The Importance of Walls
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.”
Nehemiah 1:1–3
In ancient times, before airplanes and artillery, a city’s greatest defense against attacking invaders was the height and thickness of its walls. The walls that the great king Nebuchadnezzar had built around his capital city of Babylon were massive. The ancient Greek historian Herotodus said they were eighty feet thick and that chariot races were held on the top of the walls where everyone could watch the competitors from the city below. A city that had no walls had little hope of holding off an enemy army that came against them.
Though such walls no longer offer defense against modern military technology, they are a wonderful metaphor for the Christian life. We need guards and barriers to keep us safe from the attacks of the enemy. These walls are not primarily external, although the rules that God lays out for us to follow are vital, but rather internal. The greatest damage done to our lives and character comes from within. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
The old saying goes, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” This is just as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the physical realm. The devil doesn’t take days off. We must maintain our diligence and caution to avoid sin.
Nehemiah 1:1–3
In ancient times, before airplanes and artillery, a city’s greatest defense against attacking invaders was the height and thickness of its walls. The walls that the great king Nebuchadnezzar had built around his capital city of Babylon were massive. The ancient Greek historian Herotodus said they were eighty feet thick and that chariot races were held on the top of the walls where everyone could watch the competitors from the city below. A city that had no walls had little hope of holding off an enemy army that came against them.
Though such walls no longer offer defense against modern military technology, they are a wonderful metaphor for the Christian life. We need guards and barriers to keep us safe from the attacks of the enemy. These walls are not primarily external, although the rules that God lays out for us to follow are vital, but rather internal. The greatest damage done to our lives and character comes from within. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
The old saying goes, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” This is just as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the physical realm. The devil doesn’t take days off. We must maintain our diligence and caution to avoid sin.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Maintaining our purity and our testimony requires diligent and careful guarding of the walls of our heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment