouth, you shall warn them from me. 8: When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die; and you do not speak to the wicked man that he may take heed from his evil way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hands. What I realize about this chapter is that it’s not so much about warning the wicked which is very important, but that our Father YAHWEH continuously stressed the point of the wicked turning from their iniquities or evil ways. This point is important and stressed in such a way that those who do walk in righteousness and see their brethren engaged in iniquity and do not warn them and they die in their wickedness or sins, their blood is on the hands of the person who did not warn them. YAHWEH briefly touched on this in Ezekiel 3:18-21 (I will site the verses below) but this is such an important matter that it’s repeated with an entire chapter dedicated to this subject.
So what is meant by wicked? Strong's H7563 describes wicked as: guilty one, one guilty of crime 1. wicked (hostile to God) 2. guilty of sin (against God or man). OK so first, a wicked person is one who is guilty of a crime. To be guilty of a crime, a law must be broken, so the next question is; what law? I can’t imagine any other laws the children of Israel are breaking than those given to them by our Father YAHWEH which is the Torah defined as: the teaching, direction, guidance and law. Now let’s take a look a the word evil. Strong’s H7451 has many words describing evil with wicked being one of them. It says in 1 John 3:4,7-8 Whoever commits sin commits evil; for all sin is evil. 7-8: My children, let no man deceive you; he who does righteousness is righteous, just as HA’MASHIACH is righteous. 8: He who commits sin is of the devil, because the devil has been a sinner from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of Elohim appeared, that He might destroy the works of the devil. With this I understand a little better why our Father implores us to sound the alarm for those whom we know are walking in darkness, continuing to transgress His laws, which He our Creator deems wicked and evil; as evil is liken to the devil. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to be in any way, shape or form like the devil.
The world has been created to raise each of us up to believe that all the good we do in the world is sufficient. We are taught love is love and if we are nice people and love each other as we are, then “God” loves us just as we are and we are saved by grace, because of the work that “Jesus” did on the cross. Well it may be true that “God” does love you just as you are and no matter what you do you are saved by grace and “Jesus’” work on the cross. However, YAHWEH loves you, but He does not love you just as you are especially if you ignore His laws, living content in your sins; and YESHUA’S work on the stake was not a free pass to “do as thou wilt” as long as it makes you happy; which by the way is a doctrine of satan. The good we do is not sufficient because Isaiah 64:6-7 says: For we have all become like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; we all fall off like leaves; and our iniquities like the whirlwind, have taken us away. Taken us away from what exactly? Let’s keep reading: 7: There is none that calls upon thy name, that remembers to take hold of thee; for Thou has turned away Thy face from us, and has delivered us into the power of our sins. This is painful to read because I know what this feels like to forget Him. I repeat “there is none that calls upon thy name, that remembers to take hold of thee” We have forgotten Him and we don’t even call on Him when in our distress. We tend to call on psychiatric counselors, spiritual leaders and even the government before we call on our Father YAHWEH. Our sinful ways cause us to be taken away from Him. This theme is loud and passionate all throughout Isaiah and Ezekiel. He is giving us a chance to come back to Him and to Deuteronomy 30:15-16 See I have set before you this day life and good, and death and misfortunes; 16: In that I command you this day to love YAHWEH your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and his statutes and His judgments; then you shall live; and multiply exceedingly; and YAHWEH your ELOHIM shall bless you in the land which you are entering to possess. I quoted this scripture in a previous devotional and it’s as true now, as it was then, as it was when YAHWEH first said it through Moshe.
In this world today we have been programmed to believe that we are blessed when we have a 3000 sq ft home, expensive jewelry, Louis Vuitton after 5 dinner dress and red bottom stilettos, or drive a Maybach; when the real blessing is that He simply knows your name and you hear Him call you by it. If you are walking in covenant with YAHWEH it is not easy, but you will know exactly where everything you do have comes from. You will be confident that regardless your circumstance He is definitely checking for you; and He has got you in this world, and the world to come. So what does this all mean? My dear brothers and sisters, it means I am doing my Ezekiel 3:18-21 best to get you to understand that the commandments have not been done away with. I have heard the sound of the trumpet and if you haven’t, please take heed to what the RUACH HA’KODESH has said in this devotional. YAHWEH wants us to come out of the world 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, says YAHWEH and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18: And will be a Father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters, said YAHWEH Almighty.
To close, I will leave you with this scripture and as people of this world, which I was also a christian believing, world belonging to, law transgressor; we want to belong, and be liked by everyone. However John 15:19-23 says: If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but you are not of the world for I have chosen you our of the world; this is why the world hates you. 20: Remember the word which I said to you, that no servant is greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my world they will also keep yours. 21: But they will do all these things to you for the sake of my name, because they do not know Him who sent me. 22: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would be without sin; but now they have no excuse for their sins. 23: He who hates me hates my Father also.
So it’s time to reflect on the truth about our lives and ask a few rhetorical questions. Are you walking in covenant with YAHWEH and YESHUA keeping the laws and commandments? Does the world hate and reject your walk, or love the way you’re living?
Shalom!
Just a few supporting verses
But when the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and does not warn the people, and the sword comes and takes the life from among them, that life is taken away in his iniquity; but I will require his blood at the watchman’s hand. 7: So you, O Son of man, I have set you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear the word from my mouth, you shall warn them from me. 8: When I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die; and you do not speak to the wicked man that he may take heed from his evil way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hands.
-Ezekiel 33:6-8
When I say to the sinner, You shall surely die; but you have not warned him, nor have you spoken to warn the sinner from his wicked way, to save his life; the same sinner shall die in his iniquity; and his blood will I require at your hand. 19: But if you warn the sinner, and he turn not from his sin nor from his evil way, he shall die in his sins; but you have delivered your soul. 20: Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, I will lay a stumbling block before him, and he shall die; because you have not given him warning, he shall die in his sins and his righteousness which he had done shall not be remembered; and his blood will I require at your hand. 21: Nevertheless, if you warn the righteous man, that he may not sin, and he does not sin, the righteous man shall surely live, because he is warned; and you have delivered your soul.
-Ezekiel 3:18-21
Whoever commits sin commits evil; for all sin is evil. 7-8: My children, let no man deceive you; he who does righteousness is righteous, just as HA’MASHIACH is righteous. 8: He who commits sin is of the devil, because the devil has been a sinner from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of Elohim appeared, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
-1 John 3:4,7-8
For we have all become like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; we all fall off like leaves; and our iniquities like the whirlwind, have taken us away. Taken us away from what exactly? Let’s keep reading: 7: There is none that calls upon thy name, that remembers to take hold of thee; for Thou has turned away Thy face from us, and has delivered us into the power of our sins.
-Isaiah 64:6-7
See I have set before you this day life and good, and death and misfortunes; 16: In that I command you this day to love YAHWEH your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and his statutes and His judgments; then you shall live; and multiply exceedingly; and YAHWEH your ELOHIM shall bless you in the land which you are entering to possess.
-Deuteronomy 30:15-16
Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, says YAHWEH and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18: And will be a Father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters, said YAHWEH Almighty.
-2 Corinthians 6:17-18
If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but you are not of the world for I have chosen you our of the world; this is why the world hates you. 20: Remember the word which I said to you, that no servant is greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my world they will also keep yours. 21: But they will do all these things to you for the sake of my name, because they do not know Him who sent me. 22: If I had not come and spoken to them, they would be without sin; but now they have no excuse for their sins. 23: He who hates me hates my Father also.
-John 15:19-23
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.
-Isaiah 58:1
For all of my “But Paul said” people I have a beautiful, clear and concise, in-depth look into what Paul really said. Just click the link below!