Ezekiel 22
Ezekiel 22:30-31:
“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.” |
“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:22–23)
Berean Study Bible
I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one. The preceding verses of Ezekiel 22:30 show that the sins and failures of the people were widely distributed.
The princes conspire together to “devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her” (Ezekiel 22:25 NIV); the priests “do violence to my law and profane my holy things” (Ezekiel 22:26 NIV); the officials “are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain” (Ezekiel 22:27 NIV); the prophets “whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’ — when the Lord has not spoken” (Ezekiel 22:28 NIV); and the people “practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice” (Ezekiel 22:29 NIV). -DA Carson |
This means that the intercessor is the “middle-man” or woman between the Lord God and the nation in question.
As a result, God would accept the actions but mainly the prayers of the person standing in the gap for the sins and for the petitions of such a nation.
Thus, when such an intercessor stands in the gap in prayer for a nation God will accept his petition like it was the nation praying.
Intercessory prayer; therefore, is proxy-prayer or prayer by proxy.
Likewise, it’s this feature, of this type of prayer, that makes a leader who does it so effective! -Leroy Daley
As a result, God would accept the actions but mainly the prayers of the person standing in the gap for the sins and for the petitions of such a nation.
Thus, when such an intercessor stands in the gap in prayer for a nation God will accept his petition like it was the nation praying.
Intercessory prayer; therefore, is proxy-prayer or prayer by proxy.
Likewise, it’s this feature, of this type of prayer, that makes a leader who does it so effective! -Leroy Daley
And I sought for a man among them,.... among the princes, priests, prophets, and people of the land, who acted the part as above described; for otherwise, no doubt, there were good people in the land, as Jeremiah, Baruch, and others, but not among these:that should make up the hedge; that was broken down by the transgressions of the people, who exceeded all bounds of law and justice; one that would restrain them from sinning, and reform them, and set them a good example; one, as the Targum has it,
"whose works were good;''
a good man, that would endeavour by his influence to stop the breaking in of sin, and the consequences of it:
and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; in the gap that sin had made, at which the Lord was entering as a man of war to destroy the transgressors; one that should present himself to the Lord on the behalf of the people; seek mercy for them, as the Targum; interpose between God and them, and act the part of an intercessor; pray for them, as Moses did for the people of Israel, that he would not destroy them; see Psalm 106:23,
but I found none; no reformer of them, no repairer of the breach, nor restorer of paths, to dwell in; no intercessor for them, as Abraham for Sodom, Moses for Israel; or any, like Aaron, that stood between the living and the dead to stay the plague.
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This passage presents God’s inner turmoil. His holiness and justice often demand punishment, but His love wants to show mercy. Probably the most famous verse showing this conflict is John 3:16.
God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). So God demonstrated His love for the world by becoming a man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, to live a perfect life and give His life on the cross to pay the death penalty for our sins. “That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God not only cares for us individually, He also cares for people as groups and nations. When we die, each of us will stand before God to be judged individually. God also judges communities and nations for their wickedness. |
The original story of Moses standing in the gap is found in Exodus 32:9–14: “‘I have seen these people,’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.’ But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, “It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.”’ Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.” To stand in the gap is to intercede and plead for God’s mercy -Got Questions
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The prophet Ezekiel recorded these words from God: “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30).
God went looking for someone to pray or stand in the gap for sinful Jerusalem, but I believe we can apply these words to our lives as well. Did you notice God said, “I looked for someone”? It could be that you are that someone who could stand in the gap for another person. Paul understood the power of standing in the gap. He implored his friends in Rome to pray for him: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me” (Romans 15:30, NIV). And when he wrote to the church in Ephesus, he said, “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Ephesians 6:19-20, NIV). The Greek word Paul uses for “struggle” in Romans 15:30 is sunagonizomai, which means “to struggle in company of; i.e., to be a partner (assistant), strive together with.” The root word means “to endeavor to accomplish something: fight, labor fervently, strive.” Agreeing to pray for someone isn’t simply a nice platitude letting them know we’re thinking of them or a pat on the back to cheer them on. When we tell someone we’ll pray for them, we agree to put on God’s armor and head to the front lines of battle on their behalf. Many ancient shields had brackets attached to the sides. These brackets were a type of latch that soldiers used to lock their shields together during battle. When locked together, the soldiers moved as one, forming a barricade against the enemy. Alone, the shield was a small defense. Hooked together, they were a human wall. When we lock arms in prayer with our friends, we lock our shields together and form a strong wall of defense. -Sharon James; Proverbs 31 Ministries |
The notion of a human being interceding on behalf of the people is not uncommon. There are several notable examples from before this point in Israel’s history where a righteous person “stood in the gap” before God.
When God determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin, He let Abraham in on His plans. Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy the entire city if a handful of righteous people could be found, and interceded on their behalf. He initially asked God to spare the cities if 50 good people could be found, and continued to bargain with God until the final stipulation was to find merely 10 righteous people. God lovingly listened to Abraham’s request and promised him that He would spare the city if those righteous people could be found; although the cities were ultimately destroyed, God listened to Abraham coming before Him on behalf of the people in the city. When the Hebrews made their golden calf idols at Mount Sinai, Moses descended the mountain and condemned them for their unfaithfulness. When He returned to the top of the mountain into God’s presence, God told Moses that He was ready to wipe out the entire Hebrew people and wanted to restart their nation with Moses as the father. Moses interceded on behalf of the Israelites and pleaded with God not to wipe them out. God listened to Moses and did not follow through on His plans. When David sinned by taking a prideful census, God sent an angel of death across the countryside to punish the people, but when the angel was just outside of Jerusalem he stopped. David purchased the threshing floor that was there, built an altar, and offered sacrifices as a way to beg God’s mercy and forgiveness so that the people would be spared. God accepted David’s offering, and the angel left them. David’s intercession stood in the gap for the people, and David commemorated that moment by dedicating that site to the construction of the Temple of God that his son Solomon would ultimately build. |
This verse says that God had “sought for a man,” but literally could not find one man who was willing to do this with Him.
The fact that God was actually looking for a man to stand in the gap is shouting out a major prayer secret – and that secret is: God is looking for intercessory prayer warriors who will be willing to go into the gap from time to time to pray for someone else’s need, or possibly for an adverse situation that may be developing.When God the Father is telling us that He is actually looking for intercessory prayer warriors, then you know He is shouting out a major prayer secret loud and clear.
If God is looking for intercessors to go into the gap with Him from time to time – then this means He will answer many of these intercessory prayers if He is properly approached.
Think of the ramifications and possibilities with this secret – that we can go into the gap and pray for someone else and have a good chance on getting God to want to move to answer the prayer.
If God is telling us that He is actually looking for intercessors, then that tells us that He will be answering many of their prayers, otherwise He would have never bothered making this kind of statement in these first two verses in the first place! -Bible Knowledge
The fact that God was actually looking for a man to stand in the gap is shouting out a major prayer secret – and that secret is: God is looking for intercessory prayer warriors who will be willing to go into the gap from time to time to pray for someone else’s need, or possibly for an adverse situation that may be developing.When God the Father is telling us that He is actually looking for intercessory prayer warriors, then you know He is shouting out a major prayer secret loud and clear.
If God is looking for intercessors to go into the gap with Him from time to time – then this means He will answer many of these intercessory prayers if He is properly approached.
Think of the ramifications and possibilities with this secret – that we can go into the gap and pray for someone else and have a good chance on getting God to want to move to answer the prayer.
If God is telling us that He is actually looking for intercessors, then that tells us that He will be answering many of their prayers, otherwise He would have never bothered making this kind of statement in these first two verses in the first place! -Bible Knowledge
This standing “in the gap before me” had happened before with surprising results. Psalms 106:23, “Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.”
Notice the similarities in the verses. Both times God talks about destroying the people, and someone standing before Him.
How did Moses stand in the gap? What did Moses do?
God used Moses to take the people out of Egypt. Through ten horrible plagues and destroying the most massive military might on planet earth by drowning them in the Red Sea, God delivered the Hebrews.
On the way to the Promised Land, God takes Israel to Mt. Sinai to give them the law. Moses goes to the top of the mountain, and God writes out the ten commandments.
While Moses is gone, the people get restless. They go to the point of making a golden calf and worshipping it. They even announce that this god of gold had delivered them from the Egyptians.
Even counting the 40 days of Moses on the mount, they are only eight or nine weeks removed from witnessing all the miracles, the destruction of the Egyptian army, and God’s deliverance. We are not talking about decades here, we are talking about two months, but they had forgotten what God had done for them and made their own god.
God is fit to be tied. He is furious. He tells Moses He will destroy them all and start over with Moses’ descendants (Exodus 32:10).
Moses proceeds to stand in the gap. He pleads with God not to destroy them. He asks God about how He would look to the Egyptians. Could the Egyptians understand God’s love if you do all these things to deliver the Jews and then kill them all a few weeks later? He reminds God of the promises God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about multiplying them. (Exodus 32:11-13).
After Moses plea is one of the most fascinating verses in all of Scripture, Exodus 32:14, “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”
God cannot sin, and we could segue here to the verse “Be ye angry and sin not…” (Ephesians 4:26), but we are here to talk about standing in the gap.
Moses stood in the breach, and God withheld judgment. Later, from Ezekiel (see above), we learn God looked for someone to stand in the gap and do what Moses did, but He found no one. -Timothy Johnson; Pastor Country Side Baptist Church
Notice the similarities in the verses. Both times God talks about destroying the people, and someone standing before Him.
How did Moses stand in the gap? What did Moses do?
God used Moses to take the people out of Egypt. Through ten horrible plagues and destroying the most massive military might on planet earth by drowning them in the Red Sea, God delivered the Hebrews.
On the way to the Promised Land, God takes Israel to Mt. Sinai to give them the law. Moses goes to the top of the mountain, and God writes out the ten commandments.
While Moses is gone, the people get restless. They go to the point of making a golden calf and worshipping it. They even announce that this god of gold had delivered them from the Egyptians.
Even counting the 40 days of Moses on the mount, they are only eight or nine weeks removed from witnessing all the miracles, the destruction of the Egyptian army, and God’s deliverance. We are not talking about decades here, we are talking about two months, but they had forgotten what God had done for them and made their own god.
God is fit to be tied. He is furious. He tells Moses He will destroy them all and start over with Moses’ descendants (Exodus 32:10).
Moses proceeds to stand in the gap. He pleads with God not to destroy them. He asks God about how He would look to the Egyptians. Could the Egyptians understand God’s love if you do all these things to deliver the Jews and then kill them all a few weeks later? He reminds God of the promises God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about multiplying them. (Exodus 32:11-13).
After Moses plea is one of the most fascinating verses in all of Scripture, Exodus 32:14, “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”
God cannot sin, and we could segue here to the verse “Be ye angry and sin not…” (Ephesians 4:26), but we are here to talk about standing in the gap.
Moses stood in the breach, and God withheld judgment. Later, from Ezekiel (see above), we learn God looked for someone to stand in the gap and do what Moses did, but He found no one. -Timothy Johnson; Pastor Country Side Baptist Church