The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
I think we apply this, perhaps to the missionary in a foreign land,[1] whose duty it is to warn the people of coming judgment. Used in this setting it is appropriate to speak of all Christians because every Christian has a duty to both watch and warn the souls within reach. But please notice that it is the Idumean who enquired[2] of the watchman and not that the watchman shouted out the warning.
Someone will disagree and charge the watchman of negligence. “He should have been door to door with the message.” I understand. But that’s a stretch in the context. Certainly the Idumeans knew who and where the watchman was. We must never hide our candle. But the watchman only answered the enquiries. He never forced his message. Once asked, he then offered to provide them further details if they wished them.
I understand the urgency of winning souls. But I am confident that what has been happening, at least in some cases, has led to false professions of false, assurance of salvation where no such assurance is warranted, and a “cattle-driver” mentality in some churches attempting to make these false professors look like Christians. The result is the loss of the generations following because they witness the hypocrisy in the homes and churches they grew up in.
Our duty as believers is
First to be watchful.
Be aware of what the Word of God says so we have an answer for those who ask.
Second be visible.
Don’t hide your faith. We don’t have to be obnoxious or obtrusive. In fact, we ought to be exactly the opposite. But be visible. Our neighbors ought to know who the watchmen are.
Third be ready.
When the questions come, be willing to answer them with the Word of God. Let those who ask know you are willing to answer further questions. All they need do is ask.
[1] I say this primarily because it is the burden of Dumah- Idumea
[2] Traditionally, enquire simply meant “ask,” while inquire was used for formal investigations. In the UK, the two words are used interchangeably, although inquire is still the more commonly used word for formal or official investigations. In the United States, inquire is the strongly preferred spelling in all uses. (https://www.grammarly.com/blog/inquire-enquire)
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I do not mean by this that we are to practice "lifestyle evangelism." Too often that is code for "no purposeful evangelism." We must purposeful, mindful and even aggressive. But we cannot force anyone into genuine conversion.
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