Teach me Your way, O YHWH, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Psalm 27:11

Lead – When God leads, it’s all about fences. That doesn’t sound much like leading, does it? We think of leading as moving away from fences. “Don’t fence me in” and “Think outside the box” are the characteristics we seek in a leader. But we forget that God is interested in character, not competence. He sees fences as protection, not restriction. God leads into the areas of life that He has fenced because my character depends on paying attention to the boundaries. When we don’t pay attention to God’s fences, we soon discover that character is much harder to recover than it is to maintain.

The Hebrew verb here is nachah. While it is sometimes applied to human beings, it is almost always used in relation to God’s action. Everything God does is a lesson in leading. The consonants Nun-Chet-Hey paint the picture of “what comes from a fence around life.” Now that’s a fence worth having! God is the God of order. Order requires boundaries. God’s boundaries protect life. Living inside His fence assures me of His favor and His favor gives me life. Without fences, I am exposed to the chaos of an unordered world. Without fences anything can happen to me. Without fences I die.

Of course, God’s fences are described in the Torah. Because they are protective measure around life, these fences are never designed to restrict me from what I need to be full, satisfied and joyful. Quite the opposite! Without these boundaries, all the order that life requires slips away. This is the first lesson of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree was the boundary of ordered life. Crossing the boundary led directly to chaos, disorder and death. The Tree was there for protection, but the serpent convinced Havvah and Adam that the Tree was a restriction. Our progenitors tore down the fence that protected life. When they did, they opened the gate, allowing sin into the world (Romans 5:12). What was once outside the protective fence now had a way to get in.

The Eagles gave us just the lyrics we need when it comes to fences. Go ahead and listen. Then remember that God’s fences are the answer to every desperate life. And by the way, it’s OK if you need to cry.

Topical Index: fences, lead, nachah, Eagles, desperado, torah, Psalm 27:11