Lessons From Ezekiel – Lesson 17
Make up the Hedge
We are going to look at one of the few verses that is preached out of Ezekiel. Most of the book is ignored from pulpits but there are about a handful of scriptures that are preached out of Ezekiel and chapter 22 vs 30 is one of them.
Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
I personally have heard several messages from that text thru the years. And I have heard that verse mentioned, quoted, or mentioned in other messages. Usually for the purpose of trying to manipulate someone into submitting to be a missionary, preacher, or even a job as a van driver.
But I have never heard it preached in its context. That is what we are going to do today.
In Chapter 22 we are right at the door of the close of the first section of Ezekiel. Chapter 1 thru 23 is the first section and it covers from the call of Ezekiel to the siege of Jerusalem. Chapter 23 contains the parable of the two sisters which stood for Samaria and Jerusalem and both were wicked but one sister was more wicked than the other. The more wicked sister was Jerusalem.
The first verse of chapter 24 is when Babylon sets its army in array around Jerusalem and lays siege to it. So in chapter 22 we are right at the door of that event. There really is no more delay.
God has had Ezekiel teach and preach and warn that judgment is coming. At first they did not believe it, then some started to believe it but said things like it is for a time far off. God kept pouring on the truth, this is happening and happening very soon.
Then in Chapter 20 and 21 and 22 God has Ezekiel go thru very long detailed lists of why they deserved this severe judgment. So that is the overall context. After all the object lessons on judgment is coming and after the detailed lists of why and after this verse is one more parable and then Babylon sieges Jerusalem.
So we know why this is happening. Everyone has been told. But right in the middle of all of the final few messages before the siege is:
Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Let’s read it with its surrounding verses.
Eze 22:23 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 22:24 Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.
Eze 22:25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
Catch this. Of her prophets, plural. As in many. And notice her prophets not God’s prophets. Our Lord had only a few. Two major ones during this time. Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
And the prophets that were using the name of the Lord were like a roaring lion ravening the prey. Another object lesson, another very visual picture. These were bad men. It says they have devoured souls. I think that means that they misled people straight into hell. It could also mean murder. The end of that verse says they have made many widows.
These were the so called preachers of the Lord, of course they were not His. There is no preaching of the truth by them. They are out for their own gain. God could use none of them to make up the hedge and stand in the gap.
The next group God mentions is the priests.
Eze 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
Again her priest and not God’s. They have violated the law. They profaned His holy things.
To them there was no separation between the holy and profane. And please get this, it is obvious that God’s precious word meant nothing to them. Not really. I am sure that they would give lips service in good terms about God’s word, but it had no meaning, no depth.
If they respected God’s word, then they would have done what it said. If you love God’s word, then you put some effort into doing what it says. The priests were violating God’s law and they were profane.
God could use none of them to make up the hedge and stand in the gap.
Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Understand this. God was looking. He was seeking for a man. And plug what you know about God into that. God knows everything, He sees everything, God discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. Every heart and all the time. Nothing hidden from our Lord.
So when God seeks, if there is someone to be found. God will find him, guaranteed. God did not miss anyone. He did not overlook anyone. There was not a single man that could be used in this way.
God looked at the prophets and he looked at the priests and then he looked at the leaders. The princes. These are the heads of all the tribes and the heads of all the groups in each tribe.
Eze 22:27 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.
They were like wolves and doing wickedness to get dishonest gain.
Eze 22:28 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.
And now God mentioned how He looked at the people.
Eze 22:29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
They were using oppression and stealing. Exercised robbery. They were vexing the poor and needy. By the way there it is again. You see it all thru the Bible. God cares about the poor and needy and He expects us to act accordingly. Help them don’t take advantage of them.
And don’t oppress the stranger wrongfully.
So God mentioned the prophets, the priests, the princes (that’s the leaders, heads of tribes and large families), and then the people. Well that is everyone isn’t it. Every person is going to fall into one of those groups.
And God looked at all of them and found none.
Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Eze 22:31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.
I have said before, God did not enjoy having to do this. If he could have found one man to stand in the gap and make up the hedge He would have used that man. And this judgment would have been delayed. And this particular group of people would not have had it fall on them.
God did this in the past. He did it with Noah. The entire world was so bad and the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. But Noah. The entire human race was going to be wiped out, but one man! Noah.
Noah stood in the gap. Noah was usable by God and yes only 7 people listened. But for those 7 people Noah made up the hedge and they were protected. 8 people entered into the ark.
God did it again with Moses. If you remember God was ready to judge Israel and wipe them all out but Moses stood in the gap and prayed for the people and because of that prayer God did not send judgment. Moses made up the hedge.
And God did it with Moses and Aaron. The people had just sinned and God sent a plague of judgment and it was moving thru the people. Moses told Aaron grab a censor with incense and run out toward the plague while Moses prayed and the plague was stayed.
God did it with Gideon and other men in the time of the judges. The philistines and other groups were used as judgment in the times of the judges when Israel got too wicked. It is like a broken record. And over and over God would look and find a man and use him to stop the judgment.
And we see the same thing in the time of the kings. The south kingdom would have a bad king, the people would get doing bad things, and of course hard times would come. Judgment. And God would find a man, and they would have a good king who would honor God and stand in the gap and make up the hedge.
And the total judgment that the nation had earned would be put off while that man stood in the gap and made up the hedge.
We saw God do it with Hezekiah, the praying king. The people did good and survived against impossible odds because God found a man to stand in the gap.
But now God says I have sought for a man to stand, and found none.
This should bring to your mind. But what about, and what about. You should have questions about 2 things.
- God found no man, but what about Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The answer to that is they both already had jobs. They were willing, they were faithful, they loved and were true to God’s instructions. They were busy, and God was using them. What they were doing was already a full time job. God in His wisdom wanted them devoted to that job.
They were already being used and in God’s will. So in light of that they were already found and assigned a job. They were not candidates in God’s seeking for a man to stand in the gap and make up the hedge because God already found them for another job. God will not ask of a man to do more than he can take. He can and will ask a lot, but never so much as to break a man.
- So what is the other one. Remember God always has a remnant. And God showed Ezekiel how He had people in Jerusalem who hated the sin that was going on and were crying about it. And how they would be marked and protected when Jerusalem falls and how they will come to those already in captivity and be an encouragement to them.
What about those men? Why couldn’t one of those stand in the gap and make up the hedge? This is a little more complicated to answer, but the answer is laid out here.
We need to notice each of the groups that God mentions and pay attention to why they could not be used to stand in the gap and make up the hedge.
And notice in this list you never find not submitting. That is the number one way that verse 30 is wrongly preached. I have heard it preached many times that the reason there are not men to stand in the gap is because men will not submit. There are none to stand in the gap because they will not answer the call and submit.
They preach it that way because they are trying to manipulate men into taking jobs in the church or being a missionary. But that is not the context here at all and not submitting to a call is not to be found in the text.
Why does God say He could not find anyone?
Reason 1 verse 25 devouring souls. Leading people to hell. And #2 murder, making widows.
- taking treasure and precious things. Stealing
- vs 26. Violating God’s law. No love for, allegiance to, faith in, no obedience to, no trust in. However you want to say it. No respect for God’s word. This is an epidemic with preachers today.
- Putting no difference between the holy and profane. No separation from the wicked world system. No separation from the wicked things people do.
- No proper worship of God. For them in those days worshipping on the Sabbaths was God’s will. Proper worship would include that. They refused to worship God correctly. Many of the things in this list are an epidemic today. Trying to worship God with corrupted Bibles and rock n roll music for examples.
- reason 7 is in verse 27. Dishonest gain. That can be a lot of things from lying on your time card to being a con artist, to selling .9 pounds of flour that you label as a full pound.
- reason 8 is in verse 28. And that is lying.
- reason 9 is in verse 29. Oppression and robbery.
- Reason 10 is vexing the poor and needy.
- Reason 11 is oppressing the stranger wrongfully.
These 11 reasons are why God says.
Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
And none of those 11 reasons have anything to do with not answering the call or not being willing. All 11 of them are some sin that they are doing.
So sin is the reason when God sought for a man that He could not find one.
Put your common sense and logic hat on. That means that yes God had a remnant in Jerusalem. And yes they cried about what was going on.
And yes, no man has to be perfect to be used. You will find faults with Noah, and Moses and Aaron and Gideon and all the others that God has used. But they were not actively doing the 11 things in this list.
So what about His remnant? It means that while they loved God and while they cried with God about what was going on. Every one of them must have been involved in something in this list on some level that was greater than what God could use.
This teaches us something else.
It is possible for someone to be in God’s remnant and be saved and love God. And because of that get God’s protection. Those who are God’s remnant in Jerusalem will be protected and will be brought out safe. They will lose their homes but they will be protected.
However, they are doing some bad things. So it is possible, even today, to be saved and be one of God’s remnant and get Heaven and also get some protection on this earth. And yet be unusable.
Those in Jerusalem that were God’s He has His faithful watchful eye on and will get His protection. But when He looked at them for a man to stand in the gap and make up the hedge He found none.
Is that sad to you? Should not people who are saved live in such a way that God can use them?
Does this look familiar to you as you look out at America?
Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
You should see God’s heart here. He would much rather find a man and use him to stand in the gap and make up the hedge than bring destruction.
You should also see God’s heart here in that God has a heart to use people. For His glory and for the benefit of others.
Here is a principal. God uses His almighty power thru the lives of men. He moves circumstances and hearts and makes things happen, but He uses people in the process.
And they don’t have to be perfect. They need a heart for God and they need to be available.
And we learn in this section of Ezekiel that to be used by God in any major way you cannot be doing the things in this list.
Reason 1 verse 25 devouring souls. Leading people to hell. And #2 murder, making widows. 3. taking treasure and precious things. Stealing
- Violating God’s law. No love for, alegance to, faith in, no obedience to, no trust in. However you want to say it. No repect for God’s word.
- Putting no difference between the holy and profane. No separation from the wicked world system. No separation from the wicked things people do.
- No proper worship of God. For them in those days worshipping on the Sabbaths was God’s will. Proper worship would include that. They refused to worship God correctly.
- Dishonest gain. That can be a lot of things from lying on your time card to being a con artist, to selling .9 pounds of flour that you label as a full pound.
- And that is lying. 9. Oppression and robbery. 10. vexing the poor and needy.
- Oppressing the stranger wrongfully.
Not doing any of those is no guarantee that you will be used by God. But doing any of those is a reason to not be used.
Again men do not have to be perfect to be used but they can’t be doing those things. Now a man can mess up and do one and repent and get forgiveness and not do it again and God can still use him. But those 11 things are reasons to be disqualified from being used by God.
We see this all throughout history.
In the N.T. we see this in the lives of Paul, and Peter and John and Luke and Timothy and Titus. None of them perfect, but all used by God and they were not living in the things in that list.
You move out in history and you see it with the man who started the Paulines, or the Dontists, or the leaders of the Christians in Piedmont, high in the Alps.
Move forward still and you still see God working thru men. Working to stem the tide, to make a stand, and to make a difference.
Spurgeon, Moody, Charles Finney, the man who’s revivals made the difference before the civil war. Before Charles Finney the north was also pro slavery or at least ok with it. But so many people got saved thru the preaching of Finney that by the time the civil war came hearts in the north were changed.
It is amazing to study, that great revival completely avoided the south. That revival only happened in the north. God did that.
Keep going on to more modern times and you will find Torrey, and Billy Sunday, Frank Norris, Jack Hyles, and more.
God always has used men to make a stand. To stand in the gap and make up a hedge. He does it sometimes in big ways with men who had huge impact and made a change over large areas.
He also uses men the same way but on smaller scales. Good men like Dr. Orrino who was just a good faithful man of God who stood in the gap and made up a hedge for a small congregation.
They were all used by God. He chooses the roles, He choose the jobs. He chooses how each would be used. Some more than others. Some to reach tens of thousands. Some He uses in a great way just for a few.
None of them had to be perfect. But they all had to not be wicked.
Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
One takeaway from all of this is.
Just be as in, Just be the best Christian you can be. Be honest. Be genuine. When you mess up, forsake it and confess it to God.
Do right and let how much God uses you and in what way, leave that to God. He does the seeking. He does the assignment of jobs.
He is the only one that can work in the circumstances of life for His purposes and for His glory. Leave that to Him, and just concentrate on living out your Christian life in a manner that pleases Him.