Nor shall you touch it

In Genesis 3:3, when Satan questioned Eve in the Garden of Eden about God’s command, Eve added to what had been commanded. She replied, ‘God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”‘ This provided a foothold for Satan to challenge God’s statement. Satan’s argument, rejecting the notion that touching the fruit leads to death, marked the beginning of humanity’s fall. Eve’s lack of understanding of God’s word led to mankind’s downfall. Just as it was in the Garden of Eden, the same principle applies today.

The Psalmist declares in Psalm 119:105, ‘Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.’ When I lack knowledge of His word, I am prone to error and susceptible to falling into sin. Today, many cults have emerged due to the error of adding or subtracting from the infallible word of God. Let us exercise caution, returning to the Word, reading verses within context, and grasping the true meaning of the text. By guarding against the enemy’s craftiness, we can avoid sinning against God.

One of the Bible’s finest examples is found in the Bereans, as recounted in Acts 17. ‘These (Berea) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so.’ The Bereans meticulously examined the Scriptures daily to verify the accuracy of what they were taught. May we similarly exercise caution and avoid falling into the enemy’s snares.”