Ezekiel 22:26-31
Reading
26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no
difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the
unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among
them.
27 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to
destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.
28 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining
lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.
29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the
poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap
before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the
fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.
INTRODUCTION
In verse 26 of our reading, the Nation of Israel was in captivity. Ezekiel is prophesying against
them. The priests were breaking God’s laws and not putting any difference between the holy
and profane.
Verse 27 – The princes were using their power to destroy others to get riches for themselves.
Verse 28 – The prophets prophesied lies in the name of God.
Verse 29 – The people were robbers and oppressed the poor and needy.
Verse 30-31 – God sought for a man to stand in the gap before Him for the land, a man to
intercede for the people – but He found none. Therefore, God’s indignation was poured out on
them, and God consumed them with the fire of His wrath.
God sought for a man to stand in the gap, but He found NONE. What a tragedy! What we
need today is for men who will stand in the gap for God. God is still looking for a man to stand.
Today, I want to give you three things you can do to be a man to stand in the gap.
(1) Look to the Examples of the Past
Here are examples of God-inspired people in the Bible we can learn from.
Moses: Psalm 106 tells of how the Israelites sinned against God in the wilderness.
They soon forgot how God had saved them through His mighty and wondrous acts. It
then says in verse 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.” Many times, Moses stood in the gap for Israel, to turn away God’s wrath
from the people.
Phinehas: Many men of Israel committed fornication with the women of Moab. They
joined them in worshiping their gods at Baalpeor. God was very angry and sent a
plague on Israel. While people were weeping before the Tabernacle, Zimri, the son of
Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites, brought a Midianite girl into his
tent. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, saw it. He rose up, took a javelin, went
to the tent, and thrust the man and the woman through the belly. God saw it and
stopped the plague. 24000 people had already died. This account could be found in
Numbers 25:1-9. The plague was stopped because Phinehas stood in the gap and
turned away God’s wrath. This is what God said of Phinehas and his reward for
standing in the gap, “10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Phinehas, the
son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the
children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not
the children of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my
covenant of peace: 13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant
of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an
atonement for the children of Israel.” Numbers 25:10-13.
Joshua and Caleb: The 12 spies went to spy on the land of Canaan. God had
promised they could conquer it. Ten spies said, ‘We can’t conquer the land’. Joshua
and Caleb said, ‘We can’. They stood alone – and they were the only two who were
able to enter the Promised Land. Read the account in Numbers chapters 13 and 14.
David: For 40 days Goliath challenged Israel. King Saul and all of Israel were
dismayed and greatly afraid upon hearing the rants of the Philistine. No one would fight
him, for he was a giant in full body armour. David, just a teenager, was visiting his
brothers and heard about Goliath bragging and defying the armies of Israel. He
resolved in his heart that ‘someone must fight this man; I will be the one to do it’. God
gave him the victory! Read the account in 1 Samuel chapter 17.
Elijah: Ahab was the King of Israel, ruling with the wicked queen Jezebel. Baal worship
was very strong. There were 850 false prophets. The prophets of the LORD were
persecuted including Elijah. Elijah told the people of Israel and the prophets of Baal to
gather on Mount Carmel, and they would see who the true God was. By coming to
Mount Carmel, Elijah made himself available to the people who pursued him to take
his life. He chose to let all Israel know who the one true God was than he cared for his
own life. The prophets of Baal cried aloud and cut themselves with knives and lancets
till blood gushed out, but no fire came forth. Their God couldn’t answer them. God
answered Elijah’s simple prayer by fire. “And when all the people saw it, they fell on
their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.” – 1
Kings 18:39. Why? Because Elijah stood in the gap. Read the account in 1 Kings
chapter 18.
Peter and John: In Acts chapter 4, they preached through Jesus the resurrection
from the dead. The religious leaders didn’t like it. They put them in jail. They called
them the next day and commanded them not to speak at all or teach in the name of
Jesus. But they answered and said, “19 But Peter and John answered and said unto
them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God,
judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” –
Acts 4:19-20. They kept on preaching!
If we are going to be men to stand in the gap, to stand for the fight, we should look to past
examples like these and take courage.
(2) Put on Your Spiritual Armour
Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:13, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
We are in a strong battle. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.” We are not able to fight in our own might. We
must fight in the power of God’s might. We must put on the armour that God has provided for
us. This is written in Ephesians 6:14-18, “14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”.
To be a man to stand for what is right, you must put on your spiritual armour each day.
(3) Take the Lead
You must be willing to step out when no one else is. Most people wait for someone else to
take action. Most are content to be like everyone else. Most are waiting for someone to tell
them what to do. God is looking for men who will take the lead. These words were written by
an American Pastor, William Merrill in 1911:
‘Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings.
Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.
Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!
Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!’
We also sing, ‘Stand Up, Stand Up, For Jesus’.
CONCLUSION
Our song leader always says, ‘We can not be singing Stand up, stand up for Jesus and be
sitting down’. We need to stand up.
GOD IS LOOKING FOR A MAN TO STAND IN THE GAP. WILL YOU BE THAT MAN?
May God help us to be the men who will take a stand for Jesus.
Amen!!!
Summary
This sermon is about the concept of standing in the gap for God, as described in Ezekiel
22:26-31. It emphasizes the need for individuals, specifically men, to intercede and take
a stand for righteousness in the face of wrongdoing and oppression. The text highlights
historical examples from the Bible, such as Moses, Phinehas, Joshua, Caleb, David,
Elijah, Peter, and John, who stood in the gap in various situations. It also discusses the
importance of putting on spiritual armour, drawing from Ephesians 6:11-18, and taking the
lead in serving God and fighting against evil. The overall message is a call to action for
individuals to be courageous, spiritually equipped, and proactive in standing up for what
is right in the sight of God.