Title: If There is a Person who Prays
God foretold and warned the people that if they continued to sin against God, there will be God’s wrath pouring upon them. So, the subtitle of Ezek 22 is a burning furnace. However, God is God of mercy and grace. Among such terrifying moments, God indicated His mercy that although My wrath is planned upon you, if there is a person who is awaken and works as a shield of a nation, then I won’t bring about this judgment upon you (Ezek 22:30). In other word, God is looking for and waiting for a person who would stop God’s judgment.
- Sins of the nation
- People (Ezek 22:29)
The people were filled with idolatry, hostility, and injustice. The founding pastor explained this situation as they only cared for themselves not others.
Mrk 12:31 says that we are ought to love our neighbour. It is not easy to love or care for other people when the time of such difficulty comes. However, we can see that God is still asking for the same thing to the people who were taken to Babylon. Thus, we should love our neighbours too.
- Leaders (Ezek 22:27)
A prince means a political leader like a governor, a mayor, a king or a leader of people in general. These leaders were to protect the nation and secure the safety of the people. However, they were only interested in tearing their prey and getting dishonest gain. We may think it is not applicable to us because we are not political or military leaders to protect this nation. However, the Bible says that we are the chariots and horsemen of this nation (2 Kgs 2:12).
When Elijah was about to go up heaven without seeing death, Elisha was following him all the way. To cut the story short, when Elijah left, Elisha confessed that Elijah is the chariots and horsemen of the nation. When Elisha died, King Joash confessed the same thing that Elisha is the chariots and horsemen of the nation (2 Kgs 13:14). Political leaders hold the duty of protecting this nation physically, whereas we hold the duly of protecting the nation spiritually. Therefore, we should be careful not to fall into the sin of tearing the prey and going after dishonest gains.
- Priests (Pastors) (Ezek 22:26)
Priests are to obey the Word of God and separate between the holy and the profane. However, God pointed out that the priests in Ezek 22 broke the Word of God, mixed the holy and the profane. Most of all, they didn’t keep the Sabbath.
1 Pet 2:9 says that we are royal priesthood. Therefore, this is also about us. In our life, we should keep the Word of God, separate between the holy and the profane. Most of all, we should keep the Lord’s Day.
- Prophets (Ezek 22:25; Ezek 22:28)
Priests are the representatives of the people to God. Whereas prophets are the representative of God to people. Their main job is to deliver the Word of God to the people.
God warned them not to be filled with lust, the love of money and not to speak the false vision, the wrong Word of God (the words of man). When Jesus gave us the great commission, He entrusted us the duty of teaching the people to observe the Word of God. Therefore, we have a duty of a prophet.
Mat 28:19-20 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Therefore, we should be careful not to fall into temptation such as the love of money and delivering the words of man.
2) We should rebuild the wall (Ezek 22:30)
Ezek 22 is the incident that happened between the 2nd deportation and the 3rd deportation. Because Ezekiel was brought to Babylon during the 2nd deportation, the initial audiences would be the ones who were deported to Babylon: the slaves in Babylon.
How on earth they could go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall? They were not free to travel or go back and forth. So, when God said “I am looking for a man to rebuild the wall of the city”, it may not mean to rebuild the wall literally but spiritually by prayer (Zeph 1:6; 2 Chr 15:13).
As we learned yesterday, when Daniel realized God’s plan was when 70 years is completed, the people of God will be restored, the first thing and the most important thing he decided to do was to pray to God.
Likewise, the way to build the wall of city spiritually and the way to become a shield to this nation is prayer. It is now the time we should pray once again with the great passion and like never before.
Mrk 9:28-29 says that only through prayer, we can bring God’s miracle in our life. Amen.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 