In ancient times many palaces, castles and fortresses were built on a high place such as a hill. The palace or fortress would usually have very thick outer walls. The entrance would have a thick gate with bars to secure it in place. All of these made it difficult for enemies to enter a palace or fortress. They had to climb steep inclines to get to the castle. Then they had thick walls to either get over or try to go through. The entrance gate was thick and had bars to keep them from pushing through.
In Proverbs 18:19, we read, “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.”
It is a wonderful thing to have good friends. It is even better to have friends who are Christians. But, there can be disagreements. What is important is not to allow emotions and tempers to get out of control. If this occurs, then statements and actions can occur that will destroy that friendship.
When a strong friendship is destroyed through such, it is easier to conquer a castle than it is to restore that friendship. It is not impossible, but it will take great effort. Those offended will put up strong barriers. The hurtful things stated or acted will be like the strong bars that seal the gate. It will be very difficult to get the offended to raise those bars to allow the ex-friend once again to enter into friendship with the other.
It is very important to learn how not to hurt one another. True love and friendship can be learned from the Word of God, the Bible. God gave us the information we need to know in order to speak and act wisely toward one another. Study your Bible. Learn how to be the proper friend and how to control your temper. Do not ever put bars on your gate. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
