Who Will Stand in the Gap

Who Will Stand in the Gap

“So I sought for a man among them who would 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.” Ezek. 22:30.

Whenever there was apostasy in Israel, God always sought for a man who could stand in the gap. When the prophets, priests, shepherds and monarchs turned aside, each to their own way, truth and justice were laid to ruin. Who then was ready to stand in the gap so the destroyer could not ravage the people? The man that was to stand in the gap first had to build up a wall of truth and righteousness in his own life, before he could stand in the gap for others. What then is “the gap”? It is that gateway or opening through which Satan can send his destructive spirit powers to ravage the assemblies of God without meeting any resistance. It is the gateway that allows a person to seek his own without having anyone oppose or contradict him. Anyone who stands in the gap will meet opposition from priests, prophets and shepherds, as well as from people in general.

Abraham stood in the gap, so Lot was saved. Joseph stood in the gap for his brothers so that an entire nation was saved. Moses stood in the gap for Israel against Pharaoh and all of Egypt. Joshua and Caleb stood in the gap for Israel, and they became the only two of their generation to enter the Promised Land. David stood in the gap against Goliath when that Philistine mocked the armies of the Lord. Jeremiah stood in the gap when Israel was exiled to Babylon. Daniel stood in the gap by opening his windows toward Jerusalem and praying three times a day to Jehovah—despite the king’s ban. John the Baptist stood in the gap against the brood of vipers of his generation who came to him to be saved from the wrath to come. Jesus stood in the gap for the whole world so that now anyone can be saved through Him—if only he is willing. God has continued to seek for people who would stand in the gap during times of apostasy, and down through the Dark Ages until today, He has found men and women who have been willing.

Everyone who has stood in the gap has experienced mockery from the people, the very worst of it coming from the religious world of their day. Every one of them first had to build up a wall against which these people aimed their fiercest attacks and their strongest judgments and allegations.

Generally speaking, the priests make no distinction between the holy and the unholy, nor do they teach the people the difference between the clean and the unclean. At the same time, they doze on their couches and draw their salaries. Evil spirits drive the people like brute beasts, according to the course of the world, and the priests drift in the same direction. We live as in the days of Noah, where people marry and are given in marriage. They are constantly divorcing and remarrying. This has become acceptable, and thus marriages are destroyed and children suffer. Iniquity is great on the earth. Who will stand in the gap against this all-pervading wickedness? Occasionally someone writes something in protest, yet the power that comes from a person standing in the gap is missing.

Sports are increasingly becoming a form of idolatry. In America, around 7,000 young men die annually as a result of sports-related injuries. But if anyone cries out a little louder than usual in a church revival meeting, the newspapers go on the rampage, demanding that everything return to a more wholesome track. I have yet to see anyone demand that this ungodliness that destroys people’s bodies and souls be done away with. We have an abundance of priests for the people, but who dares to stand in the gap? Who has his own wall of faith in place? No one speaks out; they are like dogs that cannot bark.

The Christian churches have not made walking in God’s light their purpose and foundation for fellowship. Their primary concern is how many members they have and how much money is coming in. That is what makes the calling appealing. True godliness is almost an interference for this religious business life, where it is preferable that the members are as blind as possible to everything that is going on. Who dares to stand in the gap here? Wouldn’t the overwhelming majority today throw such a person out? The power and vigor of the church, which should have had its foundation in Christ Jesus, now has its foundation in finances and cozy, social gatherings. Woe unto anyone who through his genuine godliness disturbs this pleasant arrangement. Evenings of entertainment with a cloak of religiosity, where even ungodly people are invited to perform, are fine nourishment for today’s carnal Christians. If the word of the cross were to be spoken in all this coziness, it would be like a bomb from heaven, and there would undoubtedly be a chorus howling: “Away with this disrupter of the peace! Away with Jesus Christ! Away with the apostles!” That is what happens, even if that wasn’t the intention. Who then is allowed in? All those who say “Peace, peace,” all the false prophets, shepherds and teachers and all the flatterers, even if they live in manifest ungodliness. Such people are received with open arms and are made to feel at home. Who will stand in the gap in this broken-down wall? It would seem that Jesus Christ, the One who is able to make all eternity rich in glory, is not compelling enough to keep them entertained for even a short evening gathering. Who is to blame? Is it Jesus, or is it those who are supposed to be His servants? Or is it because the Christianity of our day has been exiled to Babylon because it cannot be healed?

One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, who is the Father of all, one mind, one body, one fellowship. Where can you find this? On the cross! On the cross!

On the cross with evenings of entertainment, with endless opinions, with cozy times and discussions about finances! That is the only way to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, so that we have only one faith and one hope. God has not called anyone to perform priestly service for the old man. Rom. 6:6. The old man is not to be entertained or stimulated. He is to be crucified with Christ, so that the Spirit can pour out on us all the glorious things that Jesus Christ has to share. This is something else entirely than trying to make things as glorious as possible for the flesh. We judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died. The dead don’t need entertainment—they need life! That is what Lazarus needed, and the dead of our day are surely no better than he.

People know so much, but does that make them right? Solomon didn’t ask for knowledge; he asked for wisdom to lead his great nation. You can buy science and knowledge with money, and you can hire knowledgeable people, but you cannot buy wisdom with gold. James tells those who lack wisdom to go to God, who gives liberally and without reproach. The three men from the East who followed the star and found Jesus were all wise men. They were men who could grasp revelation from God. They found the way because they were wise men, not because they were astronomers or scientists.

There are many holes in the wall. Who will stand in one of these gaps and become a repairer of the breach? Who is skillful both with sword and trowel? Let us learn from Nehemiah 4:21. This is not too difficult when we have the power of the resurrection, because the old man has already been conquered through this power.