Topic: Are You Standing in the Gap?
Numbers 16 indicates that the people had come together in opposition against Moses. Moses was God’s representative. Moses represented God’s law, God’s ways and God’s purposes. As we observe our world, we see so many people gathered in opposition to or against us, against God’s plan, His law and His purposes.
The result of this opposition was a plague that began to sweep the land. As Moses and Aaron stood there looking out at the crowd of people gathered against them, people began falling dead in multitudes. Moses and Aaron had a choice to make. They could step back and allow God’s judgment to continue to fall and wipe out all the people or do something about it. Because of their crazy love for this people, their heart’s broke and Moses sent Aaron out into the crowds to seek atonement before God.
Moses and Aaron were motivated by love for the people who were against them. By lighting the censer and running into the midst, Aaron became an intercessor before God for this people. The heart of the true believer will cry out: "I will either live with the living or die with the dying, but I must do something!" This is a radical way of thinking— this radical living! It is this explosive compassion bursting forth out of God’s people that is going to make the difference in this indifferent world we live in.
Ezekiel prophesied these words (22:30), “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.”
God couldn’t find any gap-men in Ezekiel’s day. No one cared about anyone else. There was no compassion, no concern, no heartbreak over the lostness of humanity; thus, judgment fell and the Babylonians invaded and conquered Israel.
Our world is in desperate need of intercessors, gap-standers, people of passion. Jesus stood in the gap for you and I. He continues to intercede on our behalf before the Father. We must fill the role of intercession for others here where we are. We have an awesome responsibility staring us in the face.
Place yourself in the shoes of a hurting person overcome with the effects of the infection of sin. Would you want to just be left to yourself so you can slowly have the life drained from you or would you want someone to reach out and touch your life, give you some hope?
Being heartbroken for humanity involves a response beyond a simple yes, I understand. It involves a commitment to stand in the gap, to get fired up and to go into the place where the battle is raging. Are you willing and ready?
See you Sunday,
Dr. Scott Kallem