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Some years ago, a teenage boy awoke in the middle of the night to a tragedy. His parents told him that a storm had damaged their fence and his horse had wandered onto the road. The horse was hit by a passing car. Both the driver and the horse were killed. Lives were devastated.
As long as the horse had been confined to the pasture, he had freedom to roam. But when he escaped, he and others were in great danger.
We all have fences in our lives. A physical fence secures a pool when a lifeguard is not on duty. A playpen keeps a baby safe and teaches him or her to play within limits. The laws of our land are a figurative fence, as are filters on the internet. A fence is a barrier; it makes a separation. There is safety on one side and danger on the other.
We don’t always recognize the danger. Sometimes we are even attracted to it. By nature, we don’t want to be restricted. We want freedom to roam as we please. We don’t like fences.
God’s law is a fence. When we were rebels, we told God, “I can make my own decisions.” Proverbs 25:28 described us: “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls” (KJV throughout). We thought we were strong and independent, but really we were weak and held captive by our own whims. We were slaves to sin.
But when the Holy Spirit convicted us, we saw our sins and how greatly we had offended God. Our eyes were opened to see the danger we were in. We were moved to repent and believe on Jesus Christ. We bowed to Him as Lord of our lives, and now we welcome His law to guide us. In fact, we say, “O how love I thy law!” (Ps. 119:97).
There was a time when a barrier kept us from readily approaching God. It wasn’t a fence; it was a curtain. But when Christ died on the cross, that “middle wall of partition” tore from top to bottom (Eph. 2:14). Since that moment, the ceremonial laws are abolished. The gospel is open to gentiles as well as Jews, and the way was opened for us to approach the throne of grace by faith, through Jesus’ blood.
If we are one of His sheep, we are safe in the fold. We are free to serve God alone instead of other gods. We are free to have no idols. We are free to speak honorably of God and not take His name in vain. We are free to worship God on the Lord’s Day. We are free to honor our parents and those in authority over us. We are free to live in harmony with our family and friends and not kill, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet. We are free to love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Are you free?