Breaking the Hedge
"He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him." — Ecclesiastes 10:8
The Verse That Explains the Mechanism
"He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him." (Ecclesiastes 10:8)
Two images, both about consequences that follow structurally rather than by accident.
Normally, believers are hedged about so that demons cannot get into them. Job was hedged — his adversary said so explicitly: "Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?" (Job 1:10)
Non-believers are also protected to a degree, in that God does not permit their free will to be violated.
So in both cases, an opening must be made in the protective hedge before anything can get in.
That is what breaking the hedge means. And note who breaks it. Not the serpent. The person who breaks it.
Doorways
"Sin breaks a hole in the protective hedge, many times allowing a demon to actually enter into the person committing the sin. I call such holes doorways."
Throughout Scripture, demons are referred to as serpents and scorpions. Jesus Himself used that language:
"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." (Luke 10:19)
So Ecclesiastes 10:8 reads with unsettling precision: break the hedge, and a serpent bites.
The Scriptures Are Plain
Any dealing with the enemy opens a doorway for the inflow of his power, or for infestation.
"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:31)
Note the phrase to be defiled by them. God gives the reason for the prohibition in the prohibition itself.
And here is a sobering observation: though hard-core practitioners of the occult are strong and growing, they are a mere handful compared to the vast numbers held in bondage through peripheral involvement — the casual, the curious, the one-time, the harmless-seeming.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6)
Why This Matters For Evangelism
There is a second reason to understand doorways, beyond your own protection.
Many people cannot accept Christ when He is presented to them, because their will and mind are literally bound through a doorway opened in their lives — currently or in the past.
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Corinthians 4:3–4)
Their minds are blinded. Their wills are bound. They may be able to repeat back to you exactly what you said and still be unable to understand it, and unable to will to accept Christ.
That changes how you evangelize, and the final lessons of this study will deal with what to do about it.
Point to Ponder
Note who breaks the hedge in the verse. Not the serpent. The person who breaks it.
Verse to Remember
"He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him." — Ecclesiastes 10:8
Question to Consider
Where have I made an opening in my own hedge?
Today's Practice
Prepare for the lessons ahead by asking one question and writing down whatever comes.
Get somewhere quiet and pray:
"Holy Spirit, You were present for every day of my life, including the days I cannot remember. Show me every place where a doorway was opened — by me, or over me, or in ignorance. Bring it to my remembrance. I am willing to see all of it."
Then be still and write. Do not evaluate, defend, or dismiss anything that surfaces. Do not decide yet whether it counts.
Include things from childhood. Include things you were told were harmless. Include things everyone around you was doing at the time.
Keep this page. The next lessons will work through specific categories, and you will want to add to it as you go.
Prayer
Father, You hedged me about, and where I am exposed it is because something made an opening.
I am asking You to show me where.
Holy Spirit, You were there for all of it — for the things I did knowingly, the things I did in curiosity, the things done over me before I could refuse, and the things I have forgotten entirely.
Bring them to my remembrance. I am not asking so that I can feel condemned. I am asking so that I can close them.
And where my mind has been blinded so that I could not see something clearly, unblind it.
Show me the truth about my own life. I am willing to see all of it. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The vast majority in bondage are not hard-core practitioners. They are the casual, the curious, and the one-time.