A City Without Walls

In the ancient world a city’s walls were its life. Without them, anyone could walk in: raiders, thieves, armies. You didn’t have to attack a city with no walls. You just walked through the gaps.

Proverbs uses that picture for a person with no self-control. “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Anger gets in. Lust gets in. Every passing craving gets in, because nothing is there to stop it.

We sometimes think of self-control as a cage, something that keeps us from living. Scripture sees it as a wall that keeps the good in and the enemy out. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” Ruling yourself is harder than conquering a city.

Jesus showed what that strength looks like. He was never hurried and never pushed around by the moment. That kind of self-control is a fruit he grows in us, one stone at a time.