Fences

Fences are very important.

When you have livestock, they are a must.

We have a perimeter fence to mark where our property lies.

We have a tall fence around our garden.

Our chickens have a run which is entirely enclosed.

All these fences are not to keep our stock or veggies from going where we don’t want them, although that is important too.

They are to keep danger out.

Many wild animals would like a chicken, rabbit, lamb or goat dinner, not to mention those herbivores who would gladly decimate our vegetable garden.

Boundaries are important in more than just farmlife.

A playground sitting between a busy street and a large parking lot should have some boundary to keep the children safe.

Even in baseball there is a large fence to protect the fans from foul balls.

God understands the need for boundaries in our lives.

He gave us 10 of them.

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
Exodus 20:1‭-‬3‭, ‬7‭-‬8‭, ‬12‭-‬17 KJV

See also:
Deuteronomy 5:6‭-‬21 KJV

He also gave us the entirety of scripture to teach us our need for Him to help us apply His boundaries, understanding that we easily misinterpret His Word.

For we cannot follow these Ten Commandments without Him, as the Old Testament clearly reveals.

But for those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus, He grants us forgiveness of sins and insight into His design for our lives.

For it is through the leading of the Holy Spirit that we can first realize the importance of His boundaries and secondly, learn to walk within the safety they provide.

Thus, we should acknowledge that which our rebellious flesh would label as “hindering us” is in reality that which is designed to help us.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You specifically for Your boundaries in my life. Lord, as I continue in this journey, I thank You for all Your faithful teaching and I look forward to what You have for me in today. Lord, please continue to open my mind to understanding Your Word and the boundaries You have set that I might be saved from the dangers of sin and the rebellion of my own flesh. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your protection. I love You, Jesus. Amen.

Shepherd

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6

Anyone who has raised sheep can tell you they “stray” a good deal.

Many a time, as a youth, my frustration over the wandering of the flock would cost me hours of fence repair and regrouping the animals.

When a sheep is wandering outside the protection of the fence, they rarely understand their danger.

Instead it is when the shepherd or caretaker shows up that they seem to suddenly panic over their wandering and will bolt for places unknown.

They can literally run themselves to death or fall and cast themselves which also leads to death, if left in that position.

But did this state of alarm hit them as they wandered through the hole in their protection?

No.

It came when they were face to face with the one who put the protection in place.

The one who actually cares for them and understands all the dangers they do not.

Does this wayward sheep call to the shepherd, or follow them back to their safety?

No.

They bolt.

As fast as their short skinny legs will carry them.

They will blindly flee straight into a dead end and then once at the end will dash madly back and forth, back and forth, all because they left the safety of the fence.

The protection set around a grassy area, supplied with fresh water, and normally cover, all set up for their care.

Do you see yourself in the wayward sheep?

I certainly can see myself.

I can tell you that a good shepherd never ignores the wayward sheep.

Instead they follow and do whatever is necessary to return the sheep to the safety of the fence.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd.

And He laid down His life for the sheep!

All this knowledge helps me to better understand how I need to handle my walk with the Lord Jesus.

Not to be unaware of the protection He placed in my life through His Holy Word.

To learn not to panic when confronted with an area of my life where I have strayed, but to instead humbly confess and seek the security of the protection and the way back to it by following the Good Shepherd.

To realize I will never completely understand all that goes on, but I can always trust the Good Shepherd.

He really has my best at heart.

As a person who has raised these animals I can tell you, there is only one kind of sheep which does not follow the average behavior.

It’s the one which has been hand-raised.

Whether by illness or some sort of loss, the lamb was raised, not by another sheep, but by the Shepherd alone.

Those are the only ones who will come when they are called.

Will seek the Shepherd when lost.

The ones who will bleat pleadingly when the Shepherd comes into sight.

That’s the kind of sheep I want to be.

Fences

Spending time
running after animals
that have broken down
a fence
and taken to the hills,
isn’t
pleasant.

Working in the pouring rain
repairing a broken
fence
isn’t
exactly an exciting
experience.

Spending every weekend
digging holes
pounding fence posts
and stringing
wire
isn’t
unusual for those who
live in the country
and raise animals.

So fences are not a bad thing.

In fact when chasing a stray
a fence is your best friend,
right next to the herding dog.

Why does the farmer spend so much time on fences?

To keep the animals in safety.

Out in the open or up on the mountain they are much easier prey for any wildlife that hunts and eats other animals.

So true for us as well.

We have fences in our lives and they are to protect us.

Speed limits, property markers, fire laws…

all set to keep us safe.

Yet how often do we fail to place fences for ourselves?

How easy it is to ignore that soft “I shouldn’t do this” and shove our nose right through the fence.

To be diligent with our words.

To be timely with our promises.

To be self disciplined with our choices.

All require a type of fence  to help us stay within the boundaries.

Why live with fences at all?

We are free to live and let live.

Well, as farm life taught me when I was young, living outside the fence is dangerous.

It all may seem to go well for a while but sooner or later…the ones outside the fence become prey.

For people they become prey to addictions, abuse, and often worse.

But God loves us and doesn’t want these things for any one.

The Bible warns us of the pain that comes from serving other things. 

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding,  that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep your selves from idols. Amen.”
1 John 5:20-21