HELEN SANDERS
5-21-2026
THE HEDGE AND THE SERPENT

Ecclesiastes, written by Solomon has much wisdom in its short twelve chapters. In Ecclesiastes 10:8 it says, “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.”

The hedge is a place of protection. It would be like a fortified wall. God puts a hedge around his children to protect them, but when sin comes, the hedge is broken. When this happens, the serpent, who is Satan, will strike.

Adam and Eve lost their protection when they listened to the serpent’s lies. They ate, and the protection was lifted resulting in their being banned from the Garden of Eden. Likewise, when we willfully practice sin, you can expect that hedge of protection to be broken. Our sin results in Satan going before God in the heavenly courtroom, accusing us of sin before God. He gains a legal right to “bite” us.

The hedge may be down through our sin, but the results of that hedge being broken may not be seen right away. It may not happen overnight. Satan is in for the long haul when it comes to destruction. He entices us to sin, and the protection lifts, but at the same time he lies and convinces us to follow his way instead of following God’s way. Eventually, those that have succumbed to his lies will be bitten by this enemy that has enticed them to sin.

Satan cannot do anything without legal authority. He may deceive us into thinking we have failed even when we haven’t. He is a liar and will do anything to “bite” us with or without permission. In order to keep God’s hedge of protection around us we must daily examine our hearts and our lives to make sure there is nothing that can be used against us by Satan. The only thing that will stop this serpent from biting us is for us to repent of our sin and choose to no longer do it. Any unconfessed sin breaks down the hedge. Repentance puts the hedge back up.

If you remember the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet you will realize how important it is to “wash” away our sin daily so there is no breach in our hedge of protection. It was customary when a guest came into a house to provide water to wash their feet. They did not have sidewalks or streets that were paved in those days. The roads were dirt, stones and often mud. When Jesus washed their feet, it was an illustration that showed the disciples that they would get their feet “muddy” through sin. In John 13:8 Peter did not want Jesus to wash his feet, but when Jesus told him that he would not be any part of him if he didn’t, he said in verse 9, “…not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”

Jesus knows we will get our feet “muddy” (sin). By confessing our sin daily, we are washed again. This keeps our hedge of protection up. Our hedge comes down when we sin, so it is a daily process since we still have an old nature that likes to control our lives. We crucify our flesh when we choose to go God’s way. How foolish it is to think we never fall short of the mark. How foolish to not confess our sin to God when we do sin. How foolish we are to think that our hedge of protection will be there no matter what we do. To keep Satan away, the hedge must stay up. It is the only way to keep the “serpent” from biting.