When the Watchmen Sleep
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There are passages in Scripture that don't just speak—they pierce.
Isaiah 56:10–12 is one of them.
It’s not a verse we typically cross-stitch onto a pillow or hang in a nursery. It’s weighty. Confronting. But sometimes, it’s the hardest words that are the most healing...when we let them do their holy work.
Let’s read it slowly, with reverence and room for conviction.
“His watchmen are blind, all of them, they have not known. All of them are dumb dogs – unable to bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
The dogs have a strong appetite, they never have enough. And they are shepherds who have no understanding. They have all turned to their own way, each one for his own gain, from his own end, saying,
‘Come, let me bring wine and let us drink! And they fill themselves with strong drink. And tomorrow shall be as today, even much greater!’”
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 56:10–12, TS2009
These verses speak of watchmen—צֹפִים (Tsofim)—those called to be alert, discerning, and ready to sound the alarm when danger drew near. But these watchmen had grown blind.
They were meant to watch, but they slept.
They were meant to warn, but they were silent.
They were meant to shepherd, but they wandered off for their own gain.
And YHWH saw it all.
He compared them to kelev ilēm — mute dogs— loving to slumber, dreaming instead of doing. Their appetite wasn’t for righteousness, but for indulgence. Not to serve, but to be served. Not to guard the flock, but to grow fat from it.
It’s easy to read a passage like this and think of “those leaders” or “that church.” But Humbled Happenings has never been about finger-pointing. It’s always been about looking inward first.
So I ask:
Am I awake to the dangers creeping into my own home?
Have I become silent in places where YHWH has called me to speak gently but clearly?
Have I traded my post for comfort?
Have I loved rest more than readiness?
Not every shepherd wears a title.
Sometimes we’re simply shepherding a home, a heart, a little flock of children, or the atmosphere of our marriages. But the call remains: stay awake.
The final verse is sobering:
“Come, let me bring wine… let’s drink! Tomorrow will be like today—only better!”
There’s this casual arrogance here. A comfort in routine sin. A shrugging off of repentance. And maybe, if we’re honest, we’ve all felt that pull to just tune out for a while. To escape. To be numb. To pretend we’ll deal with it “tomorrow.”
But when the watchmen sleep, the walls are vulnerable. And when the shepherds stray, the sheep are scattered.
This isn’t a post meant to shame—it’s an invitation to return.
To ask YHWH to open our eyes again.
To help us see clearly.
To speak when we’d rather stay silent.
To care deeply again... for the little things and the eternal ones.
Because He is still calling watchmen to the walls.
Still whispering to hearts that hunger for more than this world can offer.
Still offering grace—not to the perfect—but to the present. The humble. The willing.
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Yisra’ĕl.”
Yeḥezqĕl (Ezekiel) 3:17, TS2009
R&R (Reflect and Respond):
Where have I grown silent or sleepy?
What area of my life needs a fresh alertness?
Have I been chasing gain when I was called to give?
Have I numbed myself to the nudge of His Spirit?
Ask Abba to show you gently. He always does! He doesn’t shout in condemnation (that's the enemy). He whispers in compassion. He draws us with cords of kindness.
Sample Prayer
Abba,
Wake me up again.
Not to strive, but to stand.
Not to fear, but to be faithful.
Let me not be found sleeping when You’ve called me to watch.
Sharpen my sight. Soften my heart.
And give me the courage to care again.
In the name of Your Son, our Shepherd—Yeshua, the Messiah.
Amein.
Are you awake at your post?
Let this be a quiet check-in, not a condemnation. Ask Abba to open your eyes, steady your feet, and help you stay faithful on the wall.
Share this with a fellow watchman—and let’s keep each other alert in love, not fear.