When one of my children was small, she was not a fan of clowns, team mascots, Halloween costumes, or anything that covered the face of someone near her. Evan face paint freaked her out. The giant rat at Chuck-E-Cheese sent her into a complete panic.
Her reaction to this fear was often to hide behind me. This was not so that the creature could not see her, but she did it because it placed me between her and the threat. She was depending on me to protect her and by getting behind me, she demonstrated her confidence that I could do it. Many of you dads have had a similar experience.
Obviously, the true risk from a person in a giant rat costume was small, however, that did not minimize the responsibility. Fulfilling my responsibility as protector added confidence to my child that I would stand in the gap for her in every situation. Over the last decades, there have been times this has been necessary.
The phrase “standing in the gap” has its origins in the Bible. As we know, in ancient times, the main line of defense for a city was the wall that surrounded it. If a portion of the wall was destroyed during battle, the enemy could gain access and defeat the people. There was not opportunity to rebuild it as the fighting raged, so men were called to literally “stand in the gap” that had been created in the wall to defend the city.
The prophet Ezekiel borrows this phrase and applies a symbolic meaning in Ezekiel 23:29-31. The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice. 30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
The sin of the Israelites had gotten so perverse, God was warning them through Ezekiel that if they did not repent, they would be destroyed. However, as God always does, he offered them another chance to repent. In verse 30, he is searching for a man who would “stand in the gap” between the people and their sin. In other words, someone who would speak the truth and convince the people to repent. Unfortunately, that person could not be found, and God’s judgement fell as Jerusalem was destroyed and its people taken captive.
Although God does not use these exact words, he is still seeking men who are strong enough to stand in the gap for their families and communities. Men who will stand against the enemy of sin that is so pervasive in our world and that is so potentially damaging to those we care about. These are men who will not only model godliness, but who will boldly confront sin.
We do this through dependency of God’s Holy Spirit. Romans 8:6-9, The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. Satan is trying to breach the walls of our families and communities. God is looking for men willing to “stand in the gap” to protect them. It takes courage and commitment, but failure to do so creates a vulnerability that Satan is craving to exploit.