For many years and through many revisions, I worked on a painting I called “The Gap,” based on Ezekiel 22:30.
“. . . I sought for a man from among them who should make a wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found no one.”
More recently, I wanted to write about what a gap was and how it affected our lives today, especially since Ezekiel 22:30 seemed a very sad verse. Here was God, talking to and thru Ezekiel about how He had looked for a man, a spiritual leader to stand between the Israelites and Himself to keep Him from destroying the land. As I tried to understand the gap trap, I went back and forth through the Old Testament to decipher what dates and which wars coincided with Ezekiel 22. It was like watching CNN or the world news.
There was more than one war, more than one army. Death and destruction were the norm. The Israelites had become as predicted: Exiles. More surprising was the realization that Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry was in Babylon in 593-521 B.C. God had destroyed the land, only not with earthquakes or floods, but He used the Babylonian army as His sword.
But, why would He want to destroy the land?
God was angry with the Israelites because they had turned their back on Him. They sinned by profaning His name and copying their neighboring countries, offering sacrifices and worshiping idols, thereby creating a big gap in their relationship with the Creator. And when God used Ezekiel to prophesize, the people only pretended to listen. It's what we call "selective hearing." You act like you’re listening, but then ignore what you just heard.
In the past, God had found someone to stand in the gap before Him. Moses was a spiritual leader who led the people out of their Egyptian captivity. The Israelites were chronic complainers during the exodus. More than once, Moses, as God’s friend, stepped between God and the people, to keep Him from destroying everyone. Fast forward to 593 B.C., and there was no one to stand in the gap to help redirect the Israelites because they were too stiff-necked to even listen. Their ears were closed. Not even Ezekiel could help.
In Ez. 22:29, God said, “The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger.”
And that was just a tip of the iceberg.
Their transgressions grew; even in captivity; they became more like their captors. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that pattern repeated. Finally, God quit sending prophets. One thing the LORD GOD made clear in the book of Ezekiel was when an individual or nation keeps sinning without regret, they widen the gap between themselves and our Maker. If God chooses, He can step away and give them over to their desires or something worse, letting sin take its toll. Sometimes people have enough of the misery, and long to return home, like in the parable of the Prodigal Son that Jesus told (Luke 15:13). If that person repents, the Father forgives them; He embraces them; His mercy and grace restore them. When the Israelites repented and acknowledged their transgressions after the long exile, they were finally ready to listen. However, by departing from evil, they made themselves a prey; they were open again to false teachings and influences.
Isaiah 59:16. "Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefor His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him."
"His own arm brought salvation." Enter Jesus, the Christ, the promised Messiah, born of a woman. Jesus filled the gap. Although, Jesus conquered death, evil still exists in the world; and will stop at nothing to get a foothold in our lives. If that was not true, Jesus would not have prayed to the Father for our protection. In Matthew 6:9 (and Luke 11:2) when Jesus taught His disciples the LORD’S Prayer, He said, “In this manner, therefore pray.” He began by acknowledging God’s greatness. Then He made His requests known. His last request was “deliver us from the evil one.” In John 17, Jesus again prayed that His disciples would be protected from the evil one.
Ah, but the evil one is sneaky.
Satan is constantly on the move looking for gaps that allow sin to slither in-between cracks or through neglected spiritual walls. Sin can evolve from an untamed emotion like anger, depression, or greed, which works from within to destroy the spirit or the body. It builds up overtime until with a great explosion, a wall crumbles, a gap widens. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man, and a beggar named Lazarus. When they died, the rich man who had refused to help Lazarus, ended up in Hades; Lazarus, who had suffered evil during his life was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. In the parable, the rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to help relieve his tormenting thirst. Abraham said it was impossible for Lazarus to go to the rich man because of a chasm, an abyss, a gap, a great gulf. He told the rich man, “. . . . those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.”
I believe that when Christ described that scary great gulf, He compared it to something very real. In His parables, He talks about the vineyard keeper or the poor widow or the bridesmaids keeping their lamps lit, using real-life situations. So, when He’s talking about a chasm no one can cross, we need to listen. Without Christ, sin widens, preventing us from having a closer relationship with God.
What causes spiritual gaps? We know what can cause physical gaps. A wrong measurement by an inexperienced builder can leave a gap; floodwaters washing away parts of a road or bridge can make it impossible to reach the other side because of the gap. But what causes spiritual gaps? Our attitudes and actions can create gaps. Uncontrolled emotions such as jealousy, anger, or hate might start off with a small unnoticed crack that continues to widen. If ignored, the gap can do serious damage, hurting ourselves or other people. That's why God sent His only Son to reach and teach the people. Christ became the wall. He became the corner stone of the foundation of our lives, and the church.
He conquered death; He crossed the chasm; He stands in the gap for us.
The good news is God also made us His helpers to stand in the gap on behalf of the people. He calls on us to pray or help someone in need, someone who is hungry or lonely, oppressed or sick. If we allow Christ, who can do all things, to work through us, we'll find ourselves partners with God. By praying for others, or helping someone, He can use our humanness, our experiences, even our testimonies to reach others, and show them His love.
Paul wrote in I Corithians 3:9, "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. . . . But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Using the bricks of GOD’s Word helps us build a stronger wall.
