Neither Shall You Touch It
From Pastor KEvin
We all know the account of Eve informing the serpent of what God had told them about what they could eat and couldn’t eat in the garden. God had told them that they could eat the fruit of any tree in the garden except this one particular tree. They were to not eat of it, and if they did, they would surely die in that very same day, meaning immediately. Eve, however, added a little extra to that commandment. She told the serpent everything above, but also added that they were not to touch the fruit either. Is this a big deal? Did she misconstrue what God had said and imposed a restriction on them that God had not? Let’s look further.
I believe there is wisdom in what Eve told the serpent, even though God didn’t say it explicitly. Let’s use some logic and reasoning and ask ourselves, if God has declared the fruit forbidden, that we shouldn’t eat it, is it wise to stimulate ourselves and excite our senses by touching it, smelling it, imagining what it tastes like, etc? You’re still expressing a desire and curiosity for something that God wants you to avoid. Does it make sense that if God said you will die immediately if you eat this fruit, that it is smart to do everything toward that fruit except eat it? Do we think God was saying He forbids us from eating that fruit, but He is totally fine with us smelling, touching, and wondering about it?
This kind of thinking is counter intuitive and foolish. We’re still getting a degree of pleasure from something that God has forbidden. This is the textbook definition of lust, to desire and long for something that is forbidden. A desire for something forbidden is not coming from the Spirit, but from the flesh. There’s two things wrong with this line of thinking: One, it’s an obedience thing. By telling them they couldn’t eat it, He was also telling them He didn’t want them to desire it either. Again, use some God given logic. Is God fine with you dreaming and longing for something you can’t have as long as you don’t eat it? Two, stimulating yourself with something you can’t have is just inching you closer to the danger zone. You’re exciting your senses and putting yourself into a position to decide to eat, just like Eve. She did the same thing. She saw how it looked good and was perfect for food and to make one wise. She worked herself up over it and gave in. Romans 13:14 says we are not to make provision for the flesh for fear we obey the flesh in it’s lusts.
Finally, we see Jesus address this issue in Matthew 5:27-28. He reminded the people that it was said by them of old time that they should not commit adultery. But He went a step further and said that if any man look on a woman to lust after her, he has already committed adultery with that woman in his heart. Applying the same logic just discussed, is God fine with us not committing adultery with another woman or man in our body, but perfectly fine with us wanting them, touching, spending inappropriate time with them, etc.? It sounds like Jesus is both forbidding the act of adultery as well as the stimulating ourselves with the idea of it. If God has forbidden us from eating it, then neither shall we touch it.
