# 30 Beware of Man-made Rules

The Book of Genesis Day 30 Ge 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" As I read this, I can’t help but wonder if Eve has been skipping her morning devotions! Either that, or Adam has been remiss in his duty as spiritual head of the household! It seems that God’s Word concerning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil has become a bit muddled, or a vague recollection to Eve. Note what she says concerning God’s rule about the tree. She doesn’t even mention it by name! It has become a tree somewhere in the “midst of the garden.” Notice too, that she has added to the command of the Lord. God never told Adam that he could not touch the tree or the fruit. He said he could not eat of the fruit! This rule was likely added with good intentions I’m sure, after all, you can’t eat something if you don’t touch it first! It’s a safeguard right?.......Wrong! A man-made rule, cannot keep you from sinning! Only the power and grace of God can do that! Think about the effect of this man-made rule. Once Satan has convinced Eve that she will not die if she tastes of the fruit, and in fact convinced her that the fruit will be good for her, she decides to pluck one off the tree. If God had made the “no touch” rule, Eve would’ve felt some conviction before touching it, but since there was no conviction she picked the fruit. Nothing happened! Of course nothing happened! This was not God’s rule, but she thought it was, and now she was really questioning God. Why can’t I eat this? The fruit looks good for food. It certainly is pleasant to the eyes. I touched it and nothing happened……”Did God really say?” And crunch she bites into the fruit, the hook is set, and sin enters the world. Man-made rules or legalism never keep us from sinning, in fact, it’s just the opposite. They pave the way for rebellion. Let us purpose to keep God’s Word fresh in our hearts. It is the surest defense from committing the grave error of adding to it or subtracting from it! Reflect: Warning: Wet paint! Have you ever touched the paint anyway? What do you think compels us to do that? The Pharisees had 39 categories of work that was forbidden on the Sabbath, and hundreds of man made rules added to those categories. Do you think these rules helped them observe the spirit of the Sabbath? What are some man-made rules that have surfaced in the church? What’s the best way to tell the difference between “man-made” rules and God’s rules? Pray: Father, forgive us. Often in our zeal to please you and guard against sin, we add rules that You never intended. Help us to discern the difference and experience the joy and freedom that living by Your rules was meant to bring us! Amen.