"Gap Fillers"

“GAP FILLERS”

Numbers 16:41-50

Numbers 16:48 reads “And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.”

A gap is a separation in space, an incomplete or deficient area, a break in continuity, the

lack of balance, a wide difference in character or attitude, a problem caused by some disparity.

Filler is a substance added to a product to increase bulk, weight, viscosity, capacity, or strength.

No doubt some of you during these past couple of weeks have placed a towel on the floor in front of your door. The space between the door and the floor is a gap, the towel you placed between there is the filler; the purpose was to bring continuity between the door and the floor so the strength of the heat inside of your house would increase.

I am talking about Gap Fillers!!!!!

There is a commercial on T.V. about a particular clothing store that says, “Fall into the Gap.” I would like to change it a little bit and ask the question “Can you stand in the Gap”? Look at someone and ask them this questions “Are you a Gap Filler”?

Gap filler is one that is able to stand in that cavity between the dead (the world) and the living (God). Often times we call it an intercessor one that prays and petitions for the favor of another. We find in the 48 verse that Aaron stood in this gap, between the dead and the living.

Let me give you a little history of what was going on and why we find Aaron standing in the gap between the dead and the living. Korah a Levite, and the 1st cousin of Moses and Aaron, along with Dathan and Abiram the chief men of the tribe of Reuben, (for those of you that are up on your Bible know that Reuben was the eldest son of Jacob and according to tradition should have received a double portion of the inheritance, from his father Israel, but God had another plan – don’t you know that What God has for you is for you) Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, developed an incorrect concept of God and became jealous of Moses and Aaron. Because of this incorrect concept of God they became prideful within themselves and boasted of their self-righteousness.

How many of you know that pride is the antithesis of God. No other sin is more despised by God than that of pride. Pride is self-reliance without God, a spirit that desires total independence from God. Pride cause contempt toward others, pride manifest itself in self-assertion and causes one to turn from worshiping God to worshiping self. In Greek Mythology we read about Narcissus, who looking into a fountain feel in love with the person he saw, thinking it was some kind of water nymph that desired to have him and when he felt rejected by the water nymph he which was his own reflection, committed suicide because he was unable to posses that which he saw and feel in love with. Because of their pride they boasted of their self and said in verse 3 “And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?” But what they failed to understand is that all are called, some are chosen, and others are appointed, they may have all been called, but they all were not appointed. All of us are called into the ministry of reconciliation but all of us are not appointed to be the pastor. Understand that every body in the church is not going to be a pastor, everybody in the church is not going to be a deacon, everybody in the church is not going to be a missionary, but whatever position God calls you to be in the church he qualifies you for that position. And you need to do that position with dignity and honor, praise and thanksgiving unto Lord. If you are the janitor every time you sweep the floor give God praise because someday you know you will go sweeping through the city.

Because of their incorrect concept they began to falsely accuse Moses and Aaron for taking honour for themselves and treating the people unfairly. However Moses being a man of God, appointed by God, to do the will of God was able to discern that the rebellion was not against Moses and Aaron, but against God because of the incorrect concept they had developed. They said that a great wrong had been done against them by bringing them out of Egypt, the land that flowed with milk and honey; they said that the intention was to kill them in the wilderness.