ON THE VANGUARD

DON’T TOUCH
“…but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, ‘You are neither to eat from it nor touch it, or you will die’”
Genesis 3:3

As I shared a few days back, I have been spending this past week with my family. I have noticed over the last few days that there are a few different rules between my mom’s house and my house. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but my kids are learning a whole new idea of respect. When at grandma’s house, they must obey grandma’s rules. Now since grandma has many items that are valuable, easily breakable, and sentimental, they have to be aware of what they can touch and should not touch. At my home my children know what to touch and what not to touch, but here they are learning all over again what is safe verses what is not. For instance, while it is safe for them to use my dishes at home, I would not let them just grab grandma’s dishes from the cabinet, especially her fine china. Even playing the piano at grandma’s house, which has been in the family since grandpa was a boy, needs to be touched in caution and under supervision as my kids like to pound the keys.
But the fact of being cautious in what we do and do not touch is nothing new. Truth be told, it was the touching of things early on that got mankind into trouble. After creating the earth and everything in it, God then made man and woman. While mankind was made in God’s image, they were still given rules. Taking care of the land was a requirement given to man, but the ability to eat of almost any tree was just as well. God commanded His people to eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The rule was given and known by both Adam and Eve, yet…
I know this story full well even in my own life. Even though the sign says stay out, keep off, or don’t touch, I find myself wanting to do the opposite. Now in Eve’s case, we read in Genesis 3 that the crafty serpent lured her. In my life, I do not have a crafty serpent hanging from a tree slithering his secrets in my ear, but I nonetheless hear his words. And they make me doubt what God has said. They make me want to touch. And they make me want to do the opposite of all I know is right. I, just like Eve, take the fruit.
While we all know the story of Eve taking the apple from the tree, biting into it, and passing it to Adam to enjoy, I wonder if we overlook a fraction of the story. The command from God was not to eat it only, but also not to touch it. I think we equate the bad of this story with the fact that they both ate of the fruit and that this action caused their death, their being removed from the Garden and such. But after reading this account again I see the word ‘touch’ glaring at me. They were told to not “…eat from it nor touch it, or you will die.” It doesn’t matter if they ate it, they were not even supposed to touch it. Even if they had not shared bites, they still would have had the same fate for simply touching it.
So let me ask this, what are you touching that God has said no to. I think in regards of dating. God has told us to not have sexual relations before marriage. This is a sin and it brings a curse on the marriage. This in many ways is like the eating of the fruit. But is it possible God never wanted you to date that person from the beginning? By dating a person God does not give us permission to date, we are in essence touching the forbidden fruit also. Let us not get so concerned with only the biting when the truth of God’s command includes the touching also. I challenge you to reconsider what you are touching that God has told you not to touch. Obviously the consumption is wrong, but it may be time to get our hands off the things we are touching as well, confess the sin, and step away from the tree altogether.