A Few Good Men (Ezekiel 22:30)

Posted on by

Happy Father’s Day!

How are fathers portrayed in the media? I am talking about television programs. We watched most of the Home Improvement episodes as a family. It was a funny and good show, but I don’t like how it portrays the dad. Generally, in Home Improvement, the dad is NOT to be taken seriously. There are many redeeming qualities of Home Improvement. It does show the dad involved with his family. Tim works on the car with the kids. He teaches his sons how to work on the Hot Rod, those are good things. But he is the object of many of the jokes and not to be taken seriously.

Today, I want to challenge men to stand-up. Stand up for your family. Take leadership.

My theme today is:

As a father, and/or paternal influence, stand “in the gap” for God.

What does that mean? You are about to find out.

Ezekiel 22:30 (ESV)

And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

  1. What is the context of the passage?
    1. Context is critical.
    2. Ezekiel is writing during a time when the southern kingdom of Israel is being conquered by Babylon.
    3. Other passages across the Old Testament show that God caused the southern kingdom to be conquered because of their unfaithfulness to the Lord.
    4. Ezekiel shares about a systemic failure in Judah.
    5. As one source shares: Here, rather than surveying behaviors (as in vv. 6–12), Ezekiel surveys personnel. The issue is still impurity (a land … not cleansed, v. 24). This oracle almost serves as a commentary on 7:23–27 where prophet, priest, elders, and king mislead the city, although an even earlier “model” is found in Zeph. 3:3–4. The sum is a web of deceit, as these pillars of the community are seen as colluding.[1]
    6. The pillars of community are colluding and leading the people astray.
    7. That is not unlike men, and dads in our society shirking responsibility.
    8. We are called to step-up.
    9. In Ezekiel 22:25 he writes about prophets conspiring and deceiving the people.
    10. Then, the priest, look at Ezekiel 22:26 (ESV) 26 Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
    11. Verse 27 addresses the princes. They are getting dishonest gain.
    12. Then, back to the prophets: Ezekiel 22:28–29 (ESV)
    13. 28 And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice.
    14. This is a very sad passage.
    15. Then, we come back to verse 30: And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
    16. God found none.
    17. Verse 31 uses language to show that, therefore, the Lord will have them conquered.
  2. Let’s look at the verse itself and the context together.
    1. Ezekiel 22:30: And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
    2. God was searching for a man who would stand in the breach.
    3. This is the language of holding up a wall during a battle.
    4. One sources shares: There is no one to stand in the breach (cf. 13:5; Ps. 106:23) who might avert the destruction. Sometimes it takes only one courageous, righteous person to stop great evil, but there was no one.[2]
    5. Imagine a wall during a battle. Back in that day, the city’s walls were really important. Those walls protected the people in the city. They protected the city.
    6. Think of a fortress and it has a wall.
    7. The wall is coming down. The men are to rush in and build up the wall. The men are supposed to protect those inside the city.
    8. Now, suppose these men leave. Instead of protecting the city, they flee.
    9. The men do the opposite.
    10. That is what God is saying. He found no one.
    11. Further, when we look at this passage in light of the context, the men did the opposite of protecting the city.
    12. Actually, they did not just leave, they helped tear down the city.
    13. Remember, verse 26: Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
    14. Notice that part of standing in the gap, the most significant part is spiritual. The prophet Ezekiel is not referring to the priest literally harming Israel physically, but these spiritual dimensions: profaning the holy things… no distinction between holy and common…. Disregarding the sabbaths.
    15. These things lead to the destruction of Israel. The spiritual destroys the city. The lack of the spiritual care destroys the city.
    16. Then, verse 27 was about the princes: Ezekiel 22:27 (ESV)
    17. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain.
    18. I believe Ezekiel in talking about their lack of integrity is saying that is destroying the land physically.
    19. Ethics, integrity, and morals matter. They are of first importance.
    20. One writes: Government officials were supposed to protect people, the first function of government being the establishment of justice for everyone (Rm 13).[3]
    21. And, of course, the prophets: They are not preaching truth.
    22. All of this is not holding up the wall. It is not rebuilding the wall.
    23. This is metaphorical language intended to show that God could not find any man who would “build up” Judah.
  • Apply:
    1. This passage is NOT about God destroying us, the United States, for the lack of men to stand in the gap.
    2. No, this is about Judea about six centuries before Christ.
    3. However, we can indirectly apply the principle to us.
    4. God was looking for men to intercede.
    5. He was looking for men to seek Him, and to stand for truth. This is about men seeking the Lord.
    6. Throughout the Bible, God used men to stand up and intercede.
    7. The most famous example is Abraham in Genesis 18:22-31.
    8. In that passage, God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but Abraham intercedes.
    9. In Exodus chapters 32-34 Moses intercedes. That is after the people rebel and build a golden calf and worship it. The people are unfaithful to the Lord.
    10. Moses prays to the Lord and intercedes.
    11. So, how do we apply this?
    12. As fathers, grandfathers, and paternal influences, we must seek the Lord on behalf of our family, our church, our community.
    13. We must stand in the gap.
    14. This means we are in God’s Word.
    15. We stand for truth. Don’t be like those false prophets Ezekiel was writing about. Don’t be like those immoral princes. Don’t be like those priests that were not set apart for the Lord. No, we must stand for truth.
    16. We must pray for our family to know the Lord.
    17. We must talk to our family about the Lord.
    18. We must have the Lord, which includes His church as the center of our life.
    19. God could find no one to stand in the gap, but eventually, He would provide Jesus. 1 Tim. 2:5-6 shows this is pointing to Jesus.
    20. The ultimate answer is Jesus.
    21. Point your family to Jesus.

Closing:

I began the sermon by talking about Home Improvement. Tim Allen made another successful series, Last Man Standing. Allen plays a dad with three daughters. Many of you have probably seen it. Compare Home Improvement to Last Man Standing. In Last Man Standing, Allen plays a dad who is more serious, more mature, and very involved in leading the family in decision-making. However, very rarely does it show the dad leading the family in prayer, spiritual disciplines, devotions, and congregational worship.

We must stand in the gap. We must hold up the wall and point our family to Jesus. We must hold the wall and let our family run to the safe place and the safe place is a relationship with Jesus.

Prayer

[1] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1531.

[2] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1532.

[3] Mark F. Rooker, “Ezekiel,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1278.

Leave a comment