“On your walls, O Jerusalem,

I have set watchmen;

all the day and all the night

they shall never be silent.” vs6

The watchmen of God will never be silent! We have been appointed by God almighty, and we go forward preaching the gospel. Nothing can stop us, not plagues or famine, not wars or rumors of war. We have one business, and we have been commissioned to it. We have not called ourselves.

When God called Samuel, he must come, and he’s enabled to stand. 1 Sam 3:19, "And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground." When He called Ezekiel and Jeremiah, then they did His bidding. When He called Paul, then he labored unto death, willingly, as a drink offering, poured out to God’s glory and the church [Phil 2:17].

We are changed and transformed. He gives us a new heart, like all of His people, but He gives us a passion and a calling, a fire in our bones that must be let out. Jer 20:9, ‘If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.’

He gives us a message and opens doors to preach it. Irresistible grace raises up pastors, teachers, and evangelists in every generation for the good of the church, and we suffer for Christ, bearing His afflictions gladly. Col 1:24, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church."

If you have been called, then come! Join the royal band. God will never lack watchmen, until He establishes the church and all the elect are saved.

Secondly, when the Lord restores us, then things are better. Vs8-9

“I will not again give your grain

to be food for your enemies,

He chastened us sorely and taught us the law. He confounded and disciplined us, and He made us hurt for our sins. But, He had good in mind, as a father chastens His children, so we can partake in holiness [Heb 12:10].

He turned us from our own direction to see Christ, and now He’ll pour out the Spirit, continually, as we abide in Him. He’s taught us there’s no pleasure, except in Christ, so we remain faithful and eat to the full. He’s taught us to live by faith, and now He’ll do what only God can do, which is save by the Spirit. Imputed righteousness shines unto us, and we are comforted by God’s hands, who has grace for our sins and power to make us sin no more.

Oh, the goodness of God that we now experience: this is our inheritance, and the blessedness that He spoke of. This is the peace, the joy, and the freedom that produces good works. We are meek, humbled, and we love Him. We love people, because we are loved, and with fear and trembling we serve them for His sake. 1 John 3:17, “If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?"

Thirdly, our job is simply getting people to Christ. Vs10

“Go through, go through the gates;

prepare the way for the people;

build up, build up the highway;

clear it of stones;”

We are to make the way plain, and preach the gospel, turning them away from self-righteous and merit to free grace. We use the law to condemn the sinner, showing that he is exposed to God’s wrath, and wrong already. Yet, we motivate by the gospel, heal by the gospel, and the gospel is the essence of preaching. The heart of the matter is Jesus Christ and Him crucified, so we teach people HOW TO OBEY through the cross. We are ever setting Christ before their eyes. We are not swept away by false prophets, but we teach how they don’t preach the fullness of Christ, as we preach Him incessantly!

This is a glorious work that we’ve been called to, but it is the work of the church as a whole. Every believer is a witness of what he has seen and heard. Acts 4:20For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” We preach what we’ve experienced.