Good Morning.
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
(Genesis 3:2-3)
In response to the serpent’s question about what was lawful to eat, the woman recounts what was told to the man but, also, adds the statement, “Nor shall you touch it.” The Bible does not say that this was told to the man and, so, why did she say that? Many believe she decided to add this prohibition and others feel that this must have been an instruction given to her by Adam. Whichever is true, why did they feel compelled to add to what God had said?
In Judaism there is a concept regarded as being a “fence around the Torah” which is, man has come behind God and added instructions to what God first commanded. The intention of this “fence” was to keep people far away from the possibility of breaking God’s commands. However, in time, the fence was equated to the level of being a “command,” to the point that men lost sight of what God first intended and gave reverence to the fence itself.
Perhaps the woman, after allowing her mind to convince her the tree was good for food, touched it, and not dying, concluded it was okay to eat of it as well. Some propose that, after touching it, the woman was coerced to eat of it with the explanation; “You’re already going to die from touching; you might as well go ahead and eat it.” Either scenario is plausible because, that is how our mind works. “If I touch it and don’t die, maybe eating won’t lead to death either.” Or, “If I’m already guilty; I might as well go ahead and be really guilty.”
The point is this: God warned us about the dangers of adding to and taking away from His Word (Deut 12:32, Rev 22:18). The logical outcome of thinking it’s okay to add or subtract from God’s Word is that, if we can determine for ourselves what is good and bad, there is no need to be subject to God’s commands. However, as has been proven throughout the millennia, mankind is incapable of determining what is good or bad on his own. What appeals to the flesh will become good what limits the desires of the flesh will become bad.
So the, let us be those who uphold the unpolluted and unfiltered Word of God. May it reign in our hearts and may it rein in the inclination to do what is right in our own eyes.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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