It Begins with a Wall

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Years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Ken Ham speak at a home school conference. I had seen videos produced through Answers in Genesis, of which Mr. Ham is the CEO and founder, and I had been impressed with his teaching on creationism and the passion of his message. In particular, I will never forget a video he used in his presentations and workbooks. There was a picture of a wall, which represented Christianity, and evolutionists were shooting cannons at its foundations while the people on the wall shot back weak volleys. Ham presented the idea that if we allow the teaching of the world to corrupt the foundations of our faith (here, Genesis and God’s work of creation) and the wall erodes, it will eventually crumble. I thought of this tonight as I read over the first chapter of Jeremiah again and noticed where the attack against Jerusalem was to begin: the walls. Jeremiah 1:15 relates the coming attack on Jerusalem from “all the families of the kingdoms of the north” (NASB) who were to come and “set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah.”  Jerusalem (and consequently all of Judah) would not stand against this assault from the Babylonians, and it all began with the erosion of their faith in God, which led to them forsaking him and offering sacrifices to other gods and worshiping the works of their own hands instead of him (vs. 16).  If we do not hold firm to the truth, the walls of our faith will crumble about us. I find the contrast between the coming attack on the walls of Jerusalem and what God tells Jeremiah in verse 18 interesting: “Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land.” God strengthened the faith Jeremiah had and his willingness to obey and speak difficult things to a stubborn, rebellious people, and he uses the analogy of a city surrounded by walls. Just as God was Jeremiah’s wall, he can be ours, and there is no firmer foundation.

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