EZE 13:1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the LORD! 3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD.
Gates in scripture speak of authority, decision-making, and all aspects of commercial and social intercourse. They represent order and government. While addressing legitimate leadership structure, Jesus taught that legitimate leadership arrives by the gate, affirming proper order.
JOH 10:1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.
However, gates must be attached to a good wall system. The best gates in the world are useless if not connected to an effective, functioning wall system. A church can have an impressive gate… a well ordered, systematic structure for making decisions and managing activities… while at the same time suffer from not having a strong wall system.
Walls in scripture represent two primary provisions, i.e., protection and vision. Physical protection from attack and a platform from which to see what was going on outside the city. The prophets, or seers, were to be on the walls. The picture Ezekiel describes above is that of prophets ministering false visions because they were not up on the wall but rather on the ground. The prophets were still seeing things, but their visions were confined to their own imaginations. In the New Testament context, they had become ear-ticklers. Although by the time of Ezekiel Israel had kings to lead them, these kings still ultimately relied (rightly) on the visions of the prophets.
These “on-the-ground” prophets were offering uninspired visions to the king and the people. The gates were intact. The government was in order. But the heavenly inspiration for the counsel that was to flow through the gates was not there. No matter how impressive the gates of the church, if the walls are not intact and manned, all is a mirage. Gates disconnected from walls are still gates, but such gates will never experience the power they must have that comes from well-established walls. For us today, these walls represent the consistent seeking of God through corporate prayer and worship.
Ezekiel compelled the prophets then, and the Holy Spirit compels us now… come “up to the breaks in the wall to repair it…” I pray for God’s grace for all of us to harken to Ezekiel’s call.
