794_God’s search for an intercessor (Ezekiel 22)
Ezekiel 22:29-31 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. 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. 31 Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.
Sometimes, when everyone else is talking about a problem, one person may begin to pray in silence. He may not be able to change the situation. He may lack the authority to make decisions. He may not even have the ability to be heard by those responsible. But he knows that he can bring the matter before God. As an intercessor, he stands for the people before God.
And Ezekiel 22 gives us a sobering picture of a nation that desperately needed someone to stand in the gap. Jerusalem had become what God called a “bloody city.” Violence, injustice, idolatry, sexual immorality, exploitation, and corruption had spread through the land. Those who were supposed to lead and protect the people were themselves contributing to their downfall.
The princes abused their authority. The priests failed to distinguish between what was holy and what was common. The prophets spoke falsely. The people participated in the corruption. What should have been a community shaped by God’s holiness had become a place where God’s name was dishonoured.
But strikingly, God did not merely expose their sins; He warned them that the day was coming when they would have to answer for them. In verse 14 He asks, “Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you?”
That is a question worth pausing over. We spend much of our lives preparing for important days. We prepare for examinations, interviews, meetings, financial difficulties, and medical procedures. But Scripture reminds us that there is another day for which every human being must prepare—the day when we stand before God.
“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The Lord himself warns: “On the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36).
These verses are not intended merely to frighten us. They are meant to teach us how to live today. If we know that we will one day give an account to God, then our choices, our words, our relationships, our use of authority, our treatment of others, and even the things we do when nobody is watching suddenly take on eternal significance.
And then, in the middle of this dark description of Jerusalem, Ezekiel gives us one of the most poignant statements in the chapter. God says, “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” (Ezekiel 22:30).
Imagine that scene. God looks at a broken society. He sees the violence, the injustice, the idolatry and the corruption. He sees the people moving toward judgment. And then He searches for someone who will stand in the breach.
The picture comes from a broken wall. When the wall of a city was breached, the enemy could enter through that opening. Someone had to stand there and defend it. God was looking for someone who would stand between the brokenness of the people and the judgment they deserved. Someone who would stand for justice and righteousness, and oppose corruption and oppression. Someone who would tell his people their true condition, and bring them back to righteousness, so that judgment might be averted. Such a man could plead for mercy for his people.
But God says, “I found none.”
That statement should make us pause. God does not say that there was nobody talented. There were princes, priests and prophets. There were people with positions, influence and religious responsibilities. But none of them were willing to face up to the people’s sin and lead them back to God in repentance and faithfulness.
This tells us something important about intercession. Intercession is more than simply mentioning somebody’s name in prayer. It is taking the burden of another before God. It is seeing the brokenness around us and refusing merely to complain about it. It is choosing to act and to speak in righteousness and to pray.
Moses demonstrated this when Israel sinned against God. Instead of simply distancing himself from the rebellious people, he called those who were on God’s side to come forward and execute righteousness. And then he pleaded with God for mercy.
In Samuel’s day, when the thunder and rain threatened Israel’s harvest, the prophet told Israel, “Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.” ” (1 Samuel 12:23).
And that gives us a searching question for our own lives. When we see problems in our families, churches, communities and society, what is our first response? Do we criticize? Do we complain? Do we discuss what is wrong with everyone else? Or do we speak the truth in love, calling for godly repentance, and then take the matter before God?
It is easy to become an observer of other people’s failures. It is much harder to become an intercessor.
An intercessor does not pretend that sin is acceptable. Ezekiel certainly did not. He exposed Jerusalem’s sins with more clarity than most of us have the courage to do. But the intercessor responds to sin not merely with rebuke, but with prayer.
And this is especially important for those who have responsibility over others. Parents, spouses, those in God’s ministry, teachers, friends, and all believers must stand in the gap for those he has placed in their hearts.
Yet this passage does not end with human failure. The Lord says, “I found none.” Ezekiel was in Babylon, far away. None of Judah’s leaders in Jerusalem were concerned with justice and godliness. Nobody there could adequately fill the gap. The passage therefore leaves us with a longing for someone who can.
And God sent his Son.
The Lord did not merely stand beside the breach and call for someone to repair it. He stood in the gap and repaired the wall for all mankind. He brought us back to righteousness and paid with his own body and blood for our rebellion and unfaithfulness to God.
Isaiah prophesied of Him, “He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). Hebrews tells us that he tasted death for our sake, and “always lives to make intercession” for those who draw near to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25). Paul declares, “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).
He bore the chastisement we had brought on ourselves with our sin. He died and rose again to reconcile us to God through his offering for sin.
But Christ’s intercession does not make ours unnecessary. Rather, we are called to stand with Him in the ministry of intercession.
When we see a family struggling, or a young person drifting away from God, let us prayerfully identify the gap, speak the truth in love, and pray for them. Let us do the same for those trapped in sin. Let us speak up for those suffering injustice. Let us stand in the gap through righteous leadership when our churches face difficulties or our nation struggles.
Perhaps there is someone God has already placed on our hearts. Someone we have been discussing but not praying for. Someone whose failures have irritated us, disappointed us, or even hurt us. Let us shift from criticism to intercession.
And finally, Ezekiel 22 reminds us that the condition of a community can change when people take spiritual responsibility seriously. God is looking for people who will not only point out the breach, but lead in praying and in taking action to repair it. Such people stand in the breach.
The question is not whether the world around us is broken. Ezekiel makes it clear that it is. The question is whether there will be people who will stand before God on behalf of those who are broken.
Today, God’s question to us is not, “Can you fix everything?” It is much simpler: “Will you stand in the gap?”
We cannot save people. Only Christ can do that. We cannot change hearts. Only God can do that. But we can pray and plead for mercy even as we work with God to bear witness in life and word to the truth, to justice and righteousness.
And while we do so, we can rest in the assurance that we ourselves have an Intercessor who never fails. God bless.
Take a few moments to reflect on these questions
What situations or people has God placed before you that need more than your criticism or concern, and how could you begin to carry them faithfully before Him in prayer?
Why do you think intercession is difficult when we clearly see the failures of others, and what can the example of Christ teach us about praying for people who are struggling?
How does knowing that Jesus Christ “always lives to make intercession” for us change the way you approach God and the way you pray for others?
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us how much we need to stand in the gap and repair the breach. Forgive us for complaining about sin but not trying to bring righteousness. We will seek a heart of compassion to fight for justice, mercy, and faithfulness so that our people may be saved through your grace. Thank you for your Son Jesus who intercedes on our behalf. Let us follow his footsteps, walking in and proclaiming the truth and lifting our people to you in prayer. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen