A Hedge of Protection

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“Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” Job‬ ‭1:10

God’s relationship with Job was a unique one and he was someone who was upright before God. God bragged about Job’s faithfulness to the adversary. “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Job‬ ‭1:8‬ The enemy commented on the hedge of protecting which God had placed around Job and the blessings which God had on Job’s life.

I notice from the text that the Devil needed God’s permission to touch Job and God allowed him to touch Job’s possession but his life the enemy could not take away. It is a controversial story, the one of Job’s because why would God cause him to be tested so greatly. I imagine that God knew that Job could handle it and he trusted that no matter what Job had lost, that he would continue to serve him.

This is why God not only restored what Job had, but restored twice as much as Job had before. Job 42:10 Most of us don’t want to be tried or tested in the way that Job was and many of us won’t experience that degree of testing. Nevertheless we experience trials in this life, but our assurance is that God has placed a hedge of protection around us.

As we stay in the presence of God, we abide under his shadow. God is our refuge and fortress and he will deliver and shelter us, so we do not fear the terror by night nor the arrow that flies by noon. We don’t fear pestilence or destruction because angels stand a guard around us. Psalm 91 paraphrased.

There is a hedge of protecting around you which the enemy need God’s permission to cross. Although God allowed Job’s affliction, the enemy could not destroy his life because God knew that once Job had been faithful that he would bless his latter years with far more than what he had before. Our assurance is that even if we experience tribulations, that God will preserve our lives and restore anything lost or stolen.

A.P.-Y.