Job 1:10 (NKJV) Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
God builds a hedge of protection around His people because He is a loving and faithful God who watches over His covenant people. The devil cannot attack us if the hedge is intact, but if the devil finds a gap in the hedge, he can attack individuals through it.
1 Peter 5:8 describes the devil as a roaring lion who prowls around looking for someone devour, but the Book of Job reveals that he could not make any inroads into attacking Job because God had made a hedge of protection around Job, his family, and his possessions. Because God is the one who had blessed the work of Job’s hand, He was also protecting what Job had, and He was pleased with Job, describing him as a blameless and upright man, who feared God and shunned evil. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for his wife and children with respect to their lifestyles and walks before God, so the gap or the hole in the fence was found in the lives of Job’s children and his wife, who eventually died.
Isaiah 5:5 (NKJV) And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
In the Old Testament, the hedge would be lifted whenever the people of God sinned against Him intentionally or followed other gods, and it is not very different today. Because the people of Israel went into bigotry, idolatry, and practised injustice despite God’s abundant love and care, God permitted the pagan invaders to trample over the nation when the hedge of protection came down. If they were to walk and abide in the laws and statues of God, the curses and the attacks by their enemies wouldn’t have happened. God had told the Israelites in the Book of Deuteronomy to choose life by obeying His commandments, laws, and statues, so that they would enjoy His blessings, but if they rebelled against Him, curses, death would come upon them as the hedge of protection was lifted. Because the Mosaic covenant is a conditional covenant, and because God is just, righteous, and holy, man’s acts of sin or rebelliousness would cause a hole in the wall of protection, enabling the devil to make inroads to steal, kill and destroy them.
However, through the blood of Jesus, we are now operating in a new covenant which is everlasting and unconditional. Therefore, if we are aware of the enemy’s scheme against us or our family, we can prevent it by enforcing the victory of Jesus Christ through intercession. When we choose to stand in the gap between God and the onslaught of the devil, we are protecting our loved ones by shielding them from the fiery darts of the evil one.
Sermon Series: Partnering God in Prayer
当篱笆破裂时
约伯记1:10 你岂不是四面圈上篱笆围护他和他的家，并他一切所有的吗？他手所做的都蒙你赐福；他的家产也在地上增多。
神在他的百姓周围筑起保护的篱笆，因为祂是慈爱信实的神，看顾与祂立约的百姓。如果篱笆完好无损，魔鬼就无法攻击我们，但如果魔鬼在篱笆中找到一个缺口，牠就可以通过它攻击人。
彼得前书5:8将魔鬼描述为如同吼叫的狮子，四处游行，寻找可被吞吃的人，但约伯记揭示了牠无法攻击约伯，因为神已经在约伯、他的家人和他的家产周围筑起了一道保护的篱笆。神既赐福给约伯手所作的，也保护约伯所有的，又喜悦约伯，说他是完全正直的人，敬畏神，远离恶事。不幸的是，他的妻子和孩子们的生活方式和在神面前的行为却不是这样，所以在约伯的孩子和他妻子的生命中出现了篱笆上的破口或漏洞，他们最终死了。
以赛亚书5:5 现在我告诉你们，我要向我葡萄园怎样行：我必撤去篱笆，使它被吞灭，拆毁墙垣，使它被践踏。
在旧约中，每当神的子民故意得罪祂或追随别神时，篱笆就会被拆除，今天也没有太大的不同。因为以色列百姓不顾神丰盛的慈爱和看顾，陷入偏执，拜偶像，行不义的事，当神保护的篱笆倒塌时，神允许外邦的入侵者践踏这个国家。如果他们遵守神的律例和法度，敌人的诅咒和攻击就不会发生。神在申命记中告诉以色列人要遵守祂的诫命、律法和律例来选择生命，这样他们就可以蒙受祝福。但如果他们悖逆神，咒诅和死亡必临到他们，保护他们的篱笆必被拆毁。因为摩西之约是一个有条件的盟约，又因为神是公正，公义和圣洁的。人的罪或悖逆的行为，会使保护的篱笆或墙垣出现漏洞或破口，使魔鬼能侵入，来偷窃、杀害和毁坏他们。
然而，藉着耶稣基督的宝血，我们现在在一个永恒和无条件的新约中运作。因此，如果我们知道敌人对我们或我们家人的计谋，我们可以藉着代祷靠着耶稣基督的得胜来阻止它。当我们选择站在神与魔鬼攻击的破口之间时，我们是在保护我们所爱的人，保护他们免受那恶者的火箭的伤害。
讲章系列:在祷告中与神同工
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