The Devil Wears a Tie (Continued)

As we go back to the first garden, where deception and iniquity was introduced, we find the manner in which mankind is plagued with temptation. The serpent first causes Eve to question the command of God (“Yea, hath God said...”) and then magnifies confusion by exaggerating the truth (“...you shall not eat of every tree?”). But her response to the devil’s prodding was an interesting one: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” (Genesis 3:2b-3) You can’t touch it? Somehow, Eve took the command of God much further. God told them simply to not consume the fruit, but she had to throw in an ethereal, made up preference of not touching it!

Now, someone may think that this is even better because it is more like a safeguard, but if there is anything that I know about mankind and standards, it’s that we easily manage to gloss over God’s simple truths and turn them into heavy burdens. Given more time, Eve could have very well thought to herself, “I know God said not to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, but if that’s the case, then I’m sure He doesn’t want us touching it, and if we must not even touch it, then most certainly looking at it would cause great harm as well!” Perhaps, at some point, we would have found Adam and Eve wandering aimlessly around the beautiful garden blindfolded. This is how some people think that they are to live in the world. If they were in Eden, rather than focusing on the joy of walking with God, they would hide themselves inside a dark cave for fear that forbidden fruit might fall off the tree and roll right next to them!

Of course, one might declare, “Now wait a minute Josh! The bible says that we are to ‘touch not the unclean thing’ and so it is the principle of the matter!” What Paul was alluding to, when he wrote this statement to the believers at Corinth, was the call of separation from wicked influences. The context can be found in Numbers 12:21-26 and Isaiah 52:11-12. Particularly, Isaiah had urged the Jews to not be influenced by the idolatries and superstitions of Babylon (Sadly, a study into the mystical teachings of Kabbalism found in Israel and the facets of the Babylonian Talmud, reveals that Isaiah’s cries went unheeded.) Allowing the philosophies of this world to impact our hearts is one thing, but when it comes to an inanimate object, such as fruit, I am quite sure that Eve was wrong in adding another standard to God’s command. It was the promise of divine enlightenment, through the eating of the fruit, that proved to be ruinous. There is more to be exposed, when it comes to this idea of her being “enlightened” by the fruit, but it will have to come later.

At this time, I want you to notice what Paul declares in Colossians 2:20-23, “If you have died with Christ to the world's way of doing things, why do you let others tell you how to live? It's as though you were still under the world's influence. People will tell you, ‘Don't handle this! Don't taste or touch that!’ All of these things deal with objects that are only used up anyway. These things look like wisdom with their self-imposed worship, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body. But they have no value for holding back the constant desires of your corrupt nature (GWT).” When my mother was a child, she attended a small Holiness Church in eastern North Carolina. During that time, she would hear teaching that touted standards such as women were not supposed to wear jewelry, drums were not to be included in music, and the KJV was the only translation a Christian could use. There are many other conjured up safeguards that mankind under the vehicle of religion has espoused.

Now, in no way am I seeking to belittle the accuracy and beauty of the KJV, nor am I of the opinion that all music is amoral, but what I am relaying is the fact that many people have a unique way of adding their own spin to what God has revealed in His word. Indeed, there are some who faithfully follow religious regulations, not because they simply want to please God out of a heart of love, but because their holy performance makes them feel like they are more favored by God and better suited to tell others how to live. This is what the devil wants. He is not worried about the person who accepts the “touch not, taste not” philosophy, he is more concerned with the one who has died to his flesh ! Let forbidden fruit fly at his face and it wouldn’t matter, because his heart is fixed on Christ!

Concerning Eve’s statement about not touching the fruit, Adam Clarke wrote, “Some of the Jewish writers, who are only serious on comparative trifles, state that as soon as the woman had asserted this, the serpent pushed her against the tree and said, ‘See, thou hast touched it, and art still alive; thou mayest therefore safely eat of the fruit, for surely thou shalt not die.” This teaching is purely speculative but it does carry with it some partial insight into why Eve succumbed to the temptation. What she thought was dangerous to the touch turned out to be like any other fruit. If the foundation for our spiritual devotion to the Lord is rooted in our own man made standards, then the devil is content, for he most certainly will present us with a loophole and seek to exploit it. And later, as we will see, this kind of living opens the door for presumption and pride. But the believer who has made God his first love, who daily walks with Him, and can boldly declare, ‘The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him’ (Lamentations 3:24), this devotion will cause that vile serpent to tremble.