Building a Wall, and What the Bible Says About it
Over the last couple of years, we've heard a lot about a wall being built on our Southern Border here in the U.S.
There are many who support this initiative, and many who don't.
The bible has a lot to say about walls around nations. So I thought it would be interesting to study this out.
The Bible itself contains different implications for walls, but for the sake of keeping this study short/er, I'm going to focus on "City and Nation walls," as being a part of a Nation's defense, and protection.
As the people were being led through the wilderness by Moses, they traveled through several different cities. They spoke of "great walls," around Nations as a deterrent, and those walls were part of their concern that they would not be able to overtake the land. Here's one example:
" And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.'Deuteronomy 1:27-28
Of course, we know that no wall can stop God's plans, and over and over again, the same Hebrew people had seen God's mighty hand at work, yet they still did not trust Him.
In order to defeat the city of Jericho, a wall had to be knocked down.
"And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him."Joshua 6:5
"So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city."Joshua 6:20
A Wall Restored
During the time of Ezra, the people had gone into captivity, and the walls of the cities were broken down.
"Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem."Ezra 9:7-9
"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 1:3
There was rule given to Israel about what would happen if they fell into sin and rejected and ignored God's word. If the people were unfaithful:
"The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low."Deuteronomy 28:43
If the people were faithful:
"And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:"Deuteronomy 28:13
In the example in the book of Ezra, God had shown the people mercy, and the walls that had been destroyed, were being rebuilt, and Israel was once again restored.
Stability and Protection
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem."Psalms 51:17
"In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks."Isaiah 26:1
Walls that are taken down in the scriptures, symbolizes a lack of protection as a nation turns from God:
Even the "Hedge of Protection," that God puts around us is strong and sure for the faithful, but even in slothfulness, the wall comes down.
"I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down."Proverbs 24:30-31
"What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 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:" Isaiah 5:5-6
"For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains."Isaiah 22:5
The Walls Were so Important that God set Watchmen on them, to Keep anything that Would Bring Corruption.
"I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, I And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness."Isaiah 62:6-9
Faithful Nations are under God's protection, and God's word tells us what happens in nations that turn from Him.
"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: Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.'Deuteronomy 28:1-3 (The book of Duet 28 goes much more into detail in these things.)
There's no question that the U.S.A has been a very blessed nation, but signs of a nation that has fallen away are present now.
"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:"Deuteronomy 28:15
"The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth."Deuteronomy 28:25
Even the Kingdom of Heaven has a wall
"And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;"Revelation 21:12
In the scriptures, walls of protection were always tied to times of faithfulness within Israel, and walls that fell were always a sign of rebellion to God, and wickedness within a nation.
I encourage anyone who reads this article to read Duet 28, and Leviticus 26, because both chapters go into detail about faithful nations and unfaithful nations.
Of course, the subject of "walls," goes much more indepth within the scriptures. It's a worthwhile subject to study out.
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