Benevolent Boundaries

“And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Ge 3:11 AV)

 

God knows what is best for us even when we do not.  What struck me this morning is that even in man’s perfect state, he still needs boundaries.  Adam and Eve were told not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They were given this boundary so that they might learn to trust the LORD and love Him by choosing obedience over disobedience.  They were given boundaries according to their limitations and expectations.  God was not cruel or unreasonable as the Devil would suggest.  He gave them boundaries for their own good.  He gave them boundaries, that if followed, would have made them even more perfect.  When the LORD asks the question, it was more of a reminder of those boundaries.  It was an affirmation the law had a purpose and by violating that purpose, Adam and Even set in motion circumstances that would necessitate redemption and reconciliation.  Not to make God out to be petty, which He is not, but this question was an “I told you so” moment.  It was a reminder that God always knows what is in our best interests and boundaries is a good thing.

Every New Year’s eve, our church has a fellowship to ring in the new year.  This year we fellowshipped on Friday rather than staying up all night into Sunday.  There is finger food in abundance.  We also bring our favorite games.  Uno is a faithful standby.  There are other games like codename or their favorite, Mafia.  One of the games was called reaction.  It was a four-player game.  It was very simple.  The only rule was to press the button on time to avoid a shock.  You read that right.  There are four controllers.  One for each play.  It was shaped like a handle you would find on a pitcher.  At the top was a button.  A button was pressed in the center of the base and did a random countdown.  While it was counting down, the button flashed red.  When the button turned green, the last one to press their button got a shock.  It was hilarious to watch.  However, then tried to entice the preacher into playing it.  Tried as they might, but they were not successful.  Why?  I have a heart valve that does not always close all the way.  It is not life-threatening.  But it is very uncomfortable.  I can control it by limiting my caffeine intake.  If I got that shock, I knew my valve would start acting up.  I know my boundaries.

God is not mean.  He is not tyrannical.  He made us.  He knows what we can and cannot do.  He knows how things affect us.  He knows what is best for us.  He knows what fences belong.  He knows what we can take and how to give us the most blessed life possible.  If Adam and Eve would have refused the fruit when tempted, this would have been an entirely different world.  Mankind would have learned faith by obedience rather than disobedience.  There would be no sickness, suffering, or death.  No sin.  God knows what He is doing and all He asks is we trust Him to be God.  It is that simple.