JOB 1:9-10
So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 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."
Some years ago a group of educators decided to remove the chain-link fence from around their
school's playground. They believed the fence promoted feelings of confinement and restraint. But
then a curious thing happened.
They noticed that as soon as the fence was removed, the children huddled in the center of the
playground to play. Unknown to the "experts," the children had actually gained a sense of security
from the presence of the fence.
It was this same kind of security that Satan recognized in the life of Job. Figuratively speaking, God
had placed a hedge or fence around Job and all he possessed to protect him from evil. Job was
hemmed in on all sides by this hedge, but it was not a matter of constraint; it was a matter of security.
He could live confidently, knowing that nothing could reach him without first going through God's
hedge of protection.
Every believer today can have that same assurance. The Bible provides a first line of defense. The
commandments and exhortations that some people view as divine restrictions are really God's
protection plans.

Their purpose is to prevent us from engaging in behavior that will hurt us. In addition, even the
omnipotent hands of God are encircling our lives. No disaster or calamity can touch us without the
permissive will of our Heavenly Father. Only those things that God knows ultimately will prove to be
for our good are allowed to penetrate this divine hedge.
So, do not chafe against the restrictions God puts into your life. They are hedges for your security.
Rejoice that God has His arms underneath you (Deut. 33:27) and His hands behind, before and over
you (Ps. 139:5). You are totally encompassed by His hedge of protection. Inside God's hedge you are
safe!
GOD'S HEDGES ARE BUILT FOR PROTECTION, NOT IMPRISONMENT.
WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in