I read Francine River's book "Rahab" a few years ago. It gave an awesome depiction of the battle at Jericho. What I distinctly remember was the emphasis on the city walls. The city walls were also called the "Defensive Walls" and for good reason. They protected the city from any outside dangers and harm. If you wanted to conquer a city, you had to overcome the walls.
The walls around a city were tall and made of bricks and stones and mortar. They were meant to be unpenetrable. Men with weapons guarded the wall--and the city gate. The gate was the only place for outside forces to enter.
In order for Joshua to conquer the city, he had to first conquer the walls. And he did, didn't he? Well--God did. Joshua obeyed the Lord, and the walls fell down. And then there was a massacre of great magnitude. No protection was going to keep out the army that had one thing on its mind--VICTORY!
But here in Proverbs, we are told that the man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. How extremely vulnerable and weak. Worse than weak. What is weaker than weak? I can't seem to find a word for it.
We need city walls around our hearts and our minds. We need them! We need to keep the Enemy out and keep the goodness in. We ought to desire to be protected by the Lord on all sides. The only way in should be through the city gate.
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. John 10:9
When I am lacking self control, I am very weak to the sin and temptations around me. That weakness brings about a massacre of epic proportions. I can't afford that! Self-control isn't something I can muster up on my own. As I said in previous posts, it is a gift that come from the Lord. But it is a fruit of the spirit--a good gift. And the Father doesn't give his child a stone when he asks for bread. I need to plead for self control. And I also need to exercise it. It's like a muscle. The more I use it, the stronger it becomes.
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