Standing In The Gap
Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua
“I looked for a man 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 none.”
‘Standing in the gap’ is an ancient military term.
Gaps in city walls are the result of neglect or damage caused by battering rams. These breaches must be repaired to prevent enemies from accessing the city. Meanwhile, soldiers would be quickly dispatched to stand in the gaps to guard against invaders.
In the context of the passage in Ezekiel’s prophecy, ‘standing in the gap’ is clearly a metaphor. God was using this military term as a figure of speech to refer to something else.
For most believers, ‘standing in the gap’ is synonymous with prayer intercession, which means to pray for another party, be it an individual, group, or nation.
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‘Standing in the gap’ means more than prayer intercession.
It is also a metaphor for another kind of intercession
- standing for truth and righteousness, upholding justice,
pushing back against oppression,
and calling for repentance. ____________________________________________
Often, we are called upon to intercede through prayer for others who are going through challenges. For instance, we intercede for persecuted saints in countries that are hostile to Christianity. We intercede for our nation whenever there is a crisis. Those believers who are committed to ‘stand in the gap’ in prayer intercession are often called intercessors.
Another Kind of Intercession
However, I would argue that ‘standing in the gap’ means more than prayer intercession. It is also a metaphor for another kind of intercession - standing for truth and righteousness, upholding justice, pushing back against oppression, and calling for repentance.
Ezekiel chapter 22 contains three oracles – the indictment of Jerusalem, the imminent judgement on the city and her inhabitants, and finally, the rationale for the judgement.
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Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey;
they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain.
Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them
by false visions and lying divinations.
Isaiah 22:27-28
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Judah has an appalling record of sins and transgressions. God accused them, “The priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common… Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. Her 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. The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice” (Ezekiel 22:26-29).
Immediately after, the LORD lamented that he could not find “a man 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 none.”
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God was looking for a righteous man
with courage and conviction
to stand up and speak out
against the spiritual decay and moral decline
in Judah.
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God was looking for a righteous man with courage and conviction to stand up and speak out against the spiritual decay and moral decline in Judah. He was looking for someone with sufficient clout to provide political and spiritual leadership. If only such a man could be found, God would have accomplished much in the land through him.
When God wants to do something, He always looks for a person. Just one righteous person to stand in the gap. Moses, Daniel, and Nehemiah are examples of those who stood in the gap without wavering during their times. They stood in the gap of the wall and interceded for their people through their righteous leadership and prayer.
Nehemiah Built the Wall
Nehemiah built up the broken wall in Jerusalem and stood bravely in the gap for his people.
Nehemiah was a Jew serving as a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in the Persian royal court.
One day, he received news concerning the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem after the seventy-year exile to Babylon. They were in great trouble and living in shame because the city wall and gates were in a state of utter disrepair.
Nehemiah was grieved. Immediately, he sought the LORD through prayer and fasting. He wept and mourned as he waited before the LORD.
Then, he began to repent for the sins of his people. He recognised that their plight was the consequence of disobeying the commands of God. Though the fault lay with the previous generations, Nehemiah identified with the sins of his forebears. The prophet, Daniel, also prayed in ‘identificational repentance’ with his people.
Only then did Nehemiah commit his plans of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem to the LORD.
Nehemiah requested for leave of absence from the palace and financial assistance from King Artaxerxes. These were audacious requests, which were unheard of in ancient times. He risked the displeasure of the king. But Nehemiah was willing to stake his life for the sake of his people and the beloved city of Jerusalem.
King Artaxerxes showed favour to Nehemiah and granted him all his requests. He left the palace with all the authority and necessary authorisations to carry out his plan.
Once he reached Jerusalem, he surveyed the city and inspected the wall. Then, he rallied the priests, nobles, and officials and quickly mobilised the workforce.
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Prayer intercession is only part of standing in the gap.
Standing in the gap requires you
to get into the thick of the action.
It requires standing up for God’s truth,
swimming against the tide,
and facing opposition. ____________________________________________
When the surrounding peoples heard of their plan to restore the wall, they threatened and harassed them. So, Nehemiah and the Jews had to arm themselves while constructing the walls.
Despite the opposition, they managed to complete rebuilding the wall in fifty-two days.
Nehemiah prayed. He risked his life. He raised the money. He travelled to Jerusalem. He rallied the leaders. He provided the leadership. He stood up to the enemies. This is a picture of standing in the gap.
Prayer intercession is only part of standing in the gap. Standing in the gap requires you to get into the thick of the action. It requires standing up for God’s truth, swimming against the tide, and facing opposition. You will not be popular. People will find you controversial. It requires courage and conviction to stay the course and not falter.
Whitewashing
God’s prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah had to stand resolutely against powerful forces. Most of the other prophets conspired and abetted with the political establishment. The princes and leaders were corrupt. Instead of calling them out, these prophets whitewashed their lies, deception, and wickedness. Instead of pronouncing God’s imminent judgement, they prophesied peace (Ezekiel 22:23-29; 13:1-16).
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Many shepherds are guilty
of whitewashing by omission. ____________________________________________
Is our generation any different? Are the shepherds in the present-day guilty of whitewashing in any way?
There will always be some corrupt shepherds. Having said that, many shepherds are guilty of whitewashing by omission. They do not preach the inconvenient truths in the bible. They are unwilling to confront sin. They ignore spiritual apathy in the church. They conveniently overlook spiritual and moral compromises. They steer clear of hot-potato issues such as the LGBT and woke matters. They turn a blind eye to unbiblical cultural incursions into the body of Christ. They avoid talking about God’s wrath and judgement.
Any truth that is remotely controversial is conveniently discarded. These shepherds deem it to be too risky. Some people may be offended. It may split the church.
Just in case you are unaware, truth hurts. Truth offends. Truth divides. Truth is uncompromising for a good reason. God hates mixture. He detests compromises.
Whitewashing can be done overtly and blatantly. It can also be done intentionally but subtly. God will not put up with the practice of whitewashing. He called out the prophets repeatedly for smearing whitewash on lies, wickedness, and injustices (Ezekiel 13:1-16).
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When shepherds whitewash
truth, compromises, and outright lies,
their sheep become
uninformed, complacent, and dulled in their minds.
Gradually, they will lose the ability to discern
and hence their spiritual cutting edge. ____________________________________________
Jesus called out such hypocrisy when He lambasted the Jewish spiritual leaders, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27).
When shepherds whitewash truth, compromises, and outright lies, their sheep become uninformed, complacent, and dulled in their minds. Gradually, they will lose the ability to discern and hence their spiritual cutting edge.
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The LORD said,
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”
…Whitewashing has consequences. ____________________________________________
They might be a happy and satisfied flock. But ignorance is not bliss. A people with “no knowledge of God” live dangerously. They stumble even during the day, and they are unaware of their pathetic spiritual condition. Be warned. The LORD said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:1-6).
Whitewashing has consequences. Shepherds have a duty to stand in the gap and proclaim God’s absolute truths as revealed in the Bible. God will hold those who lack the integrity, courage, and conviction to stand in the gap accountable.
Called to be Watchmen
Our church carries the watchman anointing. We are called to prepare the way for Christ’s return. So, it is our duty to stand in the gap. We are to intercede both in prayer and in taking concrete action to actively proclaim the truth and warn against diabolical threats to the church.
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Our church carries the watchman anointing. ____________________________________________
To do that effectively, we must be discerning as most of these threats are subtle. I notice in recent years that the demonic deception has risen to a new level, both in aggressiveness and subtlety. The Devil operates in more than fifty shades of grey. Even serious and knowledgeable Christians are taken in.
The wall has been breached in different places. Some of the gaps are alarmingly big. Void of discernment, an increasing number of Christians are openly flirting with the Devil. They have no qualms compromising with mainstream cultural values. It is not uncommon for Christians to take a non-biblical stand on abortion, LGBT, and woke matters. They will also openly support secular leaders who endorse these anti-biblical values.
The risen Christ pleaded to the church in Laodicea, which is a type of the church in the Last Days, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20 - ESV).
Have you wondered why Christ is outside the door of the heart of these believers? Because they profess Jesus Christ, but they embrace the world.
Know the prophetic hour that we are living in. Discern the time and be wise to do the right thing. Arise and stand in the gap to intercede on behalf of the church and our land! People deserve to hear the truth and be saved.