Dumb Dogs

(Isa 56:10) His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

Watchmen – these are men who have been given the responsibility to warn the people of danger. Watchmen are accountable. They are punished severely for not living up to their duty. If they go to sleep or fail to warn the people for any other reason they are sometimes put to death. Watchmen are not simply a thing of the past – we have watchmen now, also. There are those who watch the borders, the shores, and the airspace of our country. Since so much is at stake these people are held to a very high standard. They cannot be lazy and slumbering. They cannot be slow to recognize dangers and threats and they must be prepared to act immediately.

God has watchmen, also. They are called pastors. They are given the charge of the flock of God’s people. They will give account to God for what they say, as well as what they don’t say. Regardless of whether they have put themselves in this position or if God has placed them there, they will answer to God for whether they are faithful to warn or not. Some are hirelings who are making a living (and sometimes a very comfortable living) simply entertaining people and telling them what they want to hear. A few are faithful men who are willing to be misunderstood, misrepresented, persecuted, and hated for sounding the warning when people don’t want to hear it.

A watchman is not someone who just blesses everyone he comes into contact with. He doesn’t proclaim “peace, peace” when the enemy is beating down the gates of the city. The watchman cries out the warning. In the verse at the top of this article we read about the nation of Israel at a time when they were facing the judgment of God. They had forsaken God for their idols once again and their enemies were about to destroy them. God says that during this time his watchmen were all “dumb dogs” that could not “bark.” He goes on to describe them as greedy, selfish, drunken, lazy bums, who had no understanding and were always looking for their own gain. They had no concern for what was about to happen to the people of God and to their country – they only looked out for themselves.

Do you honestly realize what all is at stake with your soul and the souls of your children, family, and whoever else for whom you might be responsible? Do you really want to go to a church and hear a man bless and tell stories and make you feel good while the world around us is disintegrating into chaos and wickedness? If you and your family are not warned of the dangers to your soul at church where else are you going to hear a warning? And if a man of God will not warn you of the approaching danger, who else will?

We all need a man who walks with God and has the wisdom and courage to cry aloud and spare not. We do not need a hireling who will tiptoe around and whose main goal is to articulate his sermons so carefully as to not offend anyone. We do not need someone who is too weak, cowardly and selfish to stand before the people and tell them the truth. There is too much at stake!

Why would you listen to a man that won’t tell the whole truth about spiritual things? You certainly wouldn’t want a doctor who treated you that way just to get your money. You wouldn’t knowingly put your money in a bank or any type of investment with someone who hid the risks and dangers from you to fill his own pockets. But the truth is that most people want a preacher to be a dumb dog that cannot bark. They want a spiritual pimp that will give them their spiritual fix each week. They want someone that can give them an emotional buzz, but that is not what this is all about! We need someone who will not fail to tell us where we are wrong or warn us of the spiritual danger in our lives.

(Jer 5:31) The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

The compromise that has happened in the past 20 years is enough to make you sick. Men who once appeared to stand against sin and worldliness have done according to the old saying, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Many of the men who ordained me to preach 25 years ago are now practicing and promoting the things they were calling sin back then. They asked me questions straightly and would not have ordained me if I had answered them with what THEY believe now. They didn’t compromise because they became enlightened or educated. They didn’t compromise and change their convictions because God led them that way. They gave up the fight and compromised because it was too hard. The opposition is too strong. It hurts too bad to be ostracized and criticized. They simply prefer the praise of men to the praise of God. Their crowds are larger and their pockets are more padded when they tow the line and give the people what they want. They have no courage because they are only concerned about themselves and their popularity, prosperity, and security. Anyone can see the results of their compromise in the lives of those who are following them. But they will face God Almighty very soon and they will answer for their unfaithfulness to God. It is utter wickedness for a man to “hold the truth in unrighteousness.” What kind of heart is in a man that can stand before people week after week and watch their lives degenerate under the influence of worldly pleasures and philosophies and not say a thing when he knows what the danger is and what to do about it because it will cost him popularity or money?

When a man is in a position of shepherd over the people of God he will give account to God one day for everything he does or doesn’t do. He MUST tell the people the truth! He has a Bible and he MUST preach ALL of it – not just certain parts. If he knows the truth and he doesn’t preach it he is simply a liar and a deceiver – it cannot be otherwise. If he fails to warn people when they are starting down a road that leads to sin and destruction he is either an unwise man or an unfaithful man. You should run from these “dumb dogs” and find a man who walks with God and has the wisdom, the courage, experience, and true love for God and for souls to be a faithful watchman for God.