Hedge of Protection

According to spiritual warfare experts, uttering the phrase “hedge of thorns” in faith provides some protection to those who use them.

They claim that by repeating this phrase, we can keep Satan out or at least prevent him from interfering with our lives. However, it must be repeated continuously to ensure that the protective cover remains in place.

In order to support this view, two passages of Scripture are used (Hosea 2:6 and Job 1:8-10) however, as we will see, both of these verses have been completely removed from their context.

Let’s look at these verses separately;

Hosea 2:6 (NKJV)

“Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, And wall her in, So that she cannot find her paths.

Many spiritual warfare experts only quote the first half of the verse that ends with thorns, but if we read the entire verse, it clearly does not fit within the context of “protection.”

Hosea was a prophet who was called to pronounce judgement on the nation. His wife committed adultery against Him which was used as an analogy to reflect the heart of the nation Israel towards God (sinning in their idolatry and violation of the covenant with God).

A major theme throughout the passage is that of marriage, adultery, covenant, punishment, as well as Hosea’s spiritual unfaithfulness.

So in Hosea 2:6, God says that He is about to hedge up the ways of the nation by placing painful punishments on the right and left so that at any time the nation pursued their lovers (idols) they would run up against those thorns ~ causing pain.

Here are some of the consequences of the “thorns” in the surrounding verses:

• Hosea 2:3 ~ they would be naked and exposed in the wilderness
• Hosea 2:4 ~ they would be slayed with thirst with no compassion
• Hosea 2:9 ~ He would remove their provision of grain at harvest, including wool and flax.
• Hosea 2:10 ~ would prevent anyone from rescuing them from situation.
• Hosea 2:11 ~ end to all their happiness / festivals.
• Hosea 2:12 ~ destroy their wine & fig trees.
• Hosea 2:13 ~ punished for worshipping Baal.

Hence, if we examine the hedge from a broader perspective, it is actually a punishment for unfaithfulness on the nation’s part. The circle isn’t a protection or a blessing, but rather a circle of punishment for the nation (like hedges of thorns) to keep it from going wrong, so that when the nations pursued idols, God would punish them with pain so that they would turn back to God and return.

Another verse that makes reference to the Hedge is from the book of Job:

Job 1:8-10 (NKJV)

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

Is this verse sufficient to support the teachings of the “hedge of protection”?

First of all, Job 1 is not a manual on spiritual warfare. Secondly, we must ask what kind of prayers should we pray to create or maintain this hedge (in the case of Job it was already in place – God had to remove it).

There is no doubt that the hedge is simply an analogy of God’s sovereign protection of Job, rather than our ability to erect hedges on our own.

But what is the harm in praying for hedges? While there might not be any harm, yet what good does it do? We should definitely pray for protection and it is also biblical to do so. However, there is no need to make prayer into a magical or mystical thing that somehow creates a spiritual reality in the heavenly realms.

God does not need us to say specific words to protect us and most importantly, if God sovereignly decides to protect you then satan cannot do anything.