Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry

Bridging the Gap

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2025-08-31

Synopsis: John Weaver addresses how believers can reconcile submission to God's providence with the biblical call to fight against evil. Using Ezekiel 22:30-31 as the foundation, he explains that God seeks people to 'stand in the gap'—to intercede, execute justice, and defend the innocent. He illustrates this through the lives of David and Samuel, showing how God prepared them for moments of righteous action. The sermon emphasizes preparation, recognizing God's timing, and having a biblical mindset to bridge the gap between passive submission and active, God-honoring resistance to wickedness.

[John Weaver] Let's go ahead and open our Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22 and we're going to read verses 30 and 31. Ezekiel 22 verses 30 and 31. The title of the message is Bridging the Gap. You will understand momentarily. So Ezekiel chapter 22 verse 30, the word of God says, 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. God says, therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them.

[John Weaver] I've consumed them with the fire of my wrath. Their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord. So the title of the message is Bridging the Gap. Some of you, I hope, All of you will remember that I recently preached the message which I entitled, This Would Solve Most Problems, and the message actually dealt with submission to God and to his divine providence. In that message I gave one illustration from the life of Daniel, but mostly the message was on the life of Joseph and his submission to the providential acts of God, even those acts that you and I would call bad, tragic and even catastrophic events in his life. I also pointed out that these two men are the only two men in scripture of which absolutely nothing bad or evil is stated. Yes, they were sinners, but each one was basically submissive and obedient to God in his providential dealings in their lives.

[John Weaver] So the reason for this message is I had a good brother in the faith who asked me a simple question. He was present when I preached the message entitled, This Would Solve Most Problems, dealing with submission to God's divine providence. And so he asked me, in light of that truth, that is, in light of the truth of that message, how, where, and when are the faithful to rise up and fight against evil?

[John Weaver] Well, I want to answer that today. and try to give illustrations as well. The truth of the matter is we should always be fighting against evil and wickedness. We're commanded to hate evil and therefore it must be dealt with in a very biblical manner, that is for sure. It must be first dealt with in our lives. And the fact of the matter is, if we're not going to deal with it in our lives, that is fighting against evil and fighting against wickedness, we're not going to deal with it in our lives. We certainly have no right to complain about others who refuse to deal with evil in their lives as well. And moreover, we would not have any right to even complain against those who refuse to fight against evil in society. So, the truth of the matter is, we are always commanded to hate evil and to fight against evil. For instance, let me give you a couple of scriptures.

[John Weaver] Psalm 97 and verse 10, the Bible says, Ye that love the Lord hate evil, he preserveth the souls of his saints, he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. So notice what he said in Psalm 97 verse 10, Ye that love the Lord hate evil. And then of course in the book of Amos chapter 5, verses 14 and 15, God said, seek good and not evil, that you may live. So the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you as you have spoken. Then he says this, hate the evil and love the good. Establish judgment in the gate that it may be that the Lord, God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. So twice now he's told us to hate the evil and love the good. So let me just point out very plainly that it's impossible to love the good without hating the evil. Moreover, it's impossible to love God without at the same time hating everything that is contrary to God.

[John Weaver] So, just for your remembrance, years ago I preached a message which I entitled, The Biblical Doctrine of Hatred. And the truth of the matter is there is a biblical doctrine of hatred in the Bible. And so I think that message is probably still on Sermon Audio, but I had three points in that message. I pointed out the Sovereign's hatred, the Savior's hatred, and the Saint's hatred. And certainly the message is probably needing to be re-preached today because there's still so much confusion on this particular subject. But hatred, biblical hatred, is not wicked and it's not wrong because it has been commanded by God and God who is infinitely holy and infinitely righteous has said, hate the evil and love the good. So, it is not wrong, neither is it wicked, to hate God's enemies.

[John Weaver] Now when I say that, let me point out the fact that in one sense of the word, the widest sense of the word, all of the unsaved would be God's enemies. But yet when the scripture talks about God's enemies, it's not just those that are unsaved, it is specifically referring to those who are in open rebellion and defiance against him, seeking to dethrone him, who hate him, Just preeminently, they despise him. So let me show you, if you look in your Bibles, hold Ezekiel 22, we're coming back there. But if you look in Psalm 139, and let's begin reading there with verse 19. Psalm 139, verse 19. So we're still talking about bridging the gap. And notice if you would, Psalm 139, and notice if you would, verse 19, David says this.

[John Weaver] Surely that will slay the wicked, O God. Depart from me therefore, you bloody men. So note the wicked or bloody men. They're really, really vile. He says, For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. And then David says this, Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. So David says, Do not I hate them, O Lord, that they hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? And then he says, I hate them with perfect hatred. So this is a hatred that is biblical and is right. Notice, if you would, he said in verse 23 and 24, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts.

[John Weaver] and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." So he said, Lord, if this is wrong, you search me, you know me, you lead me in the right way. But obviously, clearly, then it was not wrong at all.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make this very clear. You may lawfully hate God's enemies, but you may not lawfully hate your own enemies, because God has said, love your enemies, your own enemies. So most of our enemies are enemies of our own making in the fact that we've been discourteous, we've been uglier, we've been hateful, etc. But, you know, God says clearly that we are to love our enemies, we can hate His. But thankfully, and it should be, that His enemies turn out to be our enemies as well. So I want you to turn right over, if you would now, to the book of Ecclesiastes. The book of Ecclesiastes. And notice, if you would, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and we're going to go to chapter 3. And I'm going to read the first eight verses. So I want you to watch this. Ecclesiastes 3, beginning there with verse 1. This is a passage that most people know.

[John Weaver] A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate. a time of war, and a time of peace.

[John Weaver] Now it's interesting that in our Bibles we have five books of wisdom literature. These five books of wisdom literature are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. Someone has rightly pointed out that the book of Psalms teaches us how to worship And the book of Proverbs teaches us how to behave. The book of Job teaches us how to suffer. The song of Solomon teaches us how to love. And the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us how to behave. Now, the truth is that each of these wisdom literature books also teach about fighting and also teach about hatred, as does the rest of the entirety of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just point out the fact that it is not in the nature of a true Christian to hate others. There may be many individuals that we dislike. There may be individuals that we disagree with. There may be individuals we just simply do not wish to be around. But hatred does not grow in the soil of regeneration. Hatred is always in the soil of depravity and of fallen nature. And the truth of the matter is this, our Lord then classifies hatred of the brethren, or hatred of our non-enemies, literally as murder.

[John Weaver] So let me explain a couple of passages. The next one is in Matthew chapter 5, which is very easy to get to. Matthew chapter 5, look if you would, at verses 21 and 22. Matthew chapter 5, verse 21 and 22. Our Lord says, You have heard it was said by them of old times, Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. Now look what he says. But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without the cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother Rakeh shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of hell fire. Now we understand probably every word there except the word Rakeh. The word Rakeh was a term of reproach in the time of our Lord.

[John Weaver] It was similar to what we would use when we call someone senseless, empty-headed, stupid, an idiot. In other words, it's mocking and making fun of them.

[John Weaver] Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of First John, Chapter 3. First John, Chapter 3. And notice, if you would, what is said specifically concerning hatred. Notice, if you would, First John, Chapter 3. And let's begin reading there with verse 14. First John 3, verse 14. Our Lord says, we know that we pass from death unto life. How do we know that?

[John Weaver] Because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hated his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. So the Word of God tells us that we are not to be hating simply by nature and hatred of our brethren is indeed murder.

[John Weaver] Now, since we are told in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 8 that there is a time to love and there is also a time to hate. Now the Hebrew word for hate is the word sone. It is translated in our Bibles 146 times. 136 of those times it is translated as hate. The other times it is translated as enemy. enemies, foes, and hateful.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you a couple of quotes. The first one is very brief. It's from Matthew Poole, and he's quoting on Ecclesiastes 3 and verse 8, where it says there's a time to love and a time to hate. Listen to what he says. A time to love when God shall stir up the affection of love or give occasion for the exercise or discovery of it to others. And that's all he says. He doesn't make a comment on a time to hate. So, I want you to think about this and listen to this. He said, a time to love when God shall stir up the affection of love or give occasion for the exercise or discovery of it to others. Now, if it's God who stirs up love in our hearts, and gives us the occasion to exercise it and to demonstrate it to others.

[John Weaver] The opposite truth is also true. That is, it is God who stirs up hatred and gives us the opportunity to discover it and to exercise it.

[John Weaver] Now here's something that most people just have not ever thought about. But God is absolutely sovereign. God is not the infuser of sin. He is not the instigator of sin. But God is certainly the controller of sin. And God does use sin, ultimately, for His honor and His glory. That's what the Bible said. The wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder of wrath shall he restrain. So that wrath that will not ultimately redound to His honor and glory, He will restrain. And so it is God oftentimes who turns our enemies to hate us and stirs up our heart to hate them. Now, let me explain.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 105. Psalm 105. And I want you to look at verses 23 through 25. So look in Psalm 105. This may shock you, but here it is.

[John Weaver] Psalm 105, look if you would please, at verse 23. Psalm 105, verse 23. Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. He, that is God, turned their heart to hate his people, to deal stubbly with his servants. Note what God did. God turned their heart to hate his people. And of course God used that hatred for judgment. Now it is true that Pharaoh turned his own heart and so did the Egyptians. But it is also true that here God turned their heart to hate his people. So clearly then God is sovereign even over hatred.

[John Weaver] Now here's one more quote. Matthew Henry He says this, a time to love and to show ourselves friendly, to be free and cheerful, and it is a pleasant time that there may come a time to hate, when we shall see cause to break off all familiarity with some that we've been fond of, and to be upon the reserve, as having found reason for our suspicion, which love is loath to admit." In other words, he says love does not want to do that, it's loath to admit, but we have to do it at times.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm talking about bridging the gap, because remember I told you the message I preached, this would solve most problems, dealing with absolute and total submission to God in all of his providential acts toward us. And then it was Warren Luke who asked me, if that is the case, how do we bridge the gap or how do we go to fighting the enemies when we need to be fighting? And so this is what I'm trying to show you.

[John Weaver] There is a poem by Rudyard Kipling, who was in India, by the way, who understood what was going on. And he wrote this poem, The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon. The poem pretty well summarizes everything that I've just told you in the fact that wrath and hatred is not in the root of regeneration by nature. It is in the root of depravity by nature. But listen to this poem. Wrath of the awakened Saxon.

[John Weaver] It was not part of their blood. It came to them very late with long arrears to make good when the Saxon began to hate. They were not easily moved. They were icy willing to wait till every count should be proved ere the Saxon began to hate. Their voices were even and low. Their eyes were level and straight. There was neither sign nor show when the Saxon began to hate.

[John Weaver] It was not preached to the crowd. It was not taught by the state. No man spake it aloud. when the Saxon began to hate. It was not suddenly bred, it will not swiftly abate through the chilled years ahead when time shall count from the date that the Saxon began to hate. So basically what he's saying is there is a time to hate just like Ecclesiastes chapter 3.

[John Weaver] Now you're going to ask what has all this got to do with our text in Ezekiel chapter 22. So I want you to turn back to Ezekiel 22 and let me show you what it has to do with our text. Note if you would again verses 30 and 31 of Ezekiel 22. God said 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." Note what God says, I sought for a man 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. Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them, I've consumed them with the fire of my wrath, their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith Now, the entire context of Ezekiel chapter 22 actually deals with God's judgment upon the nation of Israel. In fact, if we just look at the latter part of this chapter before we get to verses 30 and 31, you're going to see the absolute alienation, treason, and defection of the people against God and against His law.

[John Weaver] So, if you'll look down to Ezekiel chapter 22, beginning there with verse 23, look what he said, just to show you the complete, total alienation of the people from God. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Shun a man saying to her, that is to Israel, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor reigned upon in the day of indignation." Now look, outline these with me.

[John Weaver] There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion, rabbiting the prey, they have devoured souls, they have taken the treasure and precious things, they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. So the prophets were totally, absolutely corrupt, selfish, and covetous.

[John Weaver] Now look at verse 26. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things, and have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them." So there's the prophets, there's the priests. Now look at verse 27. Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and destroy souls to get dishonest gain. So there's the civil government.

[John Weaver] He hits the prophets again, and our prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus said the Lord God, when the Lord had not spoken, And now he hits the people. 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. Now look what God says, in light of the total treason, alienation, and defection of the prophets, the priests, the princes, and the people. He says, 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." Now he looked for a man, he said, to stand in the gap to make up the hedge.

[John Weaver] That is to rebuild the wall or the bridge and a bridge up the broken wall. Now the word stand is the Hebrew word Amad and it means to stand, it means to remain, to endure, to take a stand, to stand upright and remain standing. The gap then was the hole in the wall in which Very easily, the enemy could infiltrate into the city and gain a victory. So God is saying, I'm looking for someone who's going to bridge up this hole, bridge up this gap. I'm looking for someone who's going to stand in this hedge and make up this gap. In other words, I want someone who's going to execute judgment. I want someone who's going to intercede for the land. I want someone who's going to vindicate my holy cause. and my righteous law." So God said, I'm just simply looking for a man.

[John Weaver] And it did not matter if it happened to be a prophet or a priest or a prince or just a common, ordinary, everyday person of the people. He said, I'm looking for a man. I want someone that's going to interpose himself between the judgment of God and this city, and I want someone who's going to stand and execute my judgment and intercede for those who are righteous and those who are innocent. Now, in this instance, it just happens, the enemy that was coming in the gate was the Lord God himself. He was coming in as a man of war to destroy the people because of their sin and their wickedness. So God then was just looking for someone to bridge the gap, to prevent that righteous judgment that was coming upon the land and upon the nation. He was looking for someone to stand up and execute his judgments.

[John Weaver] Now, so here's the point, and this point should be clear. There's a time when righteous men, men of faith, men of submission, men of obedience, must stand and avert the judgment of God, the righteous judgment of God, defend the innocent, and deal with the evil that is condemned by God.

[John Weaver] Now, since I titled this message, Bridging the Gap, I've got to ask you some questions. And I'm going to show you some illustrations from what I'm trying to teach right now. But here's my first question. Have you ever thought about or have you ever wondered how David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, became the slayer of giants and the ultimate warrior king. How about this one? Have you ever asked yourself concerning Samuel the prophet, how the man of God became the slayer and the executioner of King Agag? I could ask more. For instance, how did Moses, the meekest man on earth, become the one that exercised the justice of God against those who rebelled against God and saw them executed. Well, I want us to consider just for a little bit David as an illustration of one who bridged the gap, doing exactly what God has asked for in Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 30. So David then went from a poet the sweet psalmist of Israel to a warrior.

[John Weaver] So there was a preparation in his life. So I want you to listen to this truth and young men, young lady, listen carefully. God will always use a prepared person. So you need to be prepared. Whatever area, whatever field God calls you into, you need to have preparation. That is for sure. God only uses prepared people. And so David was being prepared to fight Goliath and never even knew it. David was being prepared to become a warrior king and did not understand it. So when the providence of God brought to pass the time and the opportunity to fight Goliath, then David was prepared.

[John Weaver] You know, I've often thought about this. It was Jesse, his father, who called David and said, look, I want you to come. I want you to take these cheeses to the captains of your brothers and check on them and get their pledge and bring it back. In other words, I want proof that they're still alive. Bring it back. And that's all he was going to do. David was sent by Jesse to check on his brothers. I'm sure that David had absolutely no idea that he was going to be facing Goliath. He had no idea what was about to come down.

[John Weaver] So you have to ask yourself this question. Where in the world did David derive his skill? Where did David derive his experience? Where did David derive his combat preparedness? Well, I can give you the answer to that. Psalm 144, verse 1. That would be theologically speaking, where David said, Blessed be the Lord, my God, who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight. So it was God who basically taught him how to fight and to war.

[John Weaver] But he did so through preparation. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel chapter 17. This is a passage that everyone knows and everyone should really love, especially young folks. It said David fighting Goliath in 1 Samuel chapter 17. So I want you to note what Goliath says and there is a number of opportunities here to explain some things. So notice if you would in 1 Samuel 17 in verse 10, look what Goliath said.

[John Weaver] And the Philistines said, I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together. Goliath was not just simply defying the armies of Israel. He was also defying the God of the armies of Israel. So if you look in verse 45, when David went out to meet Goliath, look what he said. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. So you cannot defy God's armies or God's people without defying God at the same time. So now David had to fight Goliath. By the way, most scholars will tell you that David was from the age of 15 to 17 when he faced Goliath. And that is pointed out very clearly by what Saul said to David, which we'll read just momentarily now. How in the world did God prepare David? Well, if you look beginning in verse 32, or verse Samuel chapter 17, I want you to watch this.

[John Weaver] And David said to Saul, let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, thou art not able to go against this Philistine, to fight with him, for thou art but a youth, a teenager. and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock.

[John Weaver] And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing as he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said, moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee." Certainly the Lord had to be with him because Saul was not bound to go out there and fight with him himself, that is for sure.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make some observations on this passage that I think are very relevant today. First of all, I want you to know when David destroyed the lion and the bear, he did not know that he was being prepared to fight Goliath. God was training him. If you will note what the scripture says, David actually went after the lion and the bear. He said in verse 35, and I went out after him and smote him. Look, if you would. He said, I smote him and delivered it out of his mouth. In other words, he didn't kill him at first.

[John Weaver] He just hit him hard enough. To retrieve the lamb. But when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and I smote him and I slew him. So David then purposely went after the animal. Well, let me ask you a question. Why would David do that? Just stop and think. Here's a bear and the bear takes the lamb and runs off and David chases the bear and smites the bear, delivers the lamb and when the bear turns around and rises up against David, David slays him and kills him. Why would David not say Well, how?

[John Weaver] Let him have the lion. Let him have the lamb. I'm not running after that big brute. I'm not going to fight the lion either. Let him have them. Why would David go after them and try to redeem the lamb? And the answer is because David was a shepherd. Remember, the sheep did not belong to David. They belong to David's father. A shepherd's responsibility is not just to feed the flock, but also to protect the flock. And some animal had come and stolen a lamb from the flock. David says, no, this is not going to happen. I'm going to retrieve that lamb. I'm going to bring it back because that lamb does not belong to me.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what most people today would say. Well, the bear's hungry, too. Let him have something. I'd rather him eat the lamb than me. Or the same thing with the lion. I'd rather him eat the lamb than me. I'm not running after that lion. Why would we not do something like that? And here's the answer. Because we're not shepherds. Now. In John chapter 10, I want you to turn there. I want you to see this. Look in John chapter 10, beginning there with verse 11. Look at this. Look what our Lord says. John 10, beginning there with verse 11. Our Lord said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giving his life for the sheep. So David was willing to die for the little lamb. But he that is a harling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth him, and scattereth the sheep. The harling fleeth, because he is a harling, and careth not for the sheep.

[John Weaver] This is why I'm saying we're not shepherds in that sense of the word. We're not willing to protect the flock. We're not willing to protect our families. We're not willing to do that which God requires of us. So David was just simply being faithful to his duty, to his obligation as a shepherd to defend the flock that his father owned. So a shepherd protects the flock. A father protects his wife and his family.

[John Weaver] A hireling runs away because he is a hireling. So let me ask you a question. How do you expect God to use you to protect your family or your flock if you will not train or be trained by him and be willing to be used by him when his providential act brings it to pass in your life? David used these opportunities for training. Listen to me. God's providence will always give us opportunities to train. He will always prepare us for whatever we're going to face. We don't know what we're going to face. So whatever God puts in our way, whatever he allows to befall us, It is for our training and for our admonition. So David, of course, when he destroyed this bear and the lion, had no idea that God was preparing him to fight a giant or to become a warrior king. Secondly, David realized that not only that God had prepared him for the hour, he realized the cause that was involved.

[John Weaver] So I want you to look in 1 Samuel chapter 17 and verse 29. 1 Samuel chapter 17 and verse 29. Because David's brothers are there and Eliab happened to be his older brother. And Eliab had to make fun of David, and he had to say that he knew the naughtiness of David's heart, that he came out just to see the battle. Well, that's not true, because the only reason David was there was because his father had sent him. So notice, if you would, Verse 29 in 1 Samuel chapter 17, he said this, and David said, What have I now done?

[John Weaver] Is there not a cause? Now think about what David just said. After Eliab, his eldest brother, had berated him, David asked, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? What he's asking is, Is there not a cause to fight? And yes, there was a cause to fight. So I want you to think, number one, about the insolence of Goliath. He was insulting everyone. He was insulting the army of God. He was insulting God. Think about him defying the army of Israel. Think about the danger of defeat. Think about the subjection of Israel to their enemy. Think about the tyranny of the enemy. And above all, think about the blasphemy of God. Yeah, there was quite a cause to fight.

[John Weaver] You see, the problem with Americans and the problem with American Christians is we've lost our martial spirit. In fact, I don't know when the last time I've been in any churches and I've heard songs sung like, Am I a Soldier of the Cross? Onward, Christian Soldiers! Oh, the Fort Rhyme coming! We don't even like to sing those songs! We don't even like to read what the Apostle Paul told Timothy, fight the good fight of faith. We don't even like to read Ephesians chapter 6 where God gives us all this armor and why in the world would he give us armor if he did not intend for us to fight? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we have lost our martial spirits. We don't wish to prepare. We do not wish to engage the enemy. We wish to be comfortable and at ease.

[John Weaver] And that's all there is to it. And we totally forget there is a cause, and that is the cause of God and the cause of truth. So I want to tell you something. If you have not signed up to get ChristianWarriorTraining.com and that's from Keith Graves, and it's absolutely free. He will tell you everything that's happening in all the churches in this country. He will tell you the pastors that are being killed, the churches that are being set on fire.

[John Weaver] Every week he puts it out. It's absolutely astounding what is going on. And our media is not reporting it. And I will tell you this. This is what I'm telling you right now. I believe as time passes, We're going to see more and more there's a cause to be prepared. Because if we're not, I believe we're going to die. It's just that simple. So, I would call your attention to what is happening.

[John Weaver] For instance, even the last week, a woman was raped to death on the church house steps in Nashville, Tennessee by a Muslim man. So, I'm just saying, we are in for it up to our eyeballs and don't even realize it. So number three, here's the third observation. You have to consider the truth that David was not only prepared, he understood the cause, but that his trust was in God alone.

[John Weaver] So in first Samuel chapter 17, let me show you what happens here. Skip down, if you would, please, to verse 38. And Saul armed David with his armor and he put a helmet of brass upon his head and he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword about his armor, and he is said to go, but he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them. And David put them off." Now, you have to remember that Saul was head and shoulders above the normal, average Israelite. And here David is, 15 to 17 years of age, and you can imagine how this armor covered David. And David said, I can't fight this. I haven't proved this. I can't use this.

[John Weaver] That's like somebody handing Dinah a bazooka and telling her to blow a tank up. She's never held a bazooka. She's never shot a bazooka. She couldn't use a bazooka. Well, you know, David said, I can't use this stuff. Now, David knew that he did not need the world's armor and that since the word what he needed was God and God alone and David had already proven God in the bear and in the lion so here is a truth that we need to grasp and it's very simple if God does not

[John Weaver] protect us we're not protected I don't care what we have. I don't care what we are. If God does not protect us, we are not protected.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm just going to tell you something that just boggles my mind. I have a friend who sends me military episodes of a war that's going on in Ukraine. And the little videos are actual combat videos. They're very brief. Some of them may be eight or nine, ten minutes long, usually not longer than that. You know, the thing that amazes me is every now and then you'll see people shooting with rifles. Every now and then you'll see tanks and all kinds of other things going.

[John Weaver] But most of all, it's drones. Drones. And here you see enemy soldiers, they're going in this building, and there's just this one little opening. It doesn't matter. The drone just goes right in. It's astounding how the drones find them on the battlefield, find them in the building. It's almost impossible to hide from them. And you think, how in the world could anyone survive that? Well, if God protects them, they are going to survive. If He doesn't, then they're not going to. It's just that simple. David bridged the gap from poet to warrior by being prepared, by recognizing God's providence, by understanding faith and an unwillingness to see the name of God blasphemed. David said, yes, there's a cause. I'm going to fight. So that's how he bridged the gap. Now, the second illustration I'm going to give you is from the life of Samuel. I've always been inspired by the life of Samuel. Because when Samuel was a little boy, he was given to Eli, and he was raised in the house of God. And I don't suppose there's going to be anyone that's probably more loving, more kind, more compassionate, more understanding than Samuel.

[John Weaver] So I want you to look, if you would, in 1 Samuel chapter 3, at what is said concerning Samuel. 1 Samuel chapter 3. Look at this. beginning there with verse 20, 1 Samuel 3, verse 20. And all Israel, from Dan, even to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. So everyone from Dan to Beersheba, from the northernmost to the southernmost, knew that Samuel was the prophet of God. It was through this prophet of God, Samuel, that God sent to King Saul and he sent him on a journey. So if you look in 1 Samuel 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 1, look what God says to King Saul. Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel.

[John Weaver] Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid weight for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not. But slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." So God has sent Saul now to slay the Amalekites.

[John Weaver] And he says, nothing is to be spared, everything is to be killed. Now, at least Saul started out correctly, because in verse 4, and Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Tilaim, 200,000 footmen and 10,000 men of Judah. So obviously, that would probably be a pretty good army and capable of doing that which God had demanded that he do. But the problem is that Saul did not obey God. In fact, he defied God. In fact, if you look in verses 7 through 9, note if you would, and Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over just Egypt, and he took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the lambs, and of all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them, but everything that was vile and refuse that they destroyed utterly.

[John Weaver] So Saul now has spared Agag, the king, and the best of the oxen and the sheep. He spared all of that.

[John Weaver] Now, there's a reason why. He certainly knew what God commanded. Samuel knew what God commanded, but Saul did not do it. For instance, Look, if you would, in verse 17, Samuel now confronts Saul. Saul has already claimed to be obedient to God. And Samuel said, if you've obeyed God, what meaneth the blading of the sheep and the loins of the cattle in my ear? If you'd obeyed God, everything would be dead. But look at it in verse 17. And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight, was thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel?

[John Weaver] That's when you didn't think yourself so big. That's before pride got into your heart. And the Lord anointed thee king over Israel. And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them till they be consumed. Now watch this. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil? and deceitful in the sight of the Lord did slap on the spoil in other words Saul was covetous he was selfish he wanted this for himself so God now basically rejects Saul from being king and the amazing thing that happens in this chapter now comes upon little Samuel It's an amazing illustration of

[John Weaver] bridging the gap from preacher to warrior. So I want you to look in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 32. Then said Samuel, Bring hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said unto him, look at this, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. Now, look at verse 32. Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately.

[John Weaver] The Hebrew word is also daintily. In my mind, I can just see Agag pressing up to Samuel saying, who's afraid of this little preacher? I mean, surely, surely the bitterness of death is over. This little preacher is not going to do anything to me. I mean, you know, He's just not going to do this. Well, the Bible says, And Samuel took the sword, and hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Israel. Now the word before is the Hebrew word ponim, and it means literally in the presence of or in the face of. In other words, it was just as if God was standing right there Samuel took the edge of the sword and hewed Agag to pieces and did to Agag exactly that which God ordained and exactly that which God wanted to be done. And he did it as unto the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, without me getting to another message on this, in one sense of the word, this could also be an illustration of the truth known as the lesser magistrate. Now, I've got a message on that I've preached many, many years back. Well, the lesser magistrate just means that when a higher magistrate refuses to do his duty and his obligation, then the one under him, the lesser magistrate, is to step in and perform that duty. Now, the illustration of that, Since Trump is president, if he wouldn't do what needed to be done, then Vance should step in and do it. If Vance would not do it, then the Speaker of the House should step in.

[John Weaver] In other words, you would come all the way down. And the same thing would be in the governor of the state. If the governor wouldn't do it, the lieutenant governor. If the lieutenant governor wouldn't do it, then the Speaker of the House. And it would go all the way down. And it's the same thing in every county. It's the duty of the lesser magistrate. In fact, there's a wonderful little booklet by Matt Trella on the doctrine of the lesser magistrate. And so it's a wonderful booklet and a true booklet.

[John Weaver] But you have to understand something. Saul was the highest civil magistrate, but Samuel was the highest spiritual magistrate. And the word magistrate, if I remember correctly, in the Hebrew is the word esser. And it is used both not only of the civil magistrate, but also of prophets and preachers as well, because there is a spiritual magistrate, just like there is a civil magistrate as well. And so, clearly then, Samuel stepped in and did that which God demanded to be done.

[John Weaver] Now, if you haven't heard my messages I've preached many years ago, the first one on the Black Robed Regiment, dealing with the preachers in the American War for Independence, I would encourage you to re-listen to it. It is absolutely astounding to learn that historically God's preachers have always been fighters. There's Peter Gabriel Muehlingberg. There's James Caldwell. I mean, there's so many that it's just unbelievable how God used these men, especially when you think about Moses Allen and his brother Thomas and how God has used them. It's astounding. It's amazing.

[John Weaver] And then there is the message I have on confederate chaplains. These men have always been fighters.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand what has happened now. So, I want you to turn to 1 Samuel chapter 16. I want to tie these things together for you. I want you to look at this. And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him for reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite.

[John Weaver] For I have provided me a king among his sons." And Samuel said, How can I go? If thou hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint unto me him that I name unto thee." So God now has sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint David king.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to look at verse 4. And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, comest thou peaceably? And he said, peaceably. I've come to sacrifice unto the Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the absolutely astounding thing to me. Before Samuel could ever get into Bethlehem, the elders sent a delegation out and said, Are you coming peacefully? What a question to ask a preacher. Are you coming peacefully? Why would they ask that question? Because they'd heard what he'd just done to Ahab. In fact, if you will look at the word trembled, notice what the Bible says. in verse 4, and the elders of the town trembled at his coming. And the word trembled is the Hebrew word karad, which means to tremble, to quake, to be afraid, to be anxious.

[John Weaver] In other words, they were shaking in their boots, so to speak. They were terribly afraid because here is Samuel coming and they want to know if he's coming peaceably.

[John Weaver] Now, this is amazing to me. Can you imagine in your mind three or four preachers getting together in this day and time and going to a city council meeting or a county council meeting, and before they can reach the steps, the delegation is sent out to them asking, are you fellows coming peacefully or not? What? I mean, sadly enough, there's no reason to be afraid of most preachers today, period. Because most preachers can't pray, can't preach, can't fight, can't do anything except be CEOs of corporations or something like that.

[John Weaver] So the question is this. How did Samuel bridge the gap? How did he leave from preacherhood to executioner or to warrior? Here's the answer. He knew the will of God. He knew the word of God. He knew that he was a magistrate equally as Saul was a magistrate. Here's the truth. Listen to me. If you do not know the will of God and the Word of God, now it is too late to try to figure it out in an emergency situation. If I'm surrounded by people that's trying to harm Alice, and trying to harm myself and I'm having to figure out what am I allowed to do biblically. It's too late. It's just too late. You need to know the word of God. You need to know the will of God. You need to know what God says about self-defense, about self-protection. You need to understand it. Now, I'm just simply pointing out Samuel fulfilled his magisterial duty in light of Saul's defection. So if you're going to ever be used of God to bridge the gap, to save your family, save anybody, do whatever is necessary, you better be preparing is what it amounts to.

[John Weaver] You better be training yourself, better be training your mind. Now, let me point out something very clearly. We need to be vigilant, and especially concerning tyranny and concerning oppression. Most of the time, I think we're like that frog that's sitting in the warm water, and the eye is turned up to boil, and the frog just sits there until he's boiled, and once he's boiled, he's cooked, and it's over with. So we have to be vigilant.

[John Weaver] We have to be looking at things, and we have to be prepared. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 10, and then we'll make some applications. But look at Numbers, chapter 10. This is an astounding thing. I was reading through the book of Numbers recently, and this really hit me very plainly. Look what God says in verse 9. Look at this. Numbers 10 and verse 9.

[John Weaver] And he tells his people, and if, if you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppressed you, Then shall you blow an alarm with the truffets, and you shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies." But note if you would, he said in verse 9, and if you go to war in your land, in your land, against the enemy that oppresses you, in other words, the enemy is within the land, he's not coming from the outside. And I think you know that we have plenty of enemies in our land today. And plenty who want to oppress and plenty who want to tyrannize.

[John Weaver] So Samuel and David are two men who both bridge the gap. And I have not even talked to you about Samson. Neither have I talked to you about Moses or Phineas. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that there is a time that God expects us to stand in the gap and make up the edge. and intercede for the land and do whatever is needed and necessary. So here's just a couple of applications.

[John Weaver] The first one is this. We may dream of victory and we may dream of being used and useful to God, but unless we are prepared, God will never, ever use us. Many individuals like to think that they will physically fight when it comes time to fight. And it'll never happen. And the reason it'll never happen is because they're not willing to fight now mentally. They're not willing to fight emotionally. They're not willing to fight spiritually. They're not willing to try to keep their minds pure, their lives clean. They're not willing to do what's right.

[John Weaver] And you have to have a biblical mindset. And if you don't have a warrior mentality, if you don't have a fighting mentality, already when it comes time to fight physically, you will never fight physically. because it stems from a biblical mindset. Here's the second thing. And each of us know of this because we've heard it all of our lives. There are always loud talkers. There are always braggarts. There are always show-offs. And they're always talking about what they're going to do. And the truth of the matter is, those are the ones that will never do anything. The man that always tells you what he's going to do to you is not going to do anything. The man that's going to do something is the man who doesn't say a word.

[John Weaver] He just steps up and does it. Here's a quote. It's anonymous. I don't know who wrote it, but it's very true. He says, beware the quiet man. For while others speak, he watches, and while others act, he plans, and when they finally rest, he strikes. Beware the quiet man. God is going to use quiet men, quiet, prepared, submissive and faithful men. And quiet obedience and preparation are far more important than daydreaming and loud talk. So in order to bridge the gap, and the gap being God requires us to be in submission. God requires us to submit to him in his providence. But there comes a time like Ezekiel chapter 22, God says, I'm just looking for someone who's going to stand in the gap and make up the hedge. I'm looking for someone who's going to bridge this gap and intercede for the innocent. I'm looking for someone who's going to execute my justice and execute righteousness and stand up for my law. and stand up against tyranny and wickedness. I'm looking for someone. How do we bridge that gap?

[John Weaver] By prayer? Yes. By preparation? Yes. By faith? Yes. By submission? Yes. By recognizing the will of God and the word of God and recognizing the proper time when God said There's a time to love and a time to hate. There's a time to live and a time to die. There's a time to fight. And we have to ask God to give us wisdom and discernment that when that time comes, we'll know his will, his word, and we'll move under his authority and in his will and in his word. bridging the gap, standing in the gap, making up the hedge, honoring God, defending the innocent, and doing that which we need to do as being shepherds.

[John Weaver] A pastor, by the way, has the name of shepherd. Jesus Christ is a good shepherd. He is the great shepherd. He is the chief shepherd. The pastors are referred to as under shepherds and every head of his house is an under shepherd of his family. So we need to make sure we understand about bridging the gap when it comes time to say, Lord, I know what you would have me to do and I need to do it. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee.

[John Weaver] We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask Your blessing and Your help. Teach us, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.

Bridging the Gap

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	97251715852
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2025-08-31
Dictation Name
Book	Book 040: Church Order and Worship - Volume 2 — Chapter 32
Source Timed Segments	91

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Text

Reading of Ezekiel 22:30-31, where God seeks someone to stand in the gap but finds none, leading to judgment.

Let's go ahead and open our Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22, and we're going to read verses 30 and 31. Ezekiel 22 verses 30 and 31. The title of the message is "Bridging the Gap." You will understand momentarily. So Ezekiel chapter 22 verse 30, the Word of God says, "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." God says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:30-31

"Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them.

The Question: Submission vs. Fighting Evil

A brother asked how, in light of submission to God's providence, believers should rise up and fight against evil.

So the reason for this message is I had a good brother in the faith who asked me a simple question. He was present when I preached the message entitled, "This Would Solve Most Problems," dealing with submission to God's divine providence. And so he asked me, in light of that truth, that is, in light of the truth of that message, how, where, and when are the faithful to rise up and fight against evil?

Biblical Command to Hate Evil

Scripture commands believers to hate evil (Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:14-15), and it is impossible to love God without hating what is contrary to Him.

Psalm 97 and verse 10, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 97:10

"Ye that love the Lord hate evil, he preserveth the souls of his saints, he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked."

So notice what he said in Psalm 97 verse 10,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 97:10

"Ye that love the Lord hate evil."

And then of course in the book of Amos chapter 5, verses 14 and 15, God said, "Seek good and not evil, that you may live. So the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you as you have spoken." Then he says this, "Hate the evil and love the good. Establish judgment in the gate that it may be that the Lord, God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph." So twice now he's told us to hate the evil and love the good. So let me just point out very plainly that it's impossible to love the good without hating the evil. Moreover, it's impossible to love God without at the same time hating everything that is contrary to God.

So, just for your remembrance, years ago I preached a message which I entitled, "The Biblical Doctrine of Hatred." And the truth of the matter is there is a biblical doctrine of hatred in the Bible. And so I think that message is probably still on Sermon Audio, but I had three points in that message. I pointed out the Sovereign's hatred, the Savior's hatred, and the Saint's hatred. And certainly the message is probably needing to be re-preached today because there's still so much confusion on this particular subject. But hatred, biblical hatred, is not wicked and it's not wrong because it has been commanded by God, and God who is infinitely holy and infinitely righteous has said, "Hate the evil and love the good." So, it is not wrong, neither is it wicked, to hate God's enemies.

The Nature of Biblical Hatred

David's 'perfect hatred' (Psalm 139:19-24) is lawful when directed at God's enemies, but believers must love their own enemies. Hatred of brethren is equated with murder (Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 3:14-15).

Now when I say that, let me point out the fact that in one sense of the word, the widest sense of the word, all of the unsaved would be God's enemies. But yet when the Scripture talks about God's enemies, it's not just those that are unsaved, it is specifically referring to those who are in open rebellion and defiance against Him, seeking to dethrone Him, who hate Him, just preeminently, they despise Him. So let me show you, if you look in your Bibles, hold Ezekiel 22, we're coming back there. But if you look in Psalm 139, and let's begin reading there with verse 19. Psalm 139, verse 19. So we're still talking about bridging the gap. And notice if you would, Psalm 139, and notice if you would, verse 19, David says this.

"Surely that will slay the wicked, O God. Depart from me therefore, you bloody men." So note the wicked or bloody men. They're really, really vile. He says, "For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain." And then David says this, "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." So David says, "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?" And then he says, "I hate them with perfect hatred." So this is a hatred that is biblical and is right. Notice, if you would, he said in verse 23 and 24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts.

and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." So he said, "Lord, if this is wrong, you search me, you know me, you lead me in the right way." But obviously, clearly, then it was not wrong at all. Now, let me make this very clear. You may lawfully hate God's enemies, but you may not lawfully hate your own enemies, because God has said, "Love your enemies," your own enemies. So most of our enemies are enemies of our own making in the fact that we've been discourteous, we've been uglier, we've been hateful, etc. But, you know, God says clearly that we are to love our enemies, we can hate His. But thankfully, and it should be, that His enemies turn out to be our enemies as well. So I want you to turn right over, if you would now, to the book of Ecclesiastes. The book of Ecclesiastes. And notice, if you would, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and we're going to go to chapter 3. And I'm going to read the first eight verses. So I want you to watch this. Ecclesiastes 3, beginning there with verse 1. This is a passage that most people know.

"A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate. A time of war, and a time of peace."

Now it's interesting that in our Bibles we have five books of wisdom literature. These five books of wisdom literature are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. Someone has rightly pointed out that the book of Psalms teaches us how to worship, and the book of Proverbs teaches us how to behave. The book of Job teaches us how to suffer. The Song of Solomon teaches us how to love. And the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us how to behave. Now, the truth is that each of these wisdom literature books also teach about fighting and also teach about hatred, as does the rest of the entirety of the Word of God.

Now, let me just point out the fact that it is not in the nature of a true Christian to hate others. There may be many individuals that we dislike. There may be individuals that we disagree with. There may be individuals we just simply do not wish to be around. But hatred does not grow in the soil of regeneration. Hatred is always in the soil of depravity and of fallen nature. And the truth of the matter is this, our Lord then classifies hatred of the brethren, or hatred of our non-enemies, literally as murder.

So let me explain a couple of passages. The next one is in Matthew chapter 5, which is very easy to get to. Matthew chapter 5, look if you would, at verses 21 and 22. Matthew chapter 5, verse 21 and 22. Our Lord says,

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:21-22

"You have heard it was said by them of old times, Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment."

Now look what he says.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:21-22

"But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother Raca shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of hell fire."

Now we understand probably every word there except the word Raca. The word Raca was a term of reproach in the time of our Lord.

It was similar to what we would use when we call someone senseless, empty-headed, stupid, an idiot. In other words, it's mocking and making fun of them. Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of First John, chapter 3. First John, chapter 3. And notice, if you would, what is said specifically concerning hatred. Notice, if you would, First John, chapter 3. And let's begin reading there with verse 14. First John 3, verse 14. Our Lord says, "We know that we pass from death unto life." How do we know that?

"Because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." So the Word of God tells us that we are not to be hating simply by nature, and hatred of our brethren is indeed murder.

A Time to Hate

Ecclesiastes 3:8 teaches there is a time to hate. God is sovereign over hatred, as seen in Psalm 105:23-25, and He stirs up both love and hatred in His timing.

Now, since we are told in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 8 that there is a time to love and there is also a time to hate. Now the Hebrew word for hate is the word sone. It is translated in our Bibles 146 times. 136 of those times it is translated as hate. The other times it is translated as enemy, enemies, foes, and hateful.

Now, I want to give you a couple of quotes. The first one is very brief. It's from Matthew Poole, and he's quoting on Ecclesiastes 3 and verse 8, where it says there's a time to love and a time to hate. Listen to what he says. "A time to love when God shall stir up the affection of love or give occasion for the exercise or discovery of it to others." And that's all he says. He doesn't make a comment on a time to hate. So, I want you to think about this and listen to this. He said, "A time to love when God shall stir up the affection of love or give occasion for the exercise or discovery of it to others." Now, if it's God who stirs up love in our hearts, and gives us the occasion to exercise it and to demonstrate it to others.

The opposite truth is also true. That is, it is God who stirs up hatred and gives us the opportunity to discover it and to exercise it. Now here's something that most people just have not ever thought about. But God is absolutely sovereign. God is not the infuser of sin. He is not the instigator of sin. But God is certainly the controller of sin. And God does use sin, ultimately, for His honor and His glory. That's what the Bible said. "The wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder of wrath shall he restrain." So that wrath that will not ultimately redound to His honor and glory, He will restrain. And so it is God oftentimes who turns our enemies to hate us and stirs up our heart to hate them. Now, let me explain.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 105. Psalm 105. And I want you to look at verses 23 through 25. So look in Psalm 105. This may shock you, but here it is.

Psalm 105, look if you would please, at verse 23. Psalm 105, verse 23.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 105:23-25

"Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. He, that is God, turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtly with his servants."

Note what God did. God turned their heart to hate his people. And of course God used that hatred for judgment. Now it is true that Pharaoh turned his own heart and so did the Egyptians. But it is also true that here God turned their heart to hate his people. So clearly then God is sovereign even over hatred.

The Context of Ezekiel 22

The chapter describes the corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and people. God sought someone to stand in the gap and intercede, but found none.

So, if you'll look down to Ezekiel chapter 22, beginning there with verse 23, look what he said, just to show you the complete, total alienation of the people from God.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:23-29

"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto her, that is to Israel, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation."

Now look, outline these with me.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:23-29

"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."

So the prophets were totally, absolutely corrupt, selfish, and covetous. Now look at verse 26.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:23-29

"Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things, and have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them."

So there's the prophets, there's the priests. Now look at verse 27.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:23-29

"Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and destroy souls to get dishonest gain."

So there's the civil government.

He hits the prophets again, "And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord had not spoken." And now he hits the people. "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." Now look what God says, in light of the total treason, alienation, and defection of the prophets, the priests, the princes, and the people. He says, "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." Now he looked for a man, he said, to stand in the gap to make up the hedge.

That is to rebuild the wall or the bridge and to bridge up the broken wall. Now the word stand is the Hebrew word Amad and it means to stand, it means to remain, to endure, to take a stand, to stand upright and remain standing. The gap then was the hole in the wall in which very easily, the enemy could infiltrate into the city and gain a victory. So God is saying, "I'm looking for someone who's going to bridge up this hole, bridge up this gap. I'm looking for someone who's going to stand in this hedge and make up this gap." In other words, "I want someone who's going to execute judgment. I want someone who's going to intercede for the land. I want someone who's going to vindicate my holy cause and my righteous law." So God said, "I'm just simply looking for a man."

Illustration: David Bridging the Gap

David was prepared by God through defending his father's sheep from a lion and a bear. He recognized the cause against Goliath and trusted God, not Saul's armor.

So there was a preparation in his life. So I want you to listen to this truth and young men, young lady, listen carefully. God will always use a prepared person. So you need to be prepared. Whatever area, whatever field God calls you into, you need to have preparation. That is for sure. God only uses prepared people. And so David was being prepared to fight Goliath and never even knew it. David was being prepared to become a warrior king and did not understand it. So when the providence of God brought to pass the time and the opportunity to fight Goliath, then David was prepared.

You know, I've often thought about this. It was Jesse, his father, who called David and said, "Look, I want you to come. I want you to take these cheeses to the captains of your brothers and check on them and get their pledge and bring it back." In other words, "I want proof that they're still alive. Bring it back." And that's all he was going to do. David was sent by Jesse to check on his brothers. I'm sure that David had absolutely no idea that he was going to be facing Goliath. He had no idea what was about to come down.

So you have to ask yourself this question. Where in the world did David derive his skill? Where did David derive his experience? Where did David derive his combat preparedness? Well, I can give you the answer to that. Psalm 144, verse 1. That would be theologically speaking, where David said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 144:1

"Blessed be the Lord, my God, who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight."

So it was God who basically taught him how to fight and to war.

But he did so through preparation. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel chapter 17. This is a passage that everyone knows and everyone should really love, especially young folks. It's David fighting Goliath in 1 Samuel chapter 17. So I want you to note what Goliath says and there is a number of opportunities here to explain some things. So notice if you would in 1 Samuel 17 in verse 10, look what Goliath said.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:10

"And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together."

Goliath was not just simply defying the armies of Israel. He was also defying the God of the armies of Israel. So if you look in verse 45, when David went out to meet Goliath, look what he said.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:10

"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied."

So you cannot defy God's armies or God's people without defying God at the same time. So now David had to fight Goliath. By the way, most scholars will tell you that David was from the age of 15 to 17 when he faced Goliath. And that is pointed out very clearly by what Saul said to David, which we'll read just momentarily now. How in the world did God prepare David? Well, if you look beginning in verse 32, or verse Samuel chapter 17, I want you to watch this.

"And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine, to fight with him, for thou art but a youth, a teenager, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock." "And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing as he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said, Moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee." Certainly the Lord had to be with him because Saul was not bound to go out there and fight with him himself, that is for sure.

Now, let me make some observations on this passage that I think are very relevant today. First of all, I want you to know when David destroyed the lion and the bear, he did not know that he was being prepared to fight Goliath. God was training him. If you will note what the Scripture says, David actually went after the lion and the bear. He said in verse 35, "And I went out after him and smote him." Look, if you would. He said, "I smote him and delivered it out of his mouth." In other words, he didn't kill him at first. He just hit him hard enough to retrieve the lamb. "But when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and I smote him and I slew him." So David then purposely went after the animal. Well, let me ask you a question. Why would David do that? Just stop and think. Here's a bear and the bear takes the lamb and runs off and David chases the bear and smites the bear, delivers the lamb, and when the bear turns around and rises up against David, David slays him and kills him. Why would David not say, "Well,

let him have the lion. Let him have the lamb. I'm not running after that big brute. I'm not going to fight the lion either. Let him have them." Why would David go after them and try to redeem the lamb? And the answer is because David was a shepherd. Remember, the sheep did not belong to David. They belong to David's father. A shepherd's responsibility is not just to feed the flock, but also to protect the flock. And some animal had come and stolen a lamb from the flock. David says, "No, this is not going to happen. I'm going to retrieve that lamb. I'm going to bring it back because that lamb does not belong to me."

Now, here's what most people today would say. "Well, the bear's hungry, too. Let him have something. I'd rather him eat the lamb than me." Or the same thing with the lion. "I'd rather him eat the lamb than me. I'm not running after that lion." Why would we not do something like that? And here's the answer. Because we're not shepherds. Now. In John chapter 10, I want you to turn there. I want you to see this. Look in John chapter 10, beginning there with verse 11. Look at this. Look what our Lord says. John 10, beginning there with verse 11. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — John 10:11-13

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

So David was willing to die for the little lamb.

Scripture Reading — John 10:11-13

"But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth him, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep."

This is why I'm saying we're not shepherds in that sense of the word. We're not willing to protect the flock. We're not willing to protect our families. We're not willing to do that which God requires of us. So David was just simply being faithful to his duty, to his obligation as a shepherd to defend the flock that his father owned. So a shepherd protects the flock. A father protects his wife and his family.

A hireling runs away because he is a hireling. So let me ask you a question. How do you expect God to use you to protect your family or your flock if you will not train or be trained by Him and be willing to be used by Him when His providential act brings it to pass in your life? David used these opportunities for training. Listen to me. God's providence will always give us opportunities to train. He will always prepare us for whatever we're going to face. We don't know what we're going to face. So whatever God puts in our way, whatever He allows to befall us, it is for our training and for our admonition. So David, of course, when he destroyed this bear and the lion, had no idea that God was preparing him to fight a giant or to become a warrior king. Secondly, David realized that not only that God had prepared him for the hour, he realized the cause that was involved.

So I want you to look in 1 Samuel chapter 17 and verse 29. 1 Samuel chapter 17 and verse 29. Because David's brothers are there and Eliab happened to be his older brother. And Eliab had to make fun of David, and he had to say that he knew the naughtiness of David's heart, that he came out just to see the battle. Well, that's not true, because the only reason David was there was because his father had sent him. So notice, if you would, verse 29 in 1 Samuel chapter 17, he said this,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:29

"And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?"

Now think about what David just said. After Eliab, his eldest brother, had berated him, David asked,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:29

"What have I now done? Is there not a cause?"

What he's asking is,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:29

"Is there not a cause to fight?"

And yes, there was a cause to fight. So I want you to think, number one, about the insolence of Goliath. He was insulting everyone. He was insulting the army of God. He was insulting God. Think about him defying the army of Israel. Think about the danger of defeat. Think about the subjection of Israel to their enemy. Think about the tyranny of the enemy. And above all, think about the blasphemy of God. Yeah, there was quite a cause to fight.

You see, the problem with Americans and the problem with American Christians is we've lost our martial spirit. In fact, I don't know when the last time I've been in any churches and I've heard songs sung like, "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?" "Onward, Christian Soldiers!" "Oh, the Fort Rhyme coming!" We don't even like to sing those songs! We don't even like to read what the Apostle Paul told Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith." We don't even like to read Ephesians chapter 6 where God gives us all this armor and why in the world would He give us armor if He did not intend for us to fight? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we have lost our martial spirits. We don't wish to prepare. We do not wish to engage the enemy. We wish to be comfortable and at ease.

And that's all there is to it. And we totally forget there is a cause, and that is the cause of God and the cause of truth. So I want to tell you something. If you have not signed up to get ChristianWarriorTraining.com and that's from Keith Graves, and it's absolutely free. He will tell you everything that's happening in all the churches in this country. He will tell you the pastors that are being killed, the churches that are being set on fire. Every week he puts it out. It's absolutely astounding what is going on. And our media is not reporting it. And I will tell you this. This is what I'm telling you right now. I believe as time passes, we're going to see more and more there's a cause to be prepared. Because if we're not, I believe we're going to die. It's just that simple. So, I would call your attention to what is happening.

For instance, even the last week, a woman was raped to death on the church house steps in Nashville, Tennessee by a Muslim man. So, I'm just saying, we are in for it up to our eyeballs and don't even realize it. So number three, here's the third observation. You have to consider the truth that David was not only prepared, he understood the cause, but that his trust was in God alone.

So in 1 Samuel chapter 17, let me show you what happens here. Skip down, if you would, please, to verse 38.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:38-39

"And Saul armed David with his armor and he put a helmet of brass upon his head and he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword about his armor, and he assayed to go, but he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them. And David put them off."

Now, you have to remember that Saul was head and shoulders above the normal, average Israelite. And here David is, 15 to 17 years of age, and you can imagine how this armor covered David. And David said, "I can't fight this. I haven't proved this. I can't use this."

That's like somebody handing Dinah a bazooka and telling her to blow a tank up. She's never held a bazooka. She's never shot a bazooka. She couldn't use a bazooka. Well, you know, David said, "I can't use this stuff." Now, David knew that he did not need the world's armor and that since the word what he needed was God and God alone and David had already proven God in the bear and in the lion so here is a truth that we need to grasp and it's very simple if God does not protect us we're not protected I don't care what we have. I don't care what we are. If God does not protect us, we are not protected.

Illustration: Samuel Bridging the Gap

Samuel executed Agag when Saul disobeyed God's command. As a spiritual magistrate, Samuel fulfilled his duty, causing the elders of Bethlehem to tremble at his coming.

So I want you to look, if you would, in 1 Samuel chapter 3, at what is said concerning Samuel. 1 Samuel chapter 3. Look at this. Beginning there with verse 20, 1 Samuel 3, verse 20.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 3:20

"And all Israel, from Dan, even to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord."

So everyone from Dan to Beersheba, from the northernmost to the southernmost, knew that Samuel was the prophet of God. It was through this prophet of God, Samuel, that God sent to King Saul and he sent him on a journey. So if you look in 1 Samuel 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 1, look what God says to King Saul. "Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel.

Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not. But slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." So God has sent Saul now to slay the Amalekites. And he says, nothing is to be spared, everything is to be killed. Now, at least Saul started out correctly, because in verse 4, "And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, 200,000 footmen and 10,000 men of Judah." So obviously, that would probably be a pretty good army and capable of doing that which God had demanded that he do. But the problem is that Saul did not obey God. In fact, he defied God. In fact, if you look in verses 7 through 9, note if you would, "And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt, and he took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the lambs, and of all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them, but everything that was vile and refuse that they destroyed utterly."

So Saul now has spared Agag, the king, and the best of the oxen and the sheep. He spared all of that. Now, there's a reason why. He certainly knew what God commanded. Samuel knew what God commanded, but Saul did not do it. For instance, look, if you would, in verse 17, Samuel now confronts Saul. Saul has already claimed to be obedient to God. And Samuel said, "If you've obeyed God, what meaneth the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the cattle in my ear?" If you'd obeyed God, everything would be dead. But look at it in verse 17. "And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel?

That's when you didn't think yourself so big. That's before pride got into your heart. And the Lord anointed thee king over Israel. And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them till they be consumed. Now watch this. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?" He flew upon the spoil. In other words, Saul was covetous, he was selfish, he wanted this for himself. So God now basically rejects Saul from being king. And the amazing thing that happens in this chapter now comes upon little Samuel. It's an amazing illustration of

bridging the gap from preacher to warrior. So I want you to look in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 32.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 15:32-33

"Then said Samuel, Bring hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said unto him, look at this, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal."

Now, look at verse 32.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 15:32-33

"Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately."

The Hebrew word is also daintily. In my mind, I can just see Agag pressing up to Samuel saying, "Who's afraid of this little preacher? I mean, surely, surely the bitterness of death is over. This little preacher is not going to do anything to me. I mean, you know, he's just not going to do this." Well, the Bible says, "And Samuel took the sword, and hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Israel." Now the word before is the Hebrew word panim, and it means literally in the presence of or in the face of. In other words, it was just as if God was standing right there. Samuel took the edge of the sword and hewed Agag to pieces and did to Agag exactly that which God ordained and exactly that which God wanted to be done. And he did it as unto the Lord.

Now, without me getting to another message on this, in one sense of the word, this could also be an illustration of the truth known as the lesser magistrate. Now, I've got a message on that I've preached many, many years back. Well, the lesser magistrate just means that when a higher magistrate refuses to do his duty and his obligation, then the one under him, the lesser magistrate, is to step in and perform that duty. Now, the illustration of that, since Trump is president, if he wouldn't do what needed to be done, then Vance should step in and do it. If Vance would not do it, then the Speaker of the House should step in. In other words, you would come all the way down. And the same thing would be in the governor of the state. If the governor wouldn't do it, the lieutenant governor. If the lieutenant governor wouldn't do it, then the Speaker of the House. And it would go all the way down. And it's the same thing in every county. It's the duty of the lesser magistrate. In fact, there's a wonderful little booklet by Matt Trella on the doctrine of the lesser magistrate. And so it's a wonderful booklet and a true booklet.

But you have to understand something. Saul was the highest civil magistrate, but Samuel was the highest spiritual magistrate. And the word magistrate, if I remember correctly, in the Hebrew is the word esser. And it is used both not only of the civil magistrate, but also of prophets and preachers as well, because there is a spiritual magistrate, just like there is a civil magistrate as well. And so, clearly then, Samuel stepped in and did that which God demanded to be done.

Now, if you haven't heard my messages I've preached many years ago, the first one on the Black Robed Regiment, dealing with the preachers in the American War for Independence, I would encourage you to re-listen to it. It is absolutely astounding to learn that historically God's preachers have always been fighters. There's Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. There's James Caldwell. I mean, there's so many that it's just unbelievable how God used these men, especially when you think about Moses Allen and his brother Thomas and how God has used them. It's astounding. It's amazing.

And then there is the message I have on confederate chaplains. These men have always been fighters. Now, I want you to understand what has happened now. So, I want you to turn to 1 Samuel chapter 16. I want to tie these things together for you. I want you to look at this. "And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him for reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite.

For I have provided me a king among his sons." And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint unto me him that I name unto thee." So God now has sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint David king. Now I want you to look at verse 4. "And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. I've come to sacrifice unto the Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice."

Now, here's the absolutely astounding thing to me. Before Samuel could ever get into Bethlehem, the elders sent a delegation out and said, "Are you coming peacefully?" What a question to ask a preacher. "Are you coming peacefully?" Why would they ask that question? Because they'd heard what he'd just done to Agag. In fact, if you will look at the word trembled, notice what the Bible says in verse 4, "And the elders of the town trembled at his coming." And the word trembled is the Hebrew word charad, which means to tremble, to quake, to be afraid, to be anxious. In other words, they were shaking in their boots, so to speak. They were terribly afraid because here is Samuel coming and they want to know if he's coming peaceably.

Applications for Believers

Believers must be prepared spiritually, mentally, and physically. Quiet preparation and obedience are essential; loud talkers rarely act. We must know God's Word and will to stand in the gap when called.

So Samuel and David are two men who both bridge the gap. And I have not even talked to you about Samson. Neither have I talked to you about Moses or Phinehas. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that there is a time that God expects us to stand in the gap and make up the hedge, and intercede for the land and do whatever is needed and necessary. So here's just a couple of applications. The first one is this. We may dream of victory and we may dream of being used and useful to God, but unless we are prepared, God will never, ever use us. Many individuals like to think that they will physically fight when it comes time to fight. And it'll never happen. And the reason it'll never happen is because they're not willing to fight now mentally. They're not willing to fight emotionally. They're not willing to fight spiritually. They're not willing to try to keep their minds pure, their lives clean. They're not willing to do what's right.

And you have to have a biblical mindset. And if you don't have a warrior mentality, if you don't have a fighting mentality, already when it comes time to fight physically, you will never fight physically. Because it stems from a biblical mindset. Here's the second thing. And each of us know of this because we've heard it all of our lives. There are always loud talkers. There are always braggarts. There are always show-offs. And they're always talking about what they're going to do. And the truth of the matter is, those are the ones that will never do anything. The man that always tells you what he's going to do to you is not going to do anything. The man that's going to do something is the man who doesn't say a word.

He just steps up and does it. Here's a quote. It's anonymous. I don't know who wrote it, but it's very true. He says, "Beware the quiet man. For while others speak, he watches, and while others act, he plans, and when they finally rest, he strikes. Beware the quiet man." God is going to use quiet men, quiet, prepared, submissive and faithful men. And quiet obedience and preparation are far more important than daydreaming and loud talk. So in order to bridge the gap, and the gap being God requires us to be in submission. God requires us to submit to Him in His providence. But there comes a time like Ezekiel chapter 22, God says, "I'm just looking for someone who's going to stand in the gap and make up the hedge. I'm looking for someone who's going to bridge this gap and intercede for the innocent. I'm looking for someone who's going to execute my justice and execute righteousness and stand up for my law, and stand up against tyranny and wickedness. I'm looking for someone." How do we bridge that gap?

By prayer? Yes. By preparation? Yes. By faith? Yes. By submission? Yes. By recognizing the will of God and the Word of God and recognizing the proper time when God said, "There's a time to love and a time to hate. There's a time to live and a time to die. There's a time to fight." And we have to ask God to give us wisdom and discernment that when that time comes, we'll know His will, His Word, and we'll move under His authority and in His will and in His Word. Bridging the gap, standing in the gap, making up the hedge, honoring God, defending the innocent, and doing that which we need to do as being shepherds.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Standing in the Gap

Summary: God seeks individuals who will interpose themselves between His righteous judgment and a sinful people, executing justice and interceding for the innocent.

Evidence: Ezekiel 22:30: '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.'

Biblical Hatred of Evil

Summary: Believers are commanded to hate evil and love good; this hatred is not sinful when directed at God's enemies and is distinct from personal vengeance.

Evidence: Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:14-15; Psalm 139:21-22; Ecclesiastes 3:8.

Sovereignty of God in Hatred and War

Summary: God is sovereign over human emotions and actions, including hatred, and uses them for His purposes, as seen in His turning the hearts of the Egyptians to hate Israel.

Evidence: Psalm 105:23-25; Ecclesiastes 3:8.

Preparation for Righteous Action

Summary: God prepares His people through providential circumstances for future battles; David's fight with the lion and bear trained him for Goliath.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 17:34-37; Psalm 144:1.

The Shepherd's Duty to Protect

Summary: A true shepherd, unlike a hireling, risks his life to protect the flock; this applies to pastors, fathers, and all who have responsibility for others.

Evidence: John 10:11-13; 1 Samuel 17:34-35.

The Lesser Magistrate Doctrine

Summary: When a higher authority fails to execute justice, a lower authority has a duty to step in; Samuel acted as a spiritual magistrate when Saul disobeyed.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 15:32-33; reference to lesser magistrate doctrine.

The Need for a Martial Spirit

Summary: Modern Christians have lost a fighting mentality; Scripture calls believers to be soldiers of the cross, equipped with spiritual armor for battle.

Evidence: Ephesians 6; 1 Timothy 6:12; reference to hymns like 'Am I a Soldier of the Cross.'

Quiet Obedience Over Loud Talk

Summary: True warriors are often quiet and prepared, not boastful; God uses those who faithfully prepare in obscurity.

Evidence: Quote: 'Beware the quiet man...'; contrast with David's brothers.

Key Arguments

Submission to Providence Does Not Preclude Fighting Evil

Summary: While believers must submit to God's providence, there are times when God calls them to actively resist evil and stand in the gap.

Evidence: The question from Warren Luke and the entire sermon's premise.

Hatred of Evil Is a Biblical Command

Summary: Scripture explicitly commands hatred of evil, and this hatred is consistent with love for God and good.

Evidence: Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:14-15.

God Is Sovereign Over Times of Love and Hate

Summary: Ecclesiastes 3:8 and Psalm 105:25 show that God ordains seasons of hatred and uses even the wrath of man for His glory.

Evidence: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Psalm 105:23-25.

David's Preparation Was Providential

Summary: David's victory over Goliath was not spontaneous; God had trained him through defending sheep, teaching him to trust God alone.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 17:34-37; Psalm 144:1.

Samuel Acted as a Faithful Magistrate

Summary: Samuel executed Agag because Saul, the higher magistrate, failed to obey God; Samuel understood his duty under God's law.

Evidence: 1 Samuel 15:32-33; the concept of lesser magistrate.

Preparation Must Precede Action

Summary: Believers must be trained spiritually, mentally, and physically before crises; knowing God's Word and will is essential for righteous action.

Evidence: Application section: 'If you do not know the will of God... it is too late.'

Quiet Faithfulness Is More Effective Than Boasting

Summary: Those who boast about fighting rarely do so; God uses the quiet, prepared, and submissive.

Evidence: Quote: 'Beware the quiet man...'; contrast with Eliab.

The Church Has Lost Its Martial Spirit

Summary: Modern Christianity avoids themes of spiritual warfare and fighting, but Scripture calls believers to be soldiers.

Evidence: Reference to Ephesians 6, 1 Timothy 6:12, and neglected hymns.

Scripture References

Ezekiel 22:30-31

Context: God sought a man to stand in the gap but found none, so He poured out His wrath.

Psalm 97:10

Context: Ye that love the Lord hate evil.

Amos 5:14-15

Context: Hate the evil and love the good.

Psalm 139:19-24

Context: David's perfect hatred of God's enemies.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Context: A time to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace.

Matthew 5:21-22

Context: Anger without cause and insulting a brother is akin to murder.

1 John 3:14-15

Context: Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.

Psalm 105:23-25

Context: God turned the Egyptians' hearts to hate His people.

Ezekiel 22:23-29

Context: Corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and people.

Psalm 144:1

Context: God teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight.

1 Samuel 17:10

Context: Goliath defies the armies of Israel.

1 Samuel 17:45

Context: David comes in the name of the Lord of hosts.

1 Samuel 17:32-37

Context: David recounts killing the lion and bear; Saul sends him to fight Goliath.

John 10:11-13

Context: The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep; the hireling flees.

1 Samuel 17:29

Context: David asks, 'Is there not a cause?'

1 Samuel 17:38-39

Context: David refuses Saul's armor because he has not proved it.

1 Samuel 3:20

Context: All Israel knew Samuel was established as a prophet.

1 Samuel 15:1-3

Context: God commands Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 15:7-9

Context: Saul spares Agag and the best of the spoil.

1 Samuel 15:32-33

Context: Samuel hews Agag in pieces before the Lord.

Historical References

Rudyard Kipling's poem 'The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon'

Context: Quoted to illustrate that hatred is not natural to the regenerate but arises when provoked, paralleling Ecclesiastes 3:8.

Matthew Poole's commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8

Context: Poole notes a time to love when God stirs up affection; Weaver extends the principle to hatred.

Matthew Henry's commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8

Context: Henry says there may come a time to hate when we see cause to break off familiarity.

Black Robed Regiment (American War for Independence)

Context: Reference to preachers who were fighters historically; encourages listeners to revisit his sermon on the topic.

Confederate Chaplains

Context: Mentioned as another example of fighting preachers; Weaver has a sermon on this topic.

Matt Trella's booklet on the doctrine of the lesser magistrate

Context: Recommended as a resource on the lesser magistrate doctrine.

ChristianWarriorTraining.com by Keith Graves

Context: Recommended as a free resource reporting on attacks against churches and pastors.

Recent event: woman raped to death on church steps in Nashville by a Muslim man

Context: Cited as an example of increasing danger and the need for preparedness.

Important Quotes

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.

Significance: The foundational text of the sermon, highlighting God's desire for someone to intercede and execute justice.

Ye that love the Lord hate evil.

Significance: Establishes the biblical command to hate evil as an expression of love for God.

Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.

Significance: David's example of lawful hatred directed at God's enemies, not personal foes.

A time to love, and a time to hate. A time of war, and a time of peace.

Significance: Shows that God ordains seasons for both love and hatred, war and peace.

Is there not a cause?

Significance: David's recognition that the blasphemy of God and danger to Israel warranted fighting.

As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

Significance: Samuel's execution of justice as a spiritual magistrate when Saul failed.

Beware the quiet man. For while others speak, he watches, and while others act, he plans, and when they finally rest, he strikes.

Significance: Emphasizes that true warriors are often quiet and prepared, not boastful.

Discussion Questions

How can we discern when God is calling us to 'stand in the gap' versus when we are to submit quietly to His providence?

Context: The central tension of the sermon: balancing submission with righteous action.

In what ways does our culture discourage a biblical hatred of evil, and how can we cultivate a proper hatred without sinning?

Context: Discussion of Psalm 97:10 and the command to hate evil.

What does David's preparation through the lion and bear teach us about how God trains us for future battles?

Context: David's testimony in 1 Samuel 17:34-37.

How does the concept of the 'lesser magistrate' apply to Christians today in various spheres of authority?

Context: Samuel's execution of Agag as an example of lesser magistrate doctrine.

Why do you think the elders of Bethlehem trembled at Samuel's coming, and what does that reveal about his reputation?

Context: 1 Samuel 16:4-5; the fear of Samuel after he executed Agag.

What practical steps can believers take to develop a 'warrior mentality' that is biblically grounded?

Context: Application section on preparation and mindset.

How can we distinguish between righteous hatred of God's enemies and sinful hatred of our personal enemies?

Context: Discussion of Psalm 139 and Matthew 5:44.

In what ways has the modern church lost its 'martial spirit,' and how can we recover it?

Context: Reference to neglected hymns and Ephesians 6.

Applications

Prepare Spiritually and Practically

Summary: Believers must train themselves in God's Word and will now, so they are ready to act righteously when crisis comes.

Evidence: If you do not know the will of God and the Word of God, now it is too late to try to figure it out in an emergency situation.

Cultivate a Quiet, Faithful Obedience

Summary: God uses those who are quietly prepared and submissive, not loud boasters; focus on faithful duty in obscurity.

Evidence: Beware the quiet man... quiet obedience and preparation are far more important than daydreaming and loud talk.

Embrace the Shepherd's Duty to Protect

Summary: As under-shepherds of families and flocks, believers must be willing to risk themselves to defend those under their care.

Evidence: David's example of retrieving the lamb; John 10:11-13 contrast between shepherd and hireling.

Recognize the Times and the Cause

Summary: Believers must be vigilant about tyranny and oppression, understanding when there is a cause to fight for God's honor and the innocent.

Evidence: David's question 'Is there not a cause?' and the reference to Numbers 10:9 about war in the land.

Trust in God, Not Human Means

Summary: Like David refusing Saul's armor, believers must rely on God's proven methods and not worldly systems for protection and victory.

Evidence: David said, 'I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them.'

Fulfill Your Magisterial Duty

Summary: When those in authority fail to execute justice, lower authorities (including spiritual leaders) have a duty to step in according to God's law.

Evidence: Samuel's execution of Agag as an example of lesser magistrate doctrine.

Hate Evil as God Commands

Summary: Develop a biblical hatred for evil, not personal animosity, and align your affections with God's character.

Evidence: Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:14-15; Psalm 139:21-22.

Stay Informed and Vigilant

Summary: Be aware of attacks on the church and increasing hostility, using resources like ChristianWarriorTraining.com to stay informed.

Evidence: Reference to recent church attacks and the need for vigilance.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:37:02Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:22:38Z

Clean Transcript

Bridging the Gap

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's go ahead and open our Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22, and we're going to read verses 30 and 31. Ezekiel 22 verses 30 and 31. The title of the message is "Bridging the Gap." You will understand momentarily. So Ezekiel chapter 22 verse 30, the Word of God says, "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." God says, "Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them.
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I've consumed them with the fire of my wrath. Their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord." So the title of the message is "Bridging the Gap." Some of you, I hope all of you, will remember that I recently preached the message which I entitled, "This Would Solve Most Problems," and the message actually dealt with submission to God and to His divine providence. In that message I gave one illustration from the life of Daniel, but mostly the message was on the life of Joseph and his submission to the providential acts of God, even those acts that you and I would call bad, tragic, and even catastrophic events in his life. I also pointed out that these two men are the only two men in Scripture of which absolutely nothing bad or evil is stated. Yes, they were sinners, but each one was basically submissive and obedient to God in His providential dealings in their lives.
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So the reason for this message is I had a good brother in the faith who asked me a simple question. He was present when I preached the message entitled, "This Would Solve Most Problems," dealing with submission to God's divine providence. And so he asked me, in light of that truth, that is, in light of the truth of that message, how, where, and when are the faithful to rise up and fight against evil?
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Well, I want to answer that today and try to give illustrations as well. The truth of the matter is we should always be fighting against evil and wickedness. We're commanded to hate evil, and therefore it must be dealt with in a very biblical manner, that is for sure. It must be first dealt with in our lives. And the fact of the matter is, if we're not going to deal with it in our lives, that is fighting against evil and fighting against wickedness, we certainly have no right to complain about others who refuse to deal with evil in their lives as well. And moreover, we would not have any right to even complain against those who refuse to fight against evil in society. So, the truth of the matter is, we are always commanded to hate evil and to fight against evil. For instance, let me give you a couple of scriptures.
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Psalm 97 and verse 10, the Bible says, "Ye that love the Lord hate evil, he preserveth the souls of his saints, he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked." So notice what he said in Psalm 97 verse 10, "Ye that love the Lord hate evil." And then of course in the book of Amos chapter 5, verses 14 and 15, God said, "Seek good and not evil, that you may live. So the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you as you have spoken." Then he says this, "Hate the evil and love the good. Establish judgment in the gate that it may be that the Lord, God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph." So twice now he's told us to hate the evil and love the good. So let me just point out very plainly that it's impossible to love the good without hating the evil. Moreover, it's impossible to love God without at the same time hating everything that is contrary to God.
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So, just for your remembrance, years ago I preached a message which I entitled, "The Biblical Doctrine of Hatred." And the truth of the matter is there is a biblical doctrine of hatred in the Bible. And so I think that message is probably still on Sermon Audio, but I had three points in that message. I pointed out the Sovereign's hatred, the Savior's hatred, and the Saint's hatred. And certainly the message is probably needing to be re-preached today because there's still so much confusion on this particular subject. But hatred, biblical hatred, is not wicked and it's not wrong because it has been commanded by God, and God who is infinitely holy and infinitely righteous has said, "Hate the evil and love the good." So, it is not wrong, neither is it wicked, to hate God's enemies.
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Now when I say that, let me point out the fact that in one sense of the word, the widest sense of the word, all of the unsaved would be God's enemies. But yet when the Scripture talks about God's enemies, it's not just those that are unsaved, it is specifically referring to those who are in open rebellion and defiance against Him, seeking to dethrone Him, who hate Him, just preeminently, they despise Him. So let me show you, if you look in your Bibles, hold Ezekiel 22, we're coming back there. But if you look in Psalm 139, and let's begin reading there with verse 19. Psalm 139, verse 19. So we're still talking about bridging the gap. And notice if you would, Psalm 139, and notice if you would, verse 19, David says this.
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"Surely that will slay the wicked, O God. Depart from me therefore, you bloody men." So note the wicked or bloody men. They're really, really vile. He says, "For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain." And then David says this, "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." So David says, "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?" And then he says, "I hate them with perfect hatred." So this is a hatred that is biblical and is right. Notice, if you would, he said in verse 23 and 24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts.
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and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." So he said, "Lord, if this is wrong, you search me, you know me, you lead me in the right way." But obviously, clearly, then it was not wrong at all.
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Now, let me make this very clear. You may lawfully hate God's enemies, but you may not lawfully hate your own enemies, because God has said, "Love your enemies," your own enemies. So most of our enemies are enemies of our own making in the fact that we've been discourteous, we've been uglier, we've been hateful, etc. But, you know, God says clearly that we are to love our enemies, we can hate His. But thankfully, and it should be, that His enemies turn out to be our enemies as well. So I want you to turn right over, if you would now, to the book of Ecclesiastes. The book of Ecclesiastes. And notice, if you would, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and we're going to go to chapter 3. And I'm going to read the first eight verses. So I want you to watch this. Ecclesiastes 3, beginning there with verse 1. This is a passage that most people know.
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"A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate. A time of war, and a time of peace."
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Now it's interesting that in our Bibles we have five books of wisdom literature. These five books of wisdom literature are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. Someone has rightly pointed out that the book of Psalms teaches us how to worship, and the book of Proverbs teaches us how to behave. The book of Job teaches us how to suffer. The Song of Solomon teaches us how to love. And the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us how to behave. Now, the truth is that each of these wisdom literature books also teach about fighting and also teach about hatred, as does the rest of the entirety of the Word of God.
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Now, let me just point out the fact that it is not in the nature of a true Christian to hate others. There may be many individuals that we dislike. There may be individuals that we disagree with. There may be individuals we just simply do not wish to be around. But hatred does not grow in the soil of regeneration. Hatred is always in the soil of depravity and of fallen nature. And the truth of the matter is this, our Lord then classifies hatred of the brethren, or hatred of our non-enemies, literally as murder.
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So let me explain a couple of passages. The next one is in Matthew chapter 5, which is very easy to get to. Matthew chapter 5, look if you would, at verses 21 and 22. Matthew chapter 5, verse 21 and 22. Our Lord says, "You have heard it was said by them of old times, Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment." Now look what he says. "But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother Raca shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of hell fire." Now we understand probably every word there except the word Raca. The word Raca was a term of reproach in the time of our Lord.
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It was similar to what we would use when we call someone senseless, empty-headed, stupid, an idiot. In other words, it's mocking and making fun of them.
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Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of First John, chapter 3. First John, chapter 3. And notice, if you would, what is said specifically concerning hatred. Notice, if you would, First John, chapter 3. And let's begin reading there with verse 14. First John 3, verse 14. Our Lord says, "We know that we pass from death unto life." How do we know that?
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"Because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." So the Word of God tells us that we are not to be hating simply by nature, and hatred of our brethren is indeed murder.
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Now, since we are told in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 8 that there is a time to love and there is also a time to hate. Now the Hebrew word for hate is the word sone. It is translated in our Bibles 146 times. 136 of those times it is translated as hate. The other times it is translated as enemy, enemies, foes, and hateful.
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Now, I want to give you a couple of quotes. The first one is very brief. It's from Matthew Poole, and he's quoting on Ecclesiastes 3 and verse 8, where it says there's a time to love and a time to hate. Listen to what he says. "A time to love when God shall stir up the affection of love or give occasion for the exercise or discovery of it to others." And that's all he says. He doesn't make a comment on a time to hate. So, I want you to think about this and listen to this. He said, "A time to love when God shall stir up the affection of love or give occasion for the exercise or discovery of it to others." Now, if it's God who stirs up love in our hearts, and gives us the occasion to exercise it and to demonstrate it to others.
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The opposite truth is also true. That is, it is God who stirs up hatred and gives us the opportunity to discover it and to exercise it.
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Now here's something that most people just have not ever thought about. But God is absolutely sovereign. God is not the infuser of sin. He is not the instigator of sin. But God is certainly the controller of sin. And God does use sin, ultimately, for His honor and His glory. That's what the Bible said. "The wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder of wrath shall he restrain." So that wrath that will not ultimately redound to His honor and glory, He will restrain. And so it is God oftentimes who turns our enemies to hate us and stirs up our heart to hate them. Now, let me explain.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 105. Psalm 105. And I want you to look at verses 23 through 25. So look in Psalm 105. This may shock you, but here it is.
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Psalm 105, look if you would please, at verse 23. Psalm 105, verse 23. "Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. He, that is God, turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtly with his servants." Note what God did. God turned their heart to hate his people. And of course God used that hatred for judgment. Now it is true that Pharaoh turned his own heart and so did the Egyptians. But it is also true that here God turned their heart to hate his people. So clearly then God is sovereign even over hatred.
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Now here's one more quote. Matthew Henry. He says this, "A time to love and to show ourselves friendly, to be free and cheerful, and it is a pleasant time that there may come a time to hate, when we shall see cause to break off all familiarity with some that we've been fond of, and to be upon the reserve, as having found reason for our suspicion, which love is loath to admit." In other words, he says love does not want to do that, it's loath to admit, but we have to do it at times.
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Now, I'm talking about bridging the gap, because remember I told you the message I preached, "This Would Solve Most Problems," dealing with absolute and total submission to God in all of His providential acts toward us. And then it was Warren Luke who asked me, if that is the case, how do we bridge the gap or how do we go to fighting the enemies when we need to be fighting? And so this is what I'm trying to show you.
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There is a poem by Rudyard Kipling, who was in India, by the way, who understood what was going on. And he wrote this poem, "The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon." The poem pretty well summarizes everything that I've just told you in the fact that wrath and hatred is not in the root of regeneration by nature. It is in the root of depravity by nature. But listen to this poem. "Wrath of the Awakened Saxon.
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It was not part of their blood. It came to them very late with long arrears to make good when the Saxon began to hate. They were not easily moved. They were icy willing to wait till every count should be proved ere the Saxon began to hate. Their voices were even and low. Their eyes were level and straight. There was neither sign nor show when the Saxon began to hate.
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It was not preached to the crowd. It was not taught by the state. No man spake it aloud when the Saxon began to hate. It was not suddenly bred, it will not swiftly abate through the chilled years ahead when time shall count from the date that the Saxon began to hate." So basically what he's saying is there is a time to hate just like Ecclesiastes chapter 3.
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Now you're going to ask what has all this got to do with our text in Ezekiel chapter 22. So I want you to turn back to Ezekiel 22 and let me show you what it has to do with our text. Note if you would again verses 30 and 31 of Ezekiel 22. God said, "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." Note what God says, "I sought for a man 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. Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them, I've consumed them with the fire of my wrath, their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord." Now, the entire context of Ezekiel chapter 22 actually deals with God's judgment upon the nation of Israel. In fact, if we just look at the latter part of this chapter before we get to verses 30 and 31, you're going to see the absolute alienation, treason, and defection of the people against God and against His law.
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So, if you'll look down to Ezekiel chapter 22, beginning there with verse 23, look what he said, just to show you the complete, total alienation of the people from God. "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto her, that is to Israel, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation." Now look, outline these with me.
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"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." So the prophets were totally, absolutely corrupt, selfish, and covetous.
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Now look at verse 26. "Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things, and have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them." So there's the prophets, there's the priests. Now look at verse 27. "Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and destroy souls to get dishonest gain." So there's the civil government.
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He hits the prophets again, "And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord had not spoken." And now he hits the people. "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." Now look what God says, in light of the total treason, alienation, and defection of the prophets, the priests, the princes, and the people. He says, "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." Now he looked for a man, he said, to stand in the gap to make up the hedge.
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That is to rebuild the wall or the bridge and to bridge up the broken wall. Now the word stand is the Hebrew word Amad and it means to stand, it means to remain, to endure, to take a stand, to stand upright and remain standing. The gap then was the hole in the wall in which very easily, the enemy could infiltrate into the city and gain a victory. So God is saying, "I'm looking for someone who's going to bridge up this hole, bridge up this gap. I'm looking for someone who's going to stand in this hedge and make up this gap." In other words, "I want someone who's going to execute judgment. I want someone who's going to intercede for the land. I want someone who's going to vindicate my holy cause and my righteous law." So God said, "I'm just simply looking for a man."
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And it did not matter if it happened to be a prophet or a priest or a prince or just a common, ordinary, everyday person of the people. He said, "I'm looking for a man. I want someone that's going to interpose himself between the judgment of God and this city, and I want someone who's going to stand and execute my judgment and intercede for those who are righteous and those who are innocent." Now, in this instance, it just happens, the enemy that was coming in the gate was the Lord God himself. He was coming in as a man of war to destroy the people because of their sin and their wickedness. So God then was just looking for someone to bridge the gap, to prevent that righteous judgment that was coming upon the land and upon the nation. He was looking for someone to stand up and execute his judgments.
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Now, so here's the point, and this point should be clear. There's a time when righteous men, men of faith, men of submission, men of obedience, must stand and avert the judgment of God, the righteous judgment of God, defend the innocent, and deal with the evil that is condemned by God.
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Now, since I titled this message, "Bridging the Gap," I've got to ask you some questions. And I'm going to show you some illustrations from what I'm trying to teach right now. But here's my first question. Have you ever thought about or have you ever wondered how David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, became the slayer of giants and the ultimate warrior king? How about this one? Have you ever asked yourself concerning Samuel the prophet, how the man of God became the slayer and the executioner of King Agag? I could ask more. For instance, how did Moses, the meekest man on earth, become the one that exercised the justice of God against those who rebelled against God and saw them executed? Well, I want us to consider just for a little bit David as an illustration of one who bridged the gap, doing exactly what God has asked for in Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 30. So David then went from a poet, the sweet psalmist of Israel, to a warrior.
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So there was a preparation in his life. So I want you to listen to this truth and young men, young lady, listen carefully. God will always use a prepared person. So you need to be prepared. Whatever area, whatever field God calls you into, you need to have preparation. That is for sure. God only uses prepared people. And so David was being prepared to fight Goliath and never even knew it. David was being prepared to become a warrior king and did not understand it. So when the providence of God brought to pass the time and the opportunity to fight Goliath, then David was prepared.
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You know, I've often thought about this. It was Jesse, his father, who called David and said, "Look, I want you to come. I want you to take these cheeses to the captains of your brothers and check on them and get their pledge and bring it back." In other words, "I want proof that they're still alive. Bring it back." And that's all he was going to do. David was sent by Jesse to check on his brothers. I'm sure that David had absolutely no idea that he was going to be facing Goliath. He had no idea what was about to come down.
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So you have to ask yourself this question. Where in the world did David derive his skill? Where did David derive his experience? Where did David derive his combat preparedness? Well, I can give you the answer to that. Psalm 144, verse 1. That would be theologically speaking, where David said, "Blessed be the Lord, my God, who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight." So it was God who basically taught him how to fight and to war.
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But he did so through preparation. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel chapter 17. This is a passage that everyone knows and everyone should really love, especially young folks. It's David fighting Goliath in 1 Samuel chapter 17. So I want you to note what Goliath says and there is a number of opportunities here to explain some things. So notice if you would in 1 Samuel 17 in verse 10, look what Goliath said.
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"And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together." Goliath was not just simply defying the armies of Israel. He was also defying the God of the armies of Israel. So if you look in verse 45, when David went out to meet Goliath, look what he said. "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." So you cannot defy God's armies or God's people without defying God at the same time. So now David had to fight Goliath. By the way, most scholars will tell you that David was from the age of 15 to 17 when he faced Goliath. And that is pointed out very clearly by what Saul said to David, which we'll read just momentarily now. How in the world did God prepare David? Well, if you look beginning in verse 32, or verse Samuel chapter 17, I want you to watch this.
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"And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine, to fight with him, for thou art but a youth, a teenager, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock."
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"And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing as he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said, Moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee." Certainly the Lord had to be with him because Saul was not bound to go out there and fight with him himself, that is for sure.
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Now, let me make some observations on this passage that I think are very relevant today. First of all, I want you to know when David destroyed the lion and the bear, he did not know that he was being prepared to fight Goliath. God was training him. If you will note what the Scripture says, David actually went after the lion and the bear. He said in verse 35, "And I went out after him and smote him." Look, if you would. He said, "I smote him and delivered it out of his mouth." In other words, he didn't kill him at first.
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He just hit him hard enough to retrieve the lamb. "But when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and I smote him and I slew him." So David then purposely went after the animal. Well, let me ask you a question. Why would David do that? Just stop and think. Here's a bear and the bear takes the lamb and runs off and David chases the bear and smites the bear, delivers the lamb, and when the bear turns around and rises up against David, David slays him and kills him. Why would David not say, "Well,
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let him have the lion. Let him have the lamb. I'm not running after that big brute. I'm not going to fight the lion either. Let him have them." Why would David go after them and try to redeem the lamb? And the answer is because David was a shepherd. Remember, the sheep did not belong to David. They belong to David's father. A shepherd's responsibility is not just to feed the flock, but also to protect the flock. And some animal had come and stolen a lamb from the flock. David says, "No, this is not going to happen. I'm going to retrieve that lamb. I'm going to bring it back because that lamb does not belong to me."
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Now, here's what most people today would say. "Well, the bear's hungry, too. Let him have something. I'd rather him eat the lamb than me." Or the same thing with the lion. "I'd rather him eat the lamb than me. I'm not running after that lion." Why would we not do something like that? And here's the answer. Because we're not shepherds. Now. In John chapter 10, I want you to turn there. I want you to see this. Look in John chapter 10, beginning there with verse 11. Look at this. Look what our Lord says. John 10, beginning there with verse 11. Our Lord said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." So David was willing to die for the little lamb. "But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth him, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep."
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This is why I'm saying we're not shepherds in that sense of the word. We're not willing to protect the flock. We're not willing to protect our families. We're not willing to do that which God requires of us. So David was just simply being faithful to his duty, to his obligation as a shepherd to defend the flock that his father owned. So a shepherd protects the flock. A father protects his wife and his family.
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A hireling runs away because he is a hireling. So let me ask you a question. How do you expect God to use you to protect your family or your flock if you will not train or be trained by Him and be willing to be used by Him when His providential act brings it to pass in your life? David used these opportunities for training. Listen to me. God's providence will always give us opportunities to train. He will always prepare us for whatever we're going to face. We don't know what we're going to face. So whatever God puts in our way, whatever He allows to befall us, it is for our training and for our admonition. So David, of course, when he destroyed this bear and the lion, had no idea that God was preparing him to fight a giant or to become a warrior king. Secondly, David realized that not only that God had prepared him for the hour, he realized the cause that was involved.
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So I want you to look in 1 Samuel chapter 17 and verse 29. 1 Samuel chapter 17 and verse 29. Because David's brothers are there and Eliab happened to be his older brother. And Eliab had to make fun of David, and he had to say that he knew the naughtiness of David's heart, that he came out just to see the battle. Well, that's not true, because the only reason David was there was because his father had sent him. So notice, if you would, verse 29 in 1 Samuel chapter 17, he said this, "And David said, What have I now done?
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Is there not a cause?" Now think about what David just said. After Eliab, his eldest brother, had berated him, David asked, "What have I now done? Is there not a cause?" What he's asking is, "Is there not a cause to fight?" And yes, there was a cause to fight. So I want you to think, number one, about the insolence of Goliath. He was insulting everyone. He was insulting the army of God. He was insulting God. Think about him defying the army of Israel. Think about the danger of defeat. Think about the subjection of Israel to their enemy. Think about the tyranny of the enemy. And above all, think about the blasphemy of God. Yeah, there was quite a cause to fight.
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You see, the problem with Americans and the problem with American Christians is we've lost our martial spirit. In fact, I don't know when the last time I've been in any churches and I've heard songs sung like, "Am I a Soldier of the Cross?" "Onward, Christian Soldiers!" "Oh, the Fort Rhyme coming!" We don't even like to sing those songs! We don't even like to read what the Apostle Paul told Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith." We don't even like to read Ephesians chapter 6 where God gives us all this armor and why in the world would He give us armor if He did not intend for us to fight? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we have lost our martial spirits. We don't wish to prepare. We do not wish to engage the enemy. We wish to be comfortable and at ease.
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And that's all there is to it. And we totally forget there is a cause, and that is the cause of God and the cause of truth. So I want to tell you something. If you have not signed up to get ChristianWarriorTraining.com and that's from Keith Graves, and it's absolutely free. He will tell you everything that's happening in all the churches in this country. He will tell you the pastors that are being killed, the churches that are being set on fire.
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Every week he puts it out. It's absolutely astounding what is going on. And our media is not reporting it. And I will tell you this. This is what I'm telling you right now. I believe as time passes, we're going to see more and more there's a cause to be prepared. Because if we're not, I believe we're going to die. It's just that simple. So, I would call your attention to what is happening.
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For instance, even the last week, a woman was raped to death on the church house steps in Nashville, Tennessee by a Muslim man. So, I'm just saying, we are in for it up to our eyeballs and don't even realize it. So number three, here's the third observation. You have to consider the truth that David was not only prepared, he understood the cause, but that his trust was in God alone.
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So in 1 Samuel chapter 17, let me show you what happens here. Skip down, if you would, please, to verse 38. "And Saul armed David with his armor and he put a helmet of brass upon his head and he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword about his armor, and he assayed to go, but he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them. And David put them off." Now, you have to remember that Saul was head and shoulders above the normal, average Israelite. And here David is, 15 to 17 years of age, and you can imagine how this armor covered David. And David said, "I can't fight this. I haven't proved this. I can't use this."
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That's like somebody handing Dinah a bazooka and telling her to blow a tank up. She's never held a bazooka. She's never shot a bazooka. She couldn't use a bazooka. Well, you know, David said, "I can't use this stuff." Now, David knew that he did not need the world's armor and that since the word what he needed was God and God alone and David had already proven God in the bear and in the lion so here is a truth that we need to grasp and it's very simple if God does not
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protect us we're not protected I don't care what we have. I don't care what we are. If God does not protect us, we are not protected.
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Now, I'm just going to tell you something that just boggles my mind. I have a friend who sends me military episodes of a war that's going on in Ukraine. And the little videos are actual combat videos. They're very brief. Some of them may be eight or nine, ten minutes long, usually not longer than that. You know, the thing that amazes me is every now and then you'll see people shooting with rifles. Every now and then you'll see tanks and all kinds of other things going.
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But most of all, it's drones. Drones. And here you see enemy soldiers, they're going in this building, and there's just this one little opening. It doesn't matter. The drone just goes right in. It's astounding how the drones find them on the battlefield, find them in the building. It's almost impossible to hide from them. And you think, how in the world could anyone survive that? Well, if God protects them, they are going to survive. If He doesn't, then they're not going to. It's just that simple. David bridged the gap from poet to warrior by being prepared, by recognizing God's providence, by understanding faith and an unwillingness to see the name of God blasphemed. David said, "Yes, there's a cause. I'm going to fight." So that's how he bridged the gap. Now, the second illustration I'm going to give you is from the life of Samuel. I've always been inspired by the life of Samuel. Because when Samuel was a little boy, he was given to Eli, and he was raised in the house of God. And I don't suppose there's going to be anyone that's probably more loving, more kind, more compassionate, more understanding than Samuel.
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So I want you to look, if you would, in 1 Samuel chapter 3, at what is said concerning Samuel. 1 Samuel chapter 3. Look at this. Beginning there with verse 20, 1 Samuel 3, verse 20. "And all Israel, from Dan, even to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord." So everyone from Dan to Beersheba, from the northernmost to the southernmost, knew that Samuel was the prophet of God. It was through this prophet of God, Samuel, that God sent to King Saul and he sent him on a journey. So if you look in 1 Samuel 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 1, look what God says to King Saul. "Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel.
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Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not. But slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." So God has sent Saul now to slay the Amalekites.
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And he says, nothing is to be spared, everything is to be killed. Now, at least Saul started out correctly, because in verse 4, "And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, 200,000 footmen and 10,000 men of Judah." So obviously, that would probably be a pretty good army and capable of doing that which God had demanded that he do. But the problem is that Saul did not obey God. In fact, he defied God. In fact, if you look in verses 7 through 9, note if you would, "And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt, and he took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the lambs, and of all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them, but everything that was vile and refuse that they destroyed utterly."
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So Saul now has spared Agag, the king, and the best of the oxen and the sheep. He spared all of that.
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Now, there's a reason why. He certainly knew what God commanded. Samuel knew what God commanded, but Saul did not do it. For instance, look, if you would, in verse 17, Samuel now confronts Saul. Saul has already claimed to be obedient to God. And Samuel said, "If you've obeyed God, what meaneth the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the cattle in my ear?" If you'd obeyed God, everything would be dead. But look at it in verse 17. "And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel?
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That's when you didn't think yourself so big. That's before pride got into your heart. And the Lord anointed thee king over Israel. And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them till they be consumed. Now watch this. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?" He flew upon the spoil. In other words, Saul was covetous, he was selfish, he wanted this for himself. So God now basically rejects Saul from being king. And the amazing thing that happens in this chapter now comes upon little Samuel. It's an amazing illustration of
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bridging the gap from preacher to warrior. So I want you to look in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 32. "Then said Samuel, Bring hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said unto him, look at this, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal." Now, look at verse 32. "Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately."
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The Hebrew word is also daintily. In my mind, I can just see Agag pressing up to Samuel saying, "Who's afraid of this little preacher? I mean, surely, surely the bitterness of death is over. This little preacher is not going to do anything to me. I mean, you know, he's just not going to do this." Well, the Bible says, "And Samuel took the sword, and hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Israel." Now the word before is the Hebrew word panim, and it means literally in the presence of or in the face of. In other words, it was just as if God was standing right there. Samuel took the edge of the sword and hewed Agag to pieces and did to Agag exactly that which God ordained and exactly that which God wanted to be done. And he did it as unto the Lord.
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Now, without me getting to another message on this, in one sense of the word, this could also be an illustration of the truth known as the lesser magistrate. Now, I've got a message on that I've preached many, many years back. Well, the lesser magistrate just means that when a higher magistrate refuses to do his duty and his obligation, then the one under him, the lesser magistrate, is to step in and perform that duty. Now, the illustration of that, since Trump is president, if he wouldn't do what needed to be done, then Vance should step in and do it. If Vance would not do it, then the Speaker of the House should step in.
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In other words, you would come all the way down. And the same thing would be in the governor of the state. If the governor wouldn't do it, the lieutenant governor. If the lieutenant governor wouldn't do it, then the Speaker of the House. And it would go all the way down. And it's the same thing in every county. It's the duty of the lesser magistrate. In fact, there's a wonderful little booklet by Matt Trella on the doctrine of the lesser magistrate. And so it's a wonderful booklet and a true booklet.
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But you have to understand something. Saul was the highest civil magistrate, but Samuel was the highest spiritual magistrate. And the word magistrate, if I remember correctly, in the Hebrew is the word esser. And it is used both not only of the civil magistrate, but also of prophets and preachers as well, because there is a spiritual magistrate, just like there is a civil magistrate as well. And so, clearly then, Samuel stepped in and did that which God demanded to be done.
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Now, if you haven't heard my messages I've preached many years ago, the first one on the Black Robed Regiment, dealing with the preachers in the American War for Independence, I would encourage you to re-listen to it. It is absolutely astounding to learn that historically God's preachers have always been fighters. There's Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg. There's James Caldwell. I mean, there's so many that it's just unbelievable how God used these men, especially when you think about Moses Allen and his brother Thomas and how God has used them. It's astounding. It's amazing.
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And then there is the message I have on confederate chaplains. These men have always been fighters.
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Now, I want you to understand what has happened now. So, I want you to turn to 1 Samuel chapter 16. I want to tie these things together for you. I want you to look at this. "And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him for reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite.
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For I have provided me a king among his sons." And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint unto me him that I name unto thee." So God now has sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint David king.
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Now I want you to look at verse 4. "And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. I've come to sacrifice unto the Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice."
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Now, here's the absolutely astounding thing to me. Before Samuel could ever get into Bethlehem, the elders sent a delegation out and said, "Are you coming peacefully?" What a question to ask a preacher. "Are you coming peacefully?" Why would they ask that question? Because they'd heard what he'd just done to Agag. In fact, if you will look at the word trembled, notice what the Bible says in verse 4, "And the elders of the town trembled at his coming." And the word trembled is the Hebrew word charad, which means to tremble, to quake, to be afraid, to be anxious.
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In other words, they were shaking in their boots, so to speak. They were terribly afraid because here is Samuel coming and they want to know if he's coming peaceably.
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Now, this is amazing to me. Can you imagine in your mind three or four preachers getting together in this day and time and going to a city council meeting or a county council meeting, and before they can reach the steps, the delegation is sent out to them asking, "Are you fellows coming peacefully or not?" What? I mean, sadly enough, there's no reason to be afraid of most preachers today, period. Because most preachers can't pray, can't preach, can't fight, can't do anything except be CEOs of corporations or something like that.
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So the question is this. How did Samuel bridge the gap? How did he leave from preacherhood to executioner or to warrior? Here's the answer. He knew the will of God. He knew the Word of God. He knew that he was a magistrate equally as Saul was a magistrate. Here's the truth. Listen to me. If you do not know the will of God and the Word of God, now it is too late to try to figure it out in an emergency situation. If I'm surrounded by people that's trying to harm Alice, and trying to harm myself and I'm having to figure out what am I allowed to do biblically. It's too late. It's just too late. You need to know the Word of God. You need to know the will of God. You need to know what God says about self-defense, about self-protection. You need to understand it. Now, I'm just simply pointing out Samuel fulfilled his magisterial duty in light of Saul's defection. So if you're going to ever be used of God to bridge the gap, to save your family, save anybody, do whatever is necessary, you better be preparing is what it amounts to.
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You better be training yourself, better be training your mind. Now, let me point out something very clearly. We need to be vigilant, and especially concerning tyranny and concerning oppression. Most of the time, I think we're like that frog that's sitting in the warm water, and the eye is turned up to boil, and the frog just sits there until he's boiled, and once he's boiled, he's cooked, and it's over with. So we have to be vigilant.
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We have to be looking at things, and we have to be prepared. Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers, chapter 10, and then we'll make some applications. But look at Numbers, chapter 10. This is an astounding thing. I was reading through the book of Numbers recently, and this really hit me very plainly. Look what God says in verse 9. Look at this. Numbers 10 and verse 9.
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And he tells his people, "And if, if you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then shall you blow an alarm with the trumpets, and you shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies." But note if you would, he said in verse 9, "And if you go to war in your land, in your land, against the enemy that oppresses you," in other words, the enemy is within the land, he's not coming from the outside. And I think you know that we have plenty of enemies in our land today. And plenty who want to oppress and plenty who want to tyrannize.
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So Samuel and David are two men who both bridge the gap. And I have not even talked to you about Samson. Neither have I talked to you about Moses or Phinehas. I'm just simply pointing out the fact that there is a time that God expects us to stand in the gap and make up the hedge, and intercede for the land and do whatever is needed and necessary. So here's just a couple of applications.
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The first one is this. We may dream of victory and we may dream of being used and useful to God, but unless we are prepared, God will never, ever use us. Many individuals like to think that they will physically fight when it comes time to fight. And it'll never happen. And the reason it'll never happen is because they're not willing to fight now mentally. They're not willing to fight emotionally. They're not willing to fight spiritually. They're not willing to try to keep their minds pure, their lives clean. They're not willing to do what's right.
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And you have to have a biblical mindset. And if you don't have a warrior mentality, if you don't have a fighting mentality, already when it comes time to fight physically, you will never fight physically. Because it stems from a biblical mindset. Here's the second thing. And each of us know of this because we've heard it all of our lives. There are always loud talkers. There are always braggarts. There are always show-offs. And they're always talking about what they're going to do. And the truth of the matter is, those are the ones that will never do anything. The man that always tells you what he's going to do to you is not going to do anything. The man that's going to do something is the man who doesn't say a word.
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He just steps up and does it. Here's a quote. It's anonymous. I don't know who wrote it, but it's very true. He says, "Beware the quiet man. For while others speak, he watches, and while others act, he plans, and when they finally rest, he strikes. Beware the quiet man." God is going to use quiet men, quiet, prepared, submissive and faithful men. And quiet obedience and preparation are far more important than daydreaming and loud talk. So in order to bridge the gap, and the gap being God requires us to be in submission. God requires us to submit to Him in His providence. But there comes a time like Ezekiel chapter 22, God says, "I'm just looking for someone who's going to stand in the gap and make up the hedge. I'm looking for someone who's going to bridge this gap and intercede for the innocent. I'm looking for someone who's going to execute my justice and execute righteousness and stand up for my law, and stand up against tyranny and wickedness. I'm looking for someone." How do we bridge that gap?
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By prayer? Yes. By preparation? Yes. By faith? Yes. By submission? Yes. By recognizing the will of God and the Word of God and recognizing the proper time when God said, "There's a time to love and a time to hate. There's a time to live and a time to die. There's a time to fight." And we have to ask God to give us wisdom and discernment that when that time comes, we'll know His will, His Word, and we'll move under His authority and in His will and in His Word. Bridging the gap, standing in the gap, making up the hedge, honoring God, defending the innocent, and doing that which we need to do as being shepherds.
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A pastor, by the way, has the name of shepherd. Jesus Christ is a good shepherd. He is the great shepherd. He is the chief shepherd. The pastors are referred to as under shepherds and every head of his house is an under shepherd of his family. So we need to make sure we understand about bridging the gap when it comes time to say, "Lord, I know what you would have me to do and I need to do it." Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee.
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We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask Your blessing and Your help. Teach us, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:37:02Z

Bridging the Gap

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver addresses how believers can reconcile submission to God's providence with the biblical call to fight against evil. Using Ezekiel 22:30-31 as the foundation, he explains that God seeks people to 'stand in the gap'—to intercede, execute justice, and defend the innocent. He illustrates this through the lives of David and Samuel, showing how God prepared them for moments of righteous action. The sermon emphasizes preparation, recognizing God's timing, and having a biblical mindset to bridge the gap between passive submission and active, God-honoring resistance to wickedness.

Introduction and Text

Reading of Ezekiel 22:30-31, where God seeks someone to stand in the gap but finds none, leading to judgment.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:30-31

"Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them.

The Question: Submission vs. Fighting Evil

A brother asked how, in light of submission to God's providence, believers should rise up and fight against evil.

Biblical Command to Hate Evil

Scripture commands believers to hate evil (Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:14-15), and it is impossible to love God without hating what is contrary to Him.

Psalm 97 and verse 10, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 97:10

"Ye that love the Lord hate evil, he preserveth the souls of his saints, he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked."

So notice what he said in Psalm 97 verse 10,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 97:10

"Ye that love the Lord hate evil."

The Nature of Biblical Hatred

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:21-22

"You have heard it was said by them of old times, Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment."

Now look what he says.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:21-22

"But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother Raca shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of hell fire."

Now we understand probably every word there except the word Raca. The word Raca was a term of reproach in the time of our Lord.

A Time to Hate

Ecclesiastes 3:8 teaches there is a time to hate. God is sovereign over hatred, as seen in Psalm 105:23-25, and He stirs up both love and hatred in His timing.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 105. Psalm 105. And I want you to look at verses 23 through 25. So look in Psalm 105. This may shock you, but here it is.

Psalm 105, look if you would please, at verse 23. Psalm 105, verse 23.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 105:23-25

"Israel also came into Egypt, and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies. He, that is God, turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtly with his servants."

The Context of Ezekiel 22

The chapter describes the corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and people. God sought someone to stand in the gap and intercede, but found none.

So, if you'll look down to Ezekiel chapter 22, beginning there with verse 23, look what he said, just to show you the complete, total alienation of the people from God.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:23-29

"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto her, that is to Israel, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation."

Now look, outline these with me.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:23-29

"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."

So the prophets were totally, absolutely corrupt, selfish, and covetous. Now look at verse 26.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:23-29

"Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things, and have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them."

So there's the prophets, there's the priests. Now look at verse 27.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:23-29

"Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and destroy souls to get dishonest gain."

So there's the civil government.

Illustration: David Bridging the Gap

David was prepared by God through defending his father's sheep from a lion and a bear. He recognized the cause against Goliath and trusted God, not Saul's armor.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 144:1

"Blessed be the Lord, my God, who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight."

So it was God who basically taught him how to fight and to war.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:10

"And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together."

Goliath was not just simply defying the armies of Israel. He was also defying the God of the armies of Israel. So if you look in verse 45, when David went out to meet Goliath, look what he said.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:10

"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied."

Scripture Reading — John 10:11-13

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

So David was willing to die for the little lamb.

Scripture Reading — John 10:11-13

"But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth him, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep."

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:29

"And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?"

Now think about what David just said. After Eliab, his eldest brother, had berated him, David asked,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:29

"What have I now done? Is there not a cause?"

What he's asking is,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:29

"Is there not a cause to fight?"

So in 1 Samuel chapter 17, let me show you what happens here. Skip down, if you would, please, to verse 38.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:38-39

"And Saul armed David with his armor and he put a helmet of brass upon his head and he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword about his armor, and he assayed to go, but he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them. And David put them off."

Illustration: Samuel Bridging the Gap

Samuel executed Agag when Saul disobeyed God's command. As a spiritual magistrate, Samuel fulfilled his duty, causing the elders of Bethlehem to tremble at his coming.

So I want you to look, if you would, in 1 Samuel chapter 3, at what is said concerning Samuel. 1 Samuel chapter 3. Look at this. Beginning there with verse 20, 1 Samuel 3, verse 20.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 3:20

"And all Israel, from Dan, even to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord."

bridging the gap from preacher to warrior. So I want you to look in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 32.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 15:32-33

"Then said Samuel, Bring hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said unto him, look at this, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal."

Now, look at verse 32.

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 15:32-33

"Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately."

Applications for Believers

Bridging the Gap

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	97251715852
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2025-08-31
Dictation Name
Book	Book 040: Church Order and Worship - Volume 2 — Chapter 32
Source Timed Segments	91

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Text: Reading of Ezekiel 22:30-31, where God seeks someone to stand in the gap but finds none, leading to judgment.
The Question: Submission vs. Fighting Evil: A brother asked how, in light of submission to God's providence, believers should rise up and fight against evil.
Biblical Command to Hate Evil: Scripture commands believers to hate evil (Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:14-15), and it is impossible to love God without hating what is contrary to Him.
The Nature of Biblical Hatred: David's 'perfect hatred' (Psalm 139:19-24) is lawful when directed at God's enemies, but believers must love their own enemies. Hatred of brethren is equated with murder (Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 3:14-15).
A Time to Hate: Ecclesiastes 3:8 teaches there is a time to hate. God is sovereign over hatred, as seen in Psalm 105:23-25, and He stirs up both love and hatred in His timing.
The Context of Ezekiel 22: The chapter describes the corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and people. God sought someone to stand in the gap and intercede, but found none.
Illustration: David Bridging the Gap: David was prepared by God through defending his father's sheep from a lion and a bear. He recognized the cause against Goliath and trusted God, not Saul's armor.
Illustration: Samuel Bridging the Gap: Samuel executed Agag when Saul disobeyed God's command. As a spiritual magistrate, Samuel fulfilled his duty, causing the elders of Bethlehem to tremble at his coming.
Applications for Believers: Believers must be prepared spiritually, mentally, and physically. Quiet preparation and obedience are essential; loud talkers rarely act. We must know God's Word and will to stand in the gap when called.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Submission to Providence Does Not Preclude Fighting Evil

While believers must submit to God's providence, there are times when God calls them to actively resist evil and stand in the gap.

The question from Warren Luke and the entire sermon's premise.

Hatred of Evil Is a Biblical Command

Scripture explicitly commands hatred of evil, and this hatred is consistent with love for God and good.

Psalm 97:10; Amos 5:14-15.

God Is Sovereign Over Times of Love and Hate

Ecclesiastes 3:8 and Psalm 105:25 show that God ordains seasons of hatred and uses even the wrath of man for His glory.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Psalm 105:23-25.

David's Preparation Was Providential

David's victory over Goliath was not spontaneous; God had trained him through defending sheep, teaching him to trust God alone.

1 Samuel 17:34-37; Psalm 144:1.

Samuel Acted as a Faithful Magistrate

Samuel executed Agag because Saul, the higher magistrate, failed to obey God; Samuel understood his duty under God's law.

1 Samuel 15:32-33; the concept of lesser magistrate.

Preparation Must Precede Action

Believers must be trained spiritually, mentally, and physically before crises; knowing God's Word and will is essential for righteous action.

Application section: 'If you do not know the will of God... it is too late.'

Quiet Faithfulness Is More Effective Than Boasting

Those who boast about fighting rarely do so; God uses the quiet, prepared, and submissive.

Quote: 'Beware the quiet man...'; contrast with Eliab.

The Church Has Lost Its Martial Spirit

Modern Christianity avoids themes of spiritual warfare and fighting, but Scripture calls believers to be soldiers.

Reference to Ephesians 6, 1 Timothy 6:12, and neglected hymns.

Scripture References

Ezekiel 22:30-31: God sought a man to stand in the gap but found none, so He poured out His wrath.
Psalm 97:10: Ye that love the Lord hate evil.
Amos 5:14-15: Hate the evil and love the good.
Psalm 139:19-24: David's perfect hatred of God's enemies.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: A time to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace.
Matthew 5:21-22: Anger without cause and insulting a brother is akin to murder.
1 John 3:14-15: Whoever hates his brother is a murderer.
Psalm 105:23-25: God turned the Egyptians' hearts to hate His people.
Ezekiel 22:23-29: Corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and people.
Psalm 144:1: God teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight.
1 Samuel 17:10: Goliath defies the armies of Israel.
1 Samuel 17:45: David comes in the name of the Lord of hosts.
1 Samuel 17:32-37: David recounts killing the lion and bear; Saul sends him to fight Goliath.
John 10:11-13: The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep; the hireling flees.
1 Samuel 17:29: David asks, 'Is there not a cause?'
1 Samuel 17:38-39: David refuses Saul's armor because he has not proved it.
1 Samuel 3:20: All Israel knew Samuel was established as a prophet.
1 Samuel 15:1-3: God commands Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites.
1 Samuel 15:7-9: Saul spares Agag and the best of the spoil.
1 Samuel 15:32-33: Samuel hews Agag in pieces before the Lord.

Historical References

Rudyard Kipling's poem 'The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon': Quoted to illustrate that hatred is not natural to the regenerate but arises when provoked, paralleling Ecclesiastes 3:8.
Matthew Poole's commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8: Poole notes a time to love when God stirs up affection; Weaver extends the principle to hatred.
Matthew Henry's commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8: Henry says there may come a time to hate when we see cause to break off familiarity.
Black Robed Regiment (American War for Independence): Reference to preachers who were fighters historically; encourages listeners to revisit his sermon on the topic.
Confederate Chaplains: Mentioned as another example of fighting preachers; Weaver has a sermon on this topic.
Matt Trella's booklet on the doctrine of the lesser magistrate: Recommended as a resource on the lesser magistrate doctrine.
ChristianWarriorTraining.com by Keith Graves: Recommended as a free resource reporting on attacks against churches and pastors.
Recent event: woman raped to death on church steps in Nashville by a Muslim man: Cited as an example of increasing danger and the need for preparedness.

Important Quotes

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.

The foundational text of the sermon, highlighting God's desire for someone to intercede and execute justice.

Ye that love the Lord hate evil.

Establishes the biblical command to hate evil as an expression of love for God.

Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.

David's example of lawful hatred directed at God's enemies, not personal foes.

A time to love, and a time to hate. A time of war, and a time of peace.

Shows that God ordains seasons for both love and hatred, war and peace.

Is there not a cause?

David's recognition that the blasphemy of God and danger to Israel warranted fighting.

As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

Samuel's execution of justice as a spiritual magistrate when Saul failed.

Beware the quiet man. For while others speak, he watches, and while others act, he plans, and when they finally rest, he strikes.

Emphasizes that true warriors are often quiet and prepared, not boastful.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How can we discern when God is calling us to 'stand in the gap' versus when we are to submit quietly to His providence?

[Context]

The central tension of the sermon: balancing submission with righteous action.

[Question]

In what ways does our culture discourage a biblical hatred of evil, and how can we cultivate a proper hatred without sinning?

[Context]

Discussion of Psalm 97:10 and the command to hate evil.

[Question]

What does David's preparation through the lion and bear teach us about how God trains us for future battles?

[Context]

David's testimony in 1 Samuel 17:34-37.

[Question]

How does the concept of the 'lesser magistrate' apply to Christians today in various spheres of authority?

[Context]

Samuel's execution of Agag as an example of lesser magistrate doctrine.

[Question]

Why do you think the elders of Bethlehem trembled at Samuel's coming, and what does that reveal about his reputation?

[Context]

1 Samuel 16:4-5; the fear of Samuel after he executed Agag.

[Question]

What practical steps can believers take to develop a 'warrior mentality' that is biblically grounded?

[Context]

Application section on preparation and mindset.

[Question]

How can we distinguish between righteous hatred of God's enemies and sinful hatred of our personal enemies?

[Context]

Discussion of Psalm 139 and Matthew 5:44.

[Question]

In what ways has the modern church lost its 'martial spirit,' and how can we recover it?

[Context]

Reference to neglected hymns and Ephesians 6.

Applications

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