The dust settles along the limestone blocks of Jerusalem near 950 b.c. as the evening shadows stretch across the plaza. Workers lay down their heavy chisels and wooden trowels for the night. A quiet calm descends over the stone yards and the defensive masonry surrounding the ancient homes. Here in the fading light, the scent of crushed rock and dry cedar fills the air. The heavy timber gates swing shut with a grating sound against the cobblestones. It feels safe behind these massive barriers.
The ancient writings observe how the name of the Creator functions as a high fortified tower. The righteous run into it and find a secure place away from the siege engines of daily strife. The Great King stands as unyielding granite against the arrows of malice. Within his walls, he provides a sheltering bulwark where weary travelers lean their heavy backs and rest.
Yet men build their own defensive walls out of entirely different materials. When a harsh word strikes a neighbor, the offended brother hauls out heavy stones of resentment. He stacks them up to block the doorway of reconciliation. Disagreements quickly become iron bars across a castle gate. We mortar these barriers with quick tempers and foolish pride. A fool speaks without thinking and effectively swings a battering ram against his own home. His careless words fracture the foundation of peace around him. The wealthy man looks at his twenty years of gathered wages and imagines an unbreachable citadel; however, it remains only a crumbling barricade in his own mind. We dig deep cisterns of words and often drown in our own disputes. The tongue holds the power of life and death, shaping the exact bricks we use to construct our days.
The thick iron bars on the castle gate remain locked long after the initial siege ends. We barricade our hearts so effectively that we lock ourselves inside. The labor required to dismantle a fortress of offense far exceeds the effort needed to erect it in the first place.
A careless tongue lays stones of ruin, but a measured voice builds houses of refuge. The sun sinks below the high stone walls, leaving us to look upon the monuments we constructed today.