Hedge = Fence

Sunday night our Youth Pastor used this verse:

He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. (Ecclesiastes 10:8 KJV)

I will admit that when we first read it, I wondered how a full sermon would come from that one verse – but he gave an excellent one!

No, I’m not going to repeat his sermon (thought some of this may be almost direct quotes, I’ll admit) but I want to look at where we see hedges in the Bible. The first verse that popped up was:

And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. (Mark 12:1 KJV)

No, again, I’m not going to take a deep look at the parable – just at that hedge. He set it around the vineyard for protection. That’s where you’ll find “hedge” used biblically. Satan used it to rail at God about Job:

Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. (Job 1:9-11 KJV)

Satan claimed God protected Job and that’s the only reason Job loved God. Job proved that was incorrect – absolutely incorrect! But the Bible also talks about hedges of thorns:

The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain. (Proverbs 15:19 KJV)

By his own choices, the slothful man could not break through the hedge of thorns to make headway.
Hedges were used then as we use fences now. We have cross fences on our acreage, with gates from one to another to move our tiny herd from one grazing pasture to another. While we direct their movements, it is for their protection, to give them what best to maintain their health. They still will reach as far as they can through a barbed wire fence to reach the grass they think might be better.

City people have fences, too – but they usually aren’t as prominent. Some are to corral a different kind of livestock than ours – dogs, and children. Both are within fences for their own protection – and often to protect others.

Edges = fences = protection. Now that you’ve thought about some of the fences you’ve seen in your life, consider the protection that God has provided in His word. What we see as “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not.” Why are they there?

God certainly does not need them, does He? We cannot harm Him, so He doesn’t need protection. They were written for mankind’s protection – but the majority of mankind ignores them. Genesis 2 gives us the first one that was broken, Leviticus contains a multitude but Jesus condensed the Law down to two.

How do we maintain the biblical protection God has provided? I hope to do better by spending time in His word, reading examples. Please, join me.