Be That Man
“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezek. 22:30). You can read the litany of charges God had against His people in the 31 verses of Ezekiel 22. Ezekiel penned these words around 450 BC. Abraham lived around 2050 BC, but we cannot say how long after the flood that was.
The important thing to note is that in 1,600 years (give or take), God couldn’t find a man among Israel to lead His people. Now compare Ezekiel’s writing with the following pre-flood conditions expressed by God, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence…all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth” (Gen.6:5,11,12).
Fast forward about 2400 years
to today. Could that same thing be said of our generation? We might not be able to envision God’s command to build a wall because we don’t live in walled cities. But what are some of our “walls” about which God could say the same thing? And who are the men God is looking for? Focus on the phrase, “so that I would not destroy it (the land)”.
Why was God threatening to destroy the land? Simply stated, sin had become rampant, sexual aberration seemed to be the norm, and obedience to God’s laws and thankfulness for God’s previous blessings during the time of David and Solomon had gone the way of the Edsel. Have we forgotten the blessings God has poured out on America?
When we hear God’s heart
about finding no one, and we wonder how that’s possible, remember He destroyed everyone on the earth except for 8 people because of their sin. I could not find any details of how many people died in the flood. Pick a number. One million, ten million? It’s not the total number that is important. The fact is that out of all the people, the Bible says, “and Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” One man. God flooded the earth and killed every person except Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. Eight people.
We don’t have to worry about another worldwide flood. God promised that. But that doesn’t eliminate judgment from another method.
In God’s mercy in Ezekiel’s day, “He searched for a man among them”. Is He searching for a man in America? What are some of our “walls” today? What are some of the issues that might ignite God’s anger in our midst? A wall is for protection, separation, identification.
What about abortion?
Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me…” (Matt. 19:14). What about blatant disrespect for law? “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom.1:18).
Judgment doesn’t have to happen all at once, it can come in stages. Consider the downward spiral of humanity in Romans 1:18-32. God “gives them over” three times, each time worse than the one before. The final give, was a “depraved mind.” This basically means worthless and useless.
Have you ever wondered
how it’s possible for so much worthless and useless banter in today’s politics? Could it be that those from whom it comes have been given over by God to their sin? I can just hear God saying, “You want to do you own thing? Let me know how that works out for you.”
For those of us who know Jesus as Savior and friend, we need to wake up. The same Ezekiel who told us God was looking, also told us God’s promise: “IF I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or I command the locust to devour the land, or I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves AND pray AND seek My face AND turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14); a simple 4-step plan that God promises to respond to with respect to our land.
Today’s church is ripe
for a good housecleaning: “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God”(1 Pet. 4:17). God’s mercy to spare us and our land from judgment will be in response to His Church humbling ourselves and getting back to having our eyes on the prize—the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).
It’s not too late for America…yet. Is there one man who can sense God’s heart on this matter? How about five? Or five thousand? If God will delay judgment because of one man, think what He would do if five thousand followed the four steps. Will you join me in being one of them. Asking for a friend.
And if you’re on the outside looking in and wondering how you can be a part of God’s plan, check out our Steps to Salvation in the back of this book.
Thanks for reading.