hedge trimmers

Job 1:9-10 King James Version (KJV)

9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 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.

The term "build up a hedge" about (x)" is used a lot in Christian circles. It is usually couched as a prayer of protection. Asking God to put a fence around us or someone so as to protect them (us) from the attack of the devil and his demons. 

Here in Job 1, we find that God will do just that. The devil wanted Job, but he could not get through the hedge of protection that God had placed around him. And we should all rejoice, that are born again of the water and the spirit, that the Lord does protect us. The enemy cannot just attack us without the Lord's permission.  

However, this leads to some questions, doesn't it? 

If God has a hedge around us, why do we go through hard times? 

We know that Job was very wealthy before the Lord lowered his hedge in limited fashions. Because the Lord agreed to lower the hedge, Job lost his kids, his wealth, and his health. 

We also know that it was for a limited time. After Job learned what he needed to learn, the Lord restored unto Job 7 times what he had lost. Great ending! But a horrible struggle until the Lord replaced the hedges he had around Job. 

But, are there things we can do to lose our hedge of protection? 

Job was a righteous man in the eyes of God. Why did God allow this to happen?

First, to test Job and prove his relationship with God was solid. God already knew the answer, but Job needed to know the answer for himself. It's easy to trust God when things are going well, but it's not until we find the "gold tried in the fire" within ourselves that we truly know we are on solid ground with God. 

However, a careful study of Job 1 reveals one disturbing thing in Job's life:

Job 1:4-5 King James Version (KJV)

4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Apparently, Job was in the habit of trying to live for God FOR his kids. His kids got together for a party. It's telling that Job wasn't invited and wasn't there. What kind of goings-on were involved in his children's little gathering? Job's prayer reveals that he prayed for them in case they had sinned! Apparently, there were things they did at these parties that God would not be pleased with! 

I believe that it was because of this tendency to try and act as a go-between for his kids to God that actually opened the door for God to allow Satan's attack. 

Ecclesiastes 10:8

He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

When we engage in actions (or dwell on sinful things in our minds and hearts) that are contrary to God and his word, we are actually removing some of our hedge of protection- and things will get through and hurt us. God allows this in order that we can learn from it, repent of our sins, and he can then rebuild the areas that we've torn down. 

Remember Moses warning to the children of Israel: 

Deuteronomy 28 King James Version (KJV)

28 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

We, like Israel of old, are given a choice: Obey God and be blessed and protected. Disobey God and be cursed and lose our protection. If we keep disobeying:

Isaiah 5:5

And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

If we do not repent, however, after however many attacks we've endured due to our sinful tearing down of our hedges, then God truly brings out the big guns: He will absolutely tear the rest of our hedges down. This opens us up to even more traumatic and even deadly attacks. 

It's not that he's totally given upon us. Rather, he's taking a spiritual switch to our spiritual backsides. He's giving us a good blistering! Why? So that we might come to the end of ourselves and repent. That way, he can cleanse us, restore us to right relationship, and rebuild the hedge around us. 

But, if we do not repent, God tries one more thing. He looks for someone else that will pray on our behalf that God would intervene in our lives before it's too late. 

This is why intercessory prayer is so important. We pray for the sick and the lost. But, we also pray for the saved that are on the verge of being lost. 

But, in this case, we are the ones in need of prayer. When noone responds in prayer for us, though:

Ezekiel 22:30-31 King James Version (KJV)

30 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.

31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God

Then, God has no choice but to bring full-scale judgment against us. And this judgment can destroy us, leaving us forever lost. 

But, they cannot gloat when we are judged. The next one in need of intercessory prayer just might be them!.