Parapet

Deuteronomy 22:8 When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.

This string of verses in Deuteronomy 22 is full of practical instruction, with this verse ensuring protection for a new house.  It says to build a parapet around the roof.  So what is a parapet?  It’s a low protective wall along the edge.]

In bible times, houses had flat roof used for storing and drying fruit, as well as for sleeping at times.  So one surely would not want to have those on their roof fall off when up there!  The “guilt of bloodshed” would be on the owner of the house, if a person fell from their roof.  So this parapet offered protection on the roof.

We don’t live in houses with flat roofs, at least I’ve never seen one in my neighborhood.  But we do have insurance now don’t we?  If someone falls and hurts themselves on our property, we are “covered” in case of a law suit.

So far, we’ve read three verses that include the word “roof” and all of them represent protection.  And a flat roof required extra protection of a parapet. 

I’m thinking a lot of analogies can be made with these three verses as to how well our homes are protected from disaster, evil, and now the threat of pointing the finger at us in guilt.

The only thing that protects us from these things is Jesus.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they realized their nakedness and were ashamed.  And we now have a covering for our shame – the blood of Jesus.  He’s our roof and the parapet around it.  We don’t have to live in fear.