When Watchmen are Silent!

Part 2 of 2. The Burden of Dumah: "Watchman, What of the Night?"

In Part 1, we examined the burden of the desert, where literal Babylon falls and spiritual Babylon rises. We saw how watchmen can fall asleep at their posts, leaving people vulnerable to bondage they don't recognize until it's too late.

But Isaiah 21 contains another burden. And this one cuts even deeper.

You're asking questions. Real questions. About your faith, your church, your future. You need clear answers. But something's wrong. Either the people who should know aren't giving you straight answers, or you're hearing truth and you can't receive it.

Maybe they've compromised. Maybe they're spiritually weak. Or maybe, and this is where humility has to start, maybe you have no ears to hear.

Isaiah saw this coming 2,700 years ago. He called it the burden of Dumah, silence like a grave. We'd say it's "dead quiet." And it's the crisis we're living through right now.

Silence

Later in Isaiah 21, we hit a different burden. This one's called the burden of Dumah, and it's haunting in its brevity. Only two verses. But those two verses capture a crisis we're living through right now.

Someone cries out to the watchman:

Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? (Isaiah 21:11)

Notice the repetition. This isn't casual. This is desperate. Darkness is closing in. Danger's coming. How much longer? Are we safe, or is judgment coming?

They're asking the watchman because he's supposed to see what they can't. He stands in the high place with a clear view. He should know what's approaching. And the watchman replies:

The morning comes, and also the night: if you will inquire, inquire: return, come. (Isaiah 21:12)

Wait. What kind of answer is that?

Is it morning or night? Relief or more trouble? What they hear is not clear to them! Both. Maybe. Who knows? And then: "If you want to ask again, go ahead. Come back later if you want."

This is evasive. This is unclear. This doesn't help them prepare for anything.

Why the Uncertainty?

Why is the watchman's answer so unclear? Maybe God intentionally gave a cryptic answer, like when Jesus spoke in parables. Jesus explained:

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (Matthew 13:13)

He was quoting Isaiah—those with hardened hearts had closed their eyes:

lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Matthew 13:15)

Sometimes God veils truth until people are ready to hear and obey.

But there are more troubling possibilities: maybe the watchman himself doesn't know. Maybe he's fallen asleep. Maybe he's been compromised. Maybe he's spiritually weak and can't discern what's coming.

When you encounter unclear sound or silence from the watchman, there are three possibilities:

First, the ministry has compromised. They've abandoned truth, embraced error, or fallen asleep. Pray to find faithful ministry.

Second, the ministry is spiritually weak. They're trying to serve but need to be fed themselves. They haven't grown into the depth required for certain answers. Pray to help strengthen them.

Third, and this requires humility: maybe you have no ears to hear. The sound may be clear, but you can't receive it because of hardness of heart, unwillingness to obey, or spiritual immaturity.

This is where Daniel's pattern becomes essential. When you encounter silence or unclear sound, start with humility: "Maybe it's me." Then do what Daniel did.

Daniel lived in Babylon, cut off from the temple, unable to gather with God's people as the law commanded. No access to faithful shepherds in Jerusalem. The worship house was destroyed. Yet Daniel didn't use that as an excuse for spiritual isolation. He prayed three times daily. He studied the prophecies of Jeremiah and Isaiah. He fasted and sought God persistently until truth became clear.

And critically, Daniel didn't accept exile as permanent. He worked toward restoration. He used his position to influence Cyrus, which eventually allowed the people to return and Nehemiah to rebuild the walls.

That's the pattern: begin with humility, then pray, study, seek truth persistently, and watch. As you do this faithfully, God will clarify which of the three possibilities you're facing. He'll reveal whether the ministry has compromised, whether they need strengthening, or whether you need to humble yourself to receive correction you've been resisting.

God will not leave you in isolation forever. But the silence of watchmen doesn't excuse you from seeking Him diligently until He places you where He wants you—not where you choose based on comfort or convenience.

This is the terrifying reality many face today. Some are asking for direction, and the people who should give clear answers—pastors, teachers, leaders—are giving vague responses. "It'll all work out." "God loves you no matter what." "Just follow your heart." "Don't worry about doctrine, focus on relationships."

But others are crying out to watchmen who ARE giving clear answers—and they reject it. They call biblical standards "legalism." Holiness preaching becomes "judgmental." Doctrinal precision becomes "divisive." They want the watchman to tell them what they want to hear, not what God says.

These are Dumah messages. Silence where there should be clarity. Vagueness where there should be certainty. Comfort where there should be warning. Rejection of truth is its own kind of silence, refusing to hear what's clearly said.

The Consequence of Weak Ministry

When spiritual leaders give uncertain answers, the consequences are catastrophic. Paul warns:

For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? (1 Corinthians 14:8)

If the watchman can't tell you whether morning or night is coming, how do you prepare? You won't. You'll be caught off guard and walk into bondage thinking you're fine because no one warned you clearly.

This is happening on a massive scale. Congregations lose members because shepherds have nothing substantial to offer, or because people themselves are unable to hear. Either way requires action.

When shepherds are weak, feed themselves instead of the flock, and won't address hard truths, the sheep wander into bondage. When people can't hear truth clearly spoken, they also wander.

Scripture warns: like people, like priest (Hosea 4:9). You become like the ministry you follow. Sometimes these ministers need to be fed instead of feeding others (Hebrews 5:12).

That's why designer salvation is so wrong.

The Solution: Watchful Ministry and Watchful People

Here's what both burdens reveal: the solution isn't individualistic spirituality where everyone figures it out alone. That's not the biblical pattern. God never intended His people to wander isolated, building their own version of Christianity from podcasts, Instagram posts, YouTube preachers, or Facebook ministries.

First, understand this: God places you in the body as He wills. Not where you choose. Not where it's convenient or comfortable. Not where your friends go or you like the preaching style.

You pray. You seek. You study God's Word. You wait on Him to show you where He wants you placed. When He reveals it through prayer and confirmation, you submit there. The placement is His decision, not yours.

The technology changes, but the problem stays the same. The enemy's trick? Isolate people into treating salvation like a "choose your own adventure" book, switching channels on their spiritual life like it's entertainment. From newspapers and radio to television to Facebook and YouTube—the medium changes but the danger remains: pulling people from committed local congregations.

But here's the issue: God told you not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). When Paul was imprisoned or couldn't travel, only then did he send letters. But even those letters were carried by people and read aloud in public gatherings. Paul repeatedly expressed his longing to see you face to face (1 Thessalonians 2:17). When people needed healing, they uncovered the roof and lowered the sick down for healing (Mark 2:4). Physical presence mattered that much. Jesus promised:

Where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there. (Matthew 18:20)

These communication tools should reach the unchurched and homebound, not help believers build designer salvation.

Some online preachers are excellent teachers using their platform to reach the lost and encourage the homebound. But others have left the truth—embracing heresy, living as hypocrites, or committing sins their followers never see. When you haven't submitted to the shepherd God gave you, the one accountable for your soul, you will be deceived and pulled into compromise.

This is not designer salvation where you get to say:

Let us be called by your name (Isaiah 4:1)

You cannot claim to be church of God, but then pick and choose which preacher to listen to like you're building a custom playlist. The Bible says to hearken to the watchman, the pastors that God has appointed:

"For they watch for your souls, as they that must give account"(Hebrews 13:17)

Those other pastors you're streaming and following online aren't going to give account for your soul. Only the one where God placed you.

Picture judgment day. "Lord, I called myself by your name. I listened to great preaching every week." Then God asks your local pastor—the one accountable for your soul—to give his report. "I never saw them. They weren't there.

Only one of those men will be called to give account for you. And it's probably not the ones you're choosing to customize your salvation.

The biblical pattern: watchful ministry and watchful people working together. You can't build designer salvation from whatever sources you prefer. But you also can't outsource discernment and assume showing up equals safety.

You need faithful shepherds who give you the full counsel of God—the whole truth, not just easy parts. Watchmen who warn about soul dangers and give clear direction.

But you must be watchful too. Pray through what you hear. Search the Scriptures. Verify teaching aligns with God's Word. Then obey it.

The Bereans verified even Paul's teaching daily. If they needed to verify an apostle, how much more must we? Your pastor gives account for what he taught. You give account for whether you verified and obeyed it.

God always raises up watchmen like Isaiah to see what's coming, prophetic preachers like Jeremiah to declare it plainly, and careful students like Daniel to understand the timeline and live faithfully through it.

Isaiah saw coming judgment 150 years before it struck. Jeremiah lived through it and declared the Babylonian yoke would last seventy years. Daniel lived through it all—the fall, the captivity, and the rise of new empires. He studied God's Word, prayed, fasted, and waited until God revealed truth. Even in exile he had the prophets' words to guide him, trusted friends, and a remnant who refused to compromise. That's the pattern for extreme circumstances, but it's not God's ideal.

After the exile, Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem's walls. At first the people stepped up in emergency to guard the gates. But as Nehemiah learned, he adjusted and established Levitical gatekeepers—those specifically called and equipped for oversight—to be in charge of the watch. This is God's design: faithful watchmen guarding the gates.

Nehemiah didn't leave every individual to guard their own section alone. You need both: faithful watchmen guarding the gates, and personal vigilance in what passes through.

The Three-Part Pattern

Both of these ancient burdens point to the same crisis and solution—a three-part pattern requiring all three elements working together.

First: Seek truth persistently. When you encounter unclear sound or silence, begin with humility: "Maybe it's me." Then do what Daniel did—pray, study God's Word, fast if necessary, and wait on God until He clarifies what you're facing. Don't accept spiritual isolation as permanent. He will not leave you in exile forever, but you must seek Him diligently.

Second: Find faithful watchmen—not just close ones, but true ones. Stop settling for vagueness and ministry that refuses hard distinctions. God places you in the body as He wills, not where you choose by comfort or convenience. Pray until He makes clear where you belong. Then sit under faithful shepherds who give you the whole truth even when it's hard to hear—watchmen who stay alert and give certain sounds.

Third: Take responsibility for your own soul. You cannot outsource your discernment. Search the Scriptures daily like the Bereans to verify what you're taught. Your pastor gives account for what he taught, but you take responsibility for verifying and obeying it. Don't consume teaching like entertainment. Engage with it. Pray through it. Guard your gates carefully and only let truth pass through. When it becomes clear, obey it.

All three are required. You can't isolate yourself and build designer salvation. You can't just show up and assume proximity equals truth. And you can't submit to faithful teaching but refuse personal responsibility for verification and obedience.

This generation has mistaken independence from authority for spiritual maturity. That's not the biblical pattern. Real maturity is knowing you need a watchman, being willing to follow one who's actually watching, and taking responsibility for your soul.

Don't be the person calling "Watchman, what of the night?" who won't press in for clear answers. Don't demand truth then get offended when it challenges you. Don't reject clear sound and call it legalism. And don't be spiritually asleep when the watchman's trying to wake you up.

The darkness is real. The threats are approaching. You need clear truth. You need faithful watchmen. And you need to be watchful yourself.

Are you willing to seek truth persistently? Will you submit to where God places you, not where comfort dictates? Will you take responsibility for verifying and obeying what you're taught? Will you guard your heart and only let truth pass through?

Because morning is coming. But so is night. And you need to know which one you're walking into.

Can you hear the watchman calling?