My Thoughts on What Stand in the Gap in Ezekiel 22:30 Means
Years ago, I remembered a song called "Stand in the Gap" from Praise Worship. The song's theme was taken from the verse Ezekiel 22:30 which God laments that no one was willing to stand in the gap. This was a defying expectation when Ezekiel from the Tribe of Levi became that person to stand in the gap. Israel and Judah were practically in exile. Before Ezekiel, others had stood in the gap. A good example is Moses of the Tribe of Levi who also interceded with God not to destroy the hard-headed people who were having an idolatrous feast in Exodus 32. Later, Aaron (the first high priest) acted like a person to stand in the gap in Numbers 16 after those who joined Korah's rebellion fell into Hell alive. Ezekiel as a Levite would be familiar with that story of Aaron and Moses that well due to his Levite heritage.
Why has it become a very hard task to stand in the gap on behalf of the land? It takes extreme patience. I would hate to be in Jeremiah's shoes as the prophet who was living in so much misery while an unrepentant population had judgment hanging on their heads. Jeremiah himself has ridiculed all his life and not so many repented. Jeremiah 44 summarized the problem of those who still worshiped the goddess known as the Queen of Heaven. To be a prophet meant you could die the worst possible death. Some say that Isaiah got sawn in half. Later, the apostles usually suffered martyrdom, or that John has later died as a prisoner in Patmos. To stand up for God means to go against a whole world that Satan dominates. Yet, Ezekiel became that man to do God's job. Just imagine if Ezekiel didn't do what God told him. The Jewish nation would've probably been extinct.
Why has it become a very hard task to stand in the gap on behalf of the land? It takes extreme patience. I would hate to be in Jeremiah's shoes as the prophet who was living in so much misery while an unrepentant population had judgment hanging on their heads. Jeremiah himself has ridiculed all his life and not so many repented. Jeremiah 44 summarized the problem of those who still worshiped the goddess known as the Queen of Heaven. To be a prophet meant you could die the worst possible death. Some say that Isaiah got sawn in half. Later, the apostles usually suffered martyrdom, or that John has later died as a prisoner in Patmos. To stand up for God means to go against a whole world that Satan dominates. Yet, Ezekiel became that man to do God's job. Just imagine if Ezekiel didn't do what God told him. The Jewish nation would've probably been extinct.
Ezekiel 22 also talks about the unrepentant state of the prophets and the priests. I believe God called Ezekiel to be a prophet-priest to counter the degenerate prophets and priests of that day. The prophets were supposed to transmit God's Word instead of pleasant lies. The priests were supposed to serve the place of worship. Instead, we read in Ezekiel 22:25-28 that the prophets have been profiteering, the priests don't care about the holy from the unholy, and the nobles are still abusing their privileges. Such a lack of distinction is in the church today. Today, we've got people claiming to be prophets when the office of the prophet is no longer active. Today, we've got pastors who aren't men of God but men of Satan. 1 Samuel 2:12 even describes the two sons of Eli (Hophni and Phineas) to be children of Satan (called Belial) who knew not the LORD. Many of the priests and pastors of Ezekiel's day were still unrepentant even after all the warnings that Jeremiah also gave prior to the day of disaster.
It's really not easy to stand against the prophets and priests of that day. Ezekiel had to be as hard (or even harder) than a hickory nut. Today, it's not even easy to speak against a popular false prophet (who gets coined as the prophet for profit) or a false preacher. We've got many Balaams such as Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and Mike Murdock to name a few. We've got popular false preachers today who get popular because they preach according to the lusts of the flesh. Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 for Timothy to stand by God's Word in the midst of people who will not endure sound doctrine and choose what will be pleasing to them. It's also called people who preach according to a worldly viewpoint. Why do you think pastors who preach only nice things get popular, get wealthy and can live a luxurious lifestyle? It's because people pay to be lied to with pleasant stuff. A pastor who's harder than a hickory nut could end up like Jeremiah or Ezekiel - somebody who's in the midst of a rebellious nation.
There's really that high cost yet there's the infinite value of following Jesus. Salvation is a free gift, not of works, yet it cost God the Father His Son's life to be able to accomplish it. Even more, accepting the free gift of salvation means going against the world and there's much to lose. The worldly viewpoint is that you're righteous enough for Heaven. Many think it doesn't matter what religion you practice as long as you're a good person. Many times, I wish it were true but it will never be true. It works only in mythologies but not in reality. God's viewpoint is that nobody is righteous and needs His Son's imputation in order to be truly righteous and delivered from sin. The best religious person wh Some people have been ostracized for receiving the free gift of salvation. Others have been martyred for receiving the free gift of salvation. What's in the world is destined to perish. Ezekiel understood the high cost and infinite value of following God. The false prophets only cared about their popularity. Ezekiel could care less about his popularity and stood in the gap because he knew it was the right thing to do.
It's a question I ask myself often if I'm willing to stand in the gap. Personally, I find myself saying no way too many times that only God can keep count. I still find it hard to stand in the gap who wronged me by my own flesh. Thankfully, God's grace is more powerful than the unforgiveness in my heart. Ezekiel was a man driven by God's grace. If God was willing to give grace to Ezekiel to do the job then why am I trying to do God's work on my own strength? That's why I would say no a lot of times because the flesh is nothing but a hindrance to that task. Standing in the gap is tremendous responsibility that requires God's power to accomplish it.
It's a question I ask myself often if I'm willing to stand in the gap. Personally, I find myself saying no way too many times that only God can keep count. I still find it hard to stand in the gap who wronged me by my own flesh. Thankfully, God's grace is more powerful than the unforgiveness in my heart. Ezekiel was a man driven by God's grace. If God was willing to give grace to Ezekiel to do the job then why am I trying to do God's work on my own strength? That's why I would say no a lot of times because the flesh is nothing but a hindrance to that task. Standing in the gap is tremendous responsibility that requires God's power to accomplish it.
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