Are You Building Walls or Bridges?

Sometimes we struggle with the more brutal passages of the Hebrew Bible. For example, when the Israelites conquer the Promised Land, there are many bloody battles, including the taking of the city of Jericho. Joshua 6:21 reports that the victors “devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.”

Although we may cringe at these events that seem to be sanctioned by God, but we can learn something from the mindset of the citizens of Jericho. When the men who Joshua sent to spy out the land arrived at Jericho, they found a great walled city. A friend was teaching on the passage several years ago and made this comment: “People who are afraid build walls.” His conclusion is that the citizens of Jericho were not only in a defensive but a fearful mode. My friend went on to say, “People of faith build bridges.”

I was talking with a seminary student recently, and she came around to describing her seminary experience in this way: “Seminary helped me to tear down walls and build bridges.” Her experience in her classes helped her to gain a new perspective on life.

Whether we are wall builders or bridge builders says a lot about us, doesn’t it? Do we live in fear or hope? As recipients of the grace of God, I would anticipate we would be in the latter group.

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