August 22nd~Stand in the Gap

Ezekiel 22:17-23:49

2 Kings 24:20b-25:2

Jeremiah 52:3b-5

Jeremiah 39:1

Ezekiel 24:1-14

The Lord had some harsh things to say to His people for their sinful deeds. He used three analogies to describe His disfavor. First, He said, “The people are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over, a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead. I will melt them down in the heat of My fury” (22:17-22).

Second, He described them as adulterous women, who had given themselves to the idols of their neighbors. They disdained their marriage vows — their covenant with God — and chased the pleasures of other lovers. “You will drink from the cup of terror,” said the Lord, “a cup that is large and deep. You will be fully paid for your prostitution, your worship of idols. You will suffer the full penalty!” (23:32, 49).

Third, He portrayed His people in a pot over a fire. “Destruction is certain for Jerusalem, the city of murderers! She is a pot full of corruption. I Myself will pile up the fuel beneath her! The time has come and I won’t hold back. I will not change My mind. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions” (24:6, 14).

God had reached the end of His patience. He was about to pour out His wrath on the nation of Judah; but, before He did, He “looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one” (22:30).

I found this statement interesting for several reasons. First, notice what it was that guarded the land from destruction — “the wall of righteousness.” As we have discussed before, a nation’s stability is directly linked to its morality, whether it does right by God’s standards.

Second, if that wall of righteousness begins to crack or crumble, the Lord looks for people to stand in the gap. In other words, God uses individuals to confront sin in a nation — like a Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Hezekiah, or Josiah — so that His anger and judgment will be averted. Here again is the remarkable influence that one person can have in the course of history.

Finally, the Lord identified leaders in the land who, instead of standing in the gaps, “repaired the cracked walls with whitewash” (22:28). Of course, these are not leaders at all, but charlatans who talk a big game but deceive everyone with rhetoric and no real solutions.

Daily Reflection

Of course the person who would stand in the gap for all men, the ultimate solution to our sin problem, is Jesus Christ. He is the only one who could avert the wrath of God for good. He breached the wall of righteousness which now surrounds and protects us for all time.

However, the Father, through Jesus Christ, sent us, His followers, out into the world to be salt and light, agents of change, to stand in the gap and halt the advance of decay with the Gospel. What does that look like in real life?

In our nation today, our wall of righteousness is cracking and crumbling. There are many holes to plug. The Lord is looking for men and women to stand in the gap on His behalf. Is that you? Are you ready and willing to be used by Him?

BiAY.org | Day 234 — 131 Days to Go