In The Word
Read: Ezekiel 22
The Sins of Israel
22 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then inform her of all her abominations.3 And you shall say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time is coming; and a city that makes idols, contrary to her own good, for defilement! 4 You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and you have become defiled by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your days closer and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a disgrace to the nations, and an object of mocking to all the lands. 5 Those who are near and those who are far from you will make fun of you, you of ill repute, full of turmoil.
6 “Behold, the rulers of Israel, each according to his power, have been among you for the purpose of shedding blood. 7 They have treated father and mother with contempt among you. They have oppressed the stranger in your midst; they have oppressed the orphan and the widow among you. 8 You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. 9 Slanderous men have been among you for the purpose of shedding blood, and among you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have committed outrageous sin. 10 Among you they have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; among you they have abused her who was unclean in her menstruation. 11 And one has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife, another has outrageously defiled his daughter-in-law, and another among you has sexually abused his sister, his father’s daughter. 12 Among you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest, you have injured your neighbors by oppression, and you have forgotten Me,” declares the Lord God.
13 “Behold, then, I strike with My hand your profit which you have made and the bloodshed which is among you. 14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong for the days that I will deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken and will act.15 And I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you among the lands, and I will eliminate your uncleanness from you. 16 Then you will defile yourself in the sight of the nations, and you will know that I am the Lord.”’”
17 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become waste metal to Me; all of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the smelting furnace; they are the waste metal of silver. 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because all of you have become waste metal, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the smelting furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will place you there and melt you. 21 And I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out My wrath on you.’”
23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that is not clean or rained on in the day of indignation.’ 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. 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, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have closed their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am defiled among them. 27 Her leaders within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to make dishonest profit. 28 And her prophets have coated with whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery, and they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger without justice. 30 I searched for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 So I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; I have brought their way upon their heads,” declares the Lord God.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
One of the saddest things said by the Heavenly Father to man is in verse 30, “I searched for a man among them that would build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” When we read about how far Israel had come from the hope of the world to a most sinful nation, it brings to mind the condition of our country here in the United States. A nation that was once a beacon for the world has now become a hater of God and His ordinances. People openly mock Him; they profane His name in comedy skits. They laugh at His laws and say they are old-fashioned. Paul wrote in Romans 1:32, “And although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” What a sad commentary for such a great nation as Israel and for our own country as well.
The question is: at a time like this, would God find someone here in our country who would “build the wall”? A person who would say, “Enough is enough; it stops here!” Or will it be like Israel in the time of Ezekiel where God said, “I searched for one but found no one”? Will you be the one to stand in the gap? Will you be that believer that represents your Heavenly Father at work or at a family gathering? Through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, you have that power! Start building that wall today!