In Defense of Fences
- 21 hours ago
- 5 min read
Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors. (Proverbs 22:28 NIV).
Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall” describes a conversation between two neighbors as they repair the stone fence that separates their properties. One questions whether the wall is even necessary, as it tends to hinder relationships and create distance. “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down,” he says. In response, the other man emphasizes the positive aspects of the boundary line. “Good fences make good neighbors,” he preaches. The poem encourages us to reflect on the walls we build and the boundary lines we enforce.
When you think of the wall currently being built along our Mexican border, you realize that Frost’s poem is more than a philosophical abstraction! President Trump believes the wall is a “good” thing, necessary for national security. “If you don’t have borders, then you don’t have a country,” he argues. Those who oppose the wall insist that it violates human rights, harms the environment, and is an ugly expression of American nationalism. Many of these people dream of a world that has no borders at all.
You will be happy to know that my intent in this blog is not to enter the current political debate. My intent, rather, is to explore a deeper question, one that impacts virtually every area of life (including Trump's border wall!). I want to know what God thinks about walls! How does he feel about boundary lines that define who is “in” and who is “out”. As I have examined Scripture, I have discovered that walls are a prerequisite for healthy relationships, mental sanity, and personal holiness. Whether we are talking about literal boundaries (walls, fences, barriers, etc.) or metaphorical ones (laws, social traditions, emotional boundaries, etc.), the Bible has a lot to say on this important subject.
The opening chapters of Genesis suggest that there was a boundary line or wall around the Garden of Eden. It was called a “garden” to distinguish it from the chaotic wilderness outside. When Adam and Eve were kicked out, a barrier, built and maintained by God himself, made it impossible for them to re-enter the garden. (see Gen. 3:24).
When God drew up the blueprints for the Tabernacle, he made sure that a fence surrounded the entire structure. To enter the precincts, you had to go through the single door that was provided (see Ex. 27:9-19; 38:9-20). The fence was a sort of divine object lesson to teach God’s people the distinction between that which was holy and that which was not.
Jerusalem, the City of God, is always described in Scripture as having walls. Her greatest moment of shame was when her walls were destroyed (see II Chron. 36:19).
The prophet Zechariah spoke of a blessed future day when Jerusalem would outgrow her borders and be a city “without walls”. But he was quick to reassure the people that God himself would be “a wall of fire” surrounding them. (see Zech. 2:4-5). The book of Revelation surprises us by explaining that the heavenly Jerusalem will have walls too! Although all God’s enemies have been vanquished, the walls of the city continue to be perhaps her most prominent feature. They are made of jasper, great and tall, containing twelve gates, each made of a single pearl. And these gates are never shut! People are free to come and go as they please. The wall remains, but it is permeable. (see Rev. 21:10-25). Those who refuse to follow the Lamb will remain excluded forever, by their own choice. “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” (Rev. 22:15).
The Bible also tells us that borders are needed to designate private property. Like the men in Robert Frost’s poem mending their fence, boundary lines (even if they are invisible) are needed to clarify where one person’s responsibility ends and another’s begins. (see Deut. 19:14; etc.).
God’s moral law can also be understood as a kind of metaphorical fence, or boundary, defining right and wrong, clean and unclean, holy and common. The law tells us those behaviors that God deems to be “in bounds” and those that are not. Imagining a football game where the yard lines and boundary lines have been erased helps us to understand what life is like for those who tear down the moral fence that God has established. When the boundary between good and evil is unclear or non-existent, chaos and anarchy come in like a flood.
A century ago, G. K. Chesterton wrote a famous essay in which he lamented that people were trying to redefine marriage in Great Britain. He proposed what some have called “The Fence Principle”: Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place (see The Drift from Domesticity, 1929). Whether we are talking about morality, gender, economics, or worship, The Fence Principle urges us to move slowly when it comes to changing the rules. To remove a boundary line without knowing why it was erected is not the pathway to freedom, but to chaos.
There is at least one occasion in Scripture when a wall is a bad thing and God wants us to tear it down. Paul describes how the gospel has abolished the racist attitudes of prejudice and hatred that exist between Jews and Gentiles by saying that God has broken down “the wall of hostility” between them and made peace. (Eph. 2:14-15 NLT). Yes, when a wall or boundary promotes injustice, prejudice, hatred, and division, we do God’s work when we labor to tear it down.
Conclusion
So, is Trump’s wall a good thing or a bad thing? I’ll leave you to answer that question for yourself (and please don’t use the response button below to express your political opinion!). But politics aside, I really would like to know how you respond when you find yourself facing a wall? Life just doesn’t work as it should until you learn how to answer this question. Whether the boundary marker is literal (property lines, national borders, etc.) or metaphorical (God’s moral law, human traditions, etc.), how do you react? As we look at the big picture of what Scripture teaches us about walls, I find three powerful applications that desperately need to be followed in our day.
Oh, and by the way: whatever you do, don’t sit on the fence!