Between the Hedges

Ecclesiastes 10:8b, “and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.”

Most Georgia football fans have heard the line “between the hedges.” These are beautiful hedges that are grown around the football field hence the term “between the hedges.” That is NOT the type of hedge our verse is describing. The hedge mentioned is a hedge constructed of stones, rocks, and a hardened clay acting as mortar. Sometimes the builder of the hedge would add wood from felled. Large pieces not used in building sheds, like tree trunks, would be woven among the stones and clay for girth. The hedge would be for protection, to limit access of potential thieves, robbers or worse. The hedge served as a boundary. Inside the hedged field was security for the livestock and those living on the land but if the hedge was breached trouble was close by. The height would vary according the plan of the owner. The hedge wouldn’t have been pristine at all. It would have been roughly put together. The landowner was looking for security, not beauty, when he built. Holes and crevices would be dotted all along the hedge row offering small animals and serpents places to hide. That is the picture of our proverb.

God’s hedges are all around us. A beautiful passage from which we ought to take comfort is found in Job 1:9-10. “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.” What type of hedges has God placed around us?
1. The Hedge of His Word. I recently finished a series on Sunday mornings which I titled “God’s Big Ten.” Each week for ten straight weeks I took one of the commandments God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai and preached a message about that particular commandment. Why did God give these commandments? To protect His people and make them different than the godless. Deut. 28:1 was a promise to Israel that if they would obey, stay inside the hedge, He would “set them high above all the nations of the earth.” But He followed up with a warning which could also be considered a promise. 28:15 God told them that” if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God all these curses shall come upon you.” If you remember your Old Testament history that is exactly what happened to Israel. They broke down the hedges and the serpent of Babylon was there to bite. Let’s stay within the hedge of the Word of God. Living life outside those principles, commands and precepts is a recipe for disaster.
2. The Hedge of a godly Home. One of the best-known stories in the Gospels is that of the prodigal son. It is found in Luke 15. Over the years, I have preached from this story several times from several viewpoints. One constant in the story is that the prodigal broke through the hedge of his father’s protection. He thought he had everything planned and the good time he would have with worldly pleasures. He thought he had the world by tail when all he ended with was being bitten by the serpent of sin. Every Christian wasn’t raised in a godly home. Often those that met the Lord outside a Christian home are envious of those that were. But there are also children raised by godly parents that walk away from the paths of righteousness only to find themselves bitten time and time again by sin. Whether raised in a godly home or not we all must remember that the wages of sin is still death. (Romans 6:23).
3. The Hedge of a Conscience. When God created man, part of that creation was to place inside a person a conscience. It is like a radar that dings when things don’t quite seem right. It is like flashing lights at a railroad crossing. It is innate and the Lord thought it good to include in the creation. Some things you just know you ought to do. Some things you just know you ought not do. That’s the conscience. When you and I break through that hedge called conscience, we soon will be bitten.
God has placed hedges around us for our good, not to keep us from having a good time. Sadly, some do adhere to that teaching. We buy into the world’s lies that if we’ll just come along with them we’ll have the time of our life. The late, great, Evangelist, R.G. Lee would often say, “All the devil’s diamonds are glass, and all the devil’s apples have worms.” Wise people look at the hedge and think “I like the hedge. The hedge is good for me.” The fool says “I know best. I’ll tear down the hedge, it isn’t needed at least for me and my life.” The fool doesn’t even realize that as he reaches to remove one of the stones of the hedge, a poisonous serpent is already coiled to strike.