GOD’S PROTECTIVE WALL OF FIRE

“For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a WALL of FIRE all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst’” – Zechariah 2:5

There is a dimension of Divine Protection referred to as GOD’S PROTECTIVE WALL of FIRE: ““For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a WALL of FIRE all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst’” (Zech.2:5). God is a Wall of Fire without and the Glory within us! Zechariah 2 relays a vision of a man with a measuring line in his hand, showing that the Lord was ready to build and restore the city of Jerusalem and the temple. However, the people met with two great discouragements – danger and scorn. By His gracious promise, the Lord fortified them against the fear of both. He promised to be their protection against the fear of danger; and to be their glory, against the fear of scorn. The Lord is to His people whatever good they desire.

God says: I “will be a wall of fire all around her” (v.5a). In other words, “Her safety shall consist in My defense. I shall be as fire about her. No matter how near enemies might press in upon her, they shall not be permitted to touch her.” For the Church – God’s Temple, this promise infers three things: a wall of partition, to separate the Church from the world; a wall of conjunction, uniting the parts together in one common interest; and a wall of protection and defence. God’s protection around His people, like that of a wall is: near, real, adequate, and impregnable. Like a walled city, the Church is God’s property, His rest, and His peculiar treasure. It is thus the height of folly for a person or group of people to dare to attack His Church; it is like briars contending with flames! We need no carnal wisdom for protection. Our defence is sure in God!

God’s wall of protection is actual and real, not imaginary or symbolic. Even the devil knows and referred to this concerning Job: “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?” (Job 1:10a). Some writers interpret the image of a wall as a metaphor taken from ancient travellers who kindled fires about their tents, to keep off lions, and other beasts of prey. Lions particularly, were known to be exceedingly terrified by fire. It was therefore a common custom to light fires in the night, to preserve from lions. The devil is “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he many devour” (1Pet.5:8). God’s fire will keep the lion at bay and consume him if he dares trespass!

With God as our protective wall of fire, we do not want any other walls. He as a fiery wall terrifies and destroys all enemies – our God is a consuming fire (Heb.12:29). God’s angels attend to us from His fiery wall: “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Psa.34:7). His power eternally circumscribes us: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever” (Psa.125:2). God is all that we need, and do not find anywhere else. Having Him, we require nothing else. Strangely, the lives of many believers do not seem to align with this truth of God being our all-sufficiency! It’s time to cast all self-confidences down, and rest ourselves on Him alone. The Lord surrounds His people as a hedge; as mountains; and as a guard of fire, against wild beasts.

Although Zechariah’s prophecy specifically referred to the defence of Jerusalem, the same principles can apply to whatever or whoever God is committed to protecting. God protected three things: the temple, the people’s habitations, and the people themselves. God, as our Wall of Fire manifests essentially in the context of Salvation: “We have a strong city; SALVATION shall God appoint for walls and bulwarks” (Isa.26:1); “you will call your walls salvation and your gates praise” (Isa.60:18).

Beloved, if you’re saved by faith in Christ’s finished work, then: God is a wall of fire around you, and the glory within you!