Beautiful Words Blog | Walls: They Get a Bum Wrap by John Moropoulos | Gateway Christian Fellowship

Walls get a bum wrap, especially from Christians.  I can’t say how many times I’ve heard stuff like, “there are too many walls between Christians” or “too many walls between churches.”  Like the walls themselves are the problem.

So, for the record, walls are not bad.  In fact, they can be blessed and a blessing.  In David’s Psalm 51, one of the most loved of the Psalms, we read, By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.  David prayed that God, in His goodness, would build up the walls of Jerusalem. Evidently, David saw an upside to walls.

Walls are good. They protect, they strengthen, they define. In some cases, they are an absolute necessity.

In the case of Psalm 51, the walls David was concerned about were the walls that surrounded his city, his beloved Jerusalem. So why did David want the walls of Jerusalem to be built up by God Himself?

The first part of the answer is obvious.  The walls that surrounded Jerusalem protected the city. Any invader or trespasser would have to first deal with the walls before doing any harm to the city or its inhabitants.  And not just the walls.  The walls that went around Jerusalem were flat on top, giving the city’s defenders a good platform from which to fight off the enemy. The walls not only defended the city, but they also made it defensible.

The walls also strengthened the city. The sturdy outer walls were actually incorporated into the inner structures of the city. Shops, apartments, storage facilities, and other structures were built into the city wall, lining the inside of the walls. These added strength and stability to both the wall and the inner buildings.

The walls did something else, something that we may not think of. The walls defined the city. If an archaeologist wants to know how big a city was, they look for the walls. If they want to know how far “up this hill” the city went, the ruins of the city walls will answer the question for them.  If one is curious about where the city fathers felt they were most vulnerable, one only needs to look at the walls.  This, more than anything else, may explain why the people of antiquity often defined their cities by the walls that surrounded them.

Even in our own homes and churches, walls provide security, strength, and identity. To this end, we build and care for our homes. We want the characteristics of security, strength, and our identity to be found in the place we live, where we call home.

As for those who object to walls, who think walls are something to be done away with regardless of their value, there is an answer. And just to give credit where it’s due, this is from my wife.  If walls are causing problems, install doors.