Di Watchman

One hand come out from inside one vision wey dey shine like fire, and e hold one scroll. Dem write words for di front and for di back. And one voice talk: Son of man, eat dis scroll. So e eat am. And e sweet like honey.

Na about five hundred and ninety-three years before Christ. Ezekiel na young priest from Jerusalem. Five years before, dem carry am go Babylon together with King Jehoiachin and thousands of other people. Now e dey live for one settlement wey dem dey call Tel-abib, near di river Chebar, one big canal wey pass through di farms of Babylonia. By dis time, e for don dey serve for di temple. Instead, e be exile for strange land. And for there, near di canal, heaven open. Ezekiel see one vision of di glory of God wey dey shine well well: living creatures, wheels wey full with eyes, one throne, and one figure like man wey dey shine like fire. E fall down for im face. And God talk to am, and send am go meet im own people.

Di scroll full with hard words: lamentation, mourning and woe. But God tell am: Son of man, eat wetin you see; eat dis scroll, then go talk to di house of Israel. Ezekiel open im mouth, and God feed am di scroll. Make your belly full with am, God talk. Then I eat am, and for my mouth e sweet like honey. Dis one na picture of wetin prophet dey do. God word no just pass through am like messenger wey dey read letter. E enter inside am and become part of am. And even hard message from God dey sweet to di person wey receive am, because na God own word.

Then God tell Ezekiel di truth about di work. I no dey send you go meet strange nation wey dem language you no understand. If na dem I send you go meet, dem for listen to you. But di people of Israel no go listen to you, because dem no dey listen to me. Dem head strong and dem heart hard. So God talk: I don make your face hard like dem own. Like di hardest stone, e hard pass flint. No fear dem. Then di Spirit carry Ezekiel up, and for im back e hear one big noise wey dey rumble like earthquake, and voices wey dey talk: blessed be di glory of Di Lord. E go back to di exiles for Tel-abib, im spirit hot and e dey troubled. And for seven days e just sit down among dem, and di matter too heavy for am.

When seven days finish, di word of Di Lord come again. Son of man, I don make you watchman for di house of Israel: so hear di word from my mouth, and warn dem for me. Watchman dey stand for di top of di city wall, dey look far to see if danger dey come. If e see enemy wey dey come and e blow trumpet, e don do im work, even if nobody listen. But if e keep quiet, na im go answer for am. Na so e be for you, God tell Ezekiel. If I talk to wicked person say, You go surely die, and you no warn am, dat person go die for im sin, but I go hold you responsible for im blood. But if you warn am and e refuse to turn back, e go die for im sin, and you don save your own life. And if you warn good person make e no slide go do wrong, and e listen, e go live, and you go don save yourself too. Ezekiel work no be to force people make dem listen. Im work na to be faithful.

For Ezekiel time, watchman matter na matter of life and death. Around di same years, as Babylon dey attack Judah, one army officer write message for one piece of broken pot go give im commander for di city of Lachish. Archaeologists find am for di nineteen thirties, among di letters wey dem dey call di Lachish Letters. Di writer talk say dem dey watch for di fire signals of Lachish, because dem no fit see di signals of Azekah again. Watchmen for di hills dey look for di fires wey dey give warning.

You go find dis story for Ezekiel chapter three, verse one reach twenty-one. One priest wey eat scroll wey sweet like honey, and God send am make e warn im people with faithfulness. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Somebody dey wey you care about, wey need kind and honest word from you?