Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. – Genesis 2:7
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – Genesis 2:16-17
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:2-3
Shall Not’s
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, you shall not bow down to them. You shall not take the name of your Lord in vain. You shall not work on the Sabbath. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not covet.
No. The first word every child learns. No. The first word every child learns to hate. Why are parents such killjoys? I want to put this in my mouth…NO! I want to put this in the outlet…NO! I wonder how that fire feels…NO! Life isn’t fair. Life isn’t fun. We should have just stayed in the womb. Adam should have just remained dust. Israel should have just stayed in Egypt. Are we really created just to be told, “NO”! Yes. Sometimes.
Liberating Boundaries
By definition, “no” is negative. However, experience teaches us that “no” can be very positive. More importantly, the Bible shows us time and again, being told, “no”, or “you shall not”, is a way God reveals His love for us. As a loving Father protecting His children, God has given us boundaries. While we see them as a form of restriction, in actuality they are a form of liberation. Clearly defined boundaries enable us to enjoy life without the inhibition of uncertainties.
A story has been told of young children in a schoolyard. The school was in close proximity to a busy road. Every day during recess the children would stand closely huddled against the school building. Instead of enjoying themselves in the schoolyard, they wanted to avoid the danger that the traffic represented. Wisely, the school decided to put up a fence enclosing the playground area. Immediately, the children were running around and enjoying themselves within the defined boundaries that the fence represented. They did not see the fence as restricting, but rather liberating. The fence was viewed as a form of protection. Obviously, it would not be sufficient to stop a vehicle, but it was sufficient to keep the children out of the street. Now there was no uncertainty as to how far they could go. Of course, there will always be those who climb over the fence, tempting fate and exposing themselves to unnecessary dangers, but that is the “risk” God took when He chose to give men the ability to choose.
Haunting Consequences
Staying within God’s boundaries keeps us free from the consequences of acting out of ignorance or rebellion. Consequences that can haunt us and weigh us down for the remainder of our lives. Consequences that often outlive us and haunt our offspring or others. Often following them to their graves. We don’t have to search hard to prove this.
Adam and Eve were not only expelled from the garden for eating the forbidden fruit, but they had to live with death. The fruit must have left a bitter taste when Cain killed Abel. When Israel miraculously defeated Jericho, they were told to keep themselves from the things devoted to destruction. Achan’s disobedience not only cost him his life but the lives of thirty-six other men who were killed in the ensuing defeat at the hands of Ai. When commanded to attack the Amalekites, Saul was instructed not to spare anything, but rather was to devote everything to destruction. A few bleating sheep revealed Saul’s disobedience and Saul lost his kingship. In the New Testament, we see that lying to the Holy Spirit cost Ananias and Sapphira their lives.
These are just Biblical examples. How many families do you know that have been torn apart because marriage has not been honored or the marriage bed was defiled? How about the devastation that alcoholism can cause. The Bible says not to get drunk with wine or to look at wine when it is red and it goes down smoothly. Yet so many individuals and families are suffering terribly because of alcoholism or other addictions. But there are more subtle steps over God’s boundaries. God tells us we are to have no other gods before Him, but how many of us are guilty of this? Work, wealth, status, comfort, or even our families can become idols. We need boundaries to protect us from ourselves. God has to say “no” because He knows best.
Embracing Boundaries
With the privilege of making choices, comes the responsibility of making wise choices. Choices within the boundaries established by an all-knowing God who infinitely loves us and wants to protect us.
Before He ever tells us,”no” (you shall not), God tells us who He is and how much He loves us. Adam knew God as his creator before he was told not to eat the fruit. Israel knew God as their liberator before they were given the Ten Commandments. God knows the inclination of our hearts. He wants to protect us from the evils within and the dangers without. May we have the wisdom to enjoy life within the fence and spare ourselves the misery that comes from rebelling against His “negative” love. May we have the wisdom to know when to say “no” to ourselves and those we love. Who knows how much unnecessary suffering might be avoided in doing so? I believe there is great wisdom in learning to embrace the first word we learned. By the grace of God might we learn the benefits of “un-hating” it!!