Awareness

There’s a cheesiness inherent in writing any January blog post concerning “New Year’s Resolutions,” especially as I believe they are a pitiful sham or, at best, a half-baked attempt on the part of an usually well-meaning individual to make him or her self do something which he or she had not the gumption to do when it actually became necessary (say, in March or August). However, regardless of this truth, there is a lesson in Ezekiel 22 that should be implemented in each of our lives this year and for the years following- whether you choose to add this to your list of Resolutions is a matter entirely of choice.*

The title of chapter 22 seems intimidating when first caught by the eye; entitled “Jerusalem’s Sins,” it indeed describes the severe disobedience of the people and the grim consequences of such actions. Phrases such as “O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst” (verse three) and “I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath” (verse twenty-one) add serious layers, effectively conveying the gravity of the people’s sins to the reader. Perhaps some context will help here- in fact, forsaking context is one of the main reasons why people often misread the Bible. The book of Ezekiel was written by the prophet, Ezekiel, and the preceding chapters explain in more detail the ways in which the people have enraged God. While the chapter is permeated by a descriptive account of these sins and their ramifications, the ending two verses are particularly notable because they offer a solution that the people could have taken to prevent this divine wrath. Verse 30 reads (and the LORD is speaking here): “I looked for a man 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 none.” A few interesting points appear in these mere thirty-seven words. One is the fact that God says he looked for “a man,” which, if interpreted in accordance with English grammatical standards, means “one man.” I cannot recall the last time I read about a great ruler or even a millionaire or CEO change the expected course of action based upon the fortitude of one person. Those who doubt God’s benevolence need look no further, as it is apparent here. God did not want to punish the people arbitrarily or because he derived some sick enjoyment from it, but because there was not a single person among them who could honestly claim innocence in the situation. Another point is that God speaks of this man building up a wall and standing before him in the gap on behalf of the land. Read over once, this may be missed, but taking another look, the reader envisages a tall brick wall with a courageous person standing atop it saying “God, I know you have every right to destroy this town, but I am wondering if you could please reconsider, based upon the fact that I have not done anything wrong, and that maybe, if given the chance, I could be used by You to help some of my neighbors do right again.” One righteous person could have bridged the gap between God’s wrath and the sinful people.

The word “gap” recalls an interesting phrase in my mind: “Mind the Gap.” A primarily British saying (as far as I have heard), it refers to the Tube (the British Subway train system) and the fact that if one does not “mind the gap” when boarding, one may easily slip and step onto the tracks, causing a very perilous situation. The gap is a danger to the passengers, but it must be crossed in order to enter or exit the train. Indulge me for a moment while I stretch this thought:

Our lives on earth are the gap. On one side we have sin, which is all we have until we decide to follow God; on the other side, we have either a) eternal life, a reward for following his Word and helping to further his kingdom, or b) eternal hell, a punishment for either not following him or turning our backs on him after first joining him. We live in sin until we accept salvation from God- in effect, bridging the gap. If one mere person in Jerusalem had correctly bridged this gap, God’s wrath would not have burned against the people, for he would have used this person to restore them to himself once more.

Perhaps the best way to bridge the gap is to be aware of the necessity of it. Awareness is a powerful tool for change. The mother of Christine Green, the 9-year-old killed in the Saturday Tuscon shooting, expressed her desire for us to be aware of the incredible danger of people like Loughner (the gunman), who is both medically imbalanced and mentally deranged. In our own lives we must be aware, but also in the larger context of our society- one that is rapidly degrading. There is no specified time or place for this; it is an ongoing cause that must be taken up by all of us. While you are making your New Year’s Resolutions, or re-working them from the past week, or whatever it may be, add “being aware of ways to bridge the gap” to your list. Pray about it, and God will show you how you can implement it.

*As a sidenote, I apologize if I offended anybody who is in favor of New Year’s Resolutions. For some they are powerful motivators, and for others, quite ineffective. I guess it is what you make of it.