that your fathers have set. (Proverbs 22:28)
The Message says it this way:
Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines
staked out long ago by your ancestors.
Boundary lines establish limits. They tell us how far we can go before we have left one piece of land and entered another. They protect property and are set up to prevent us from unwittingly crossing into the territory of another. Some people see them in a negative light - as restrictive and denying freedom. Others see them as a good thing - a way to get our bearings.
Psychologists tell us that little children actually like boundaries, because they make them feel secure. Even though children will push the limits, they want to know that the boundaries are secure. Dr. James Dobson, in his wonderful book, The Strong-Willed Child, used the example of the security guard at a shopping center. He is going to test all of the doorknobs as he makes his rounds, but he wants to find them securely locked.
God has given us His boundary lines in His Word. He has established His plan for our lives and has clearly marked His Way. Because we belong to Him, we know we are safest when we stay within His boundaries. The good news is that His boundaries are unchanging, because He Himself never changes. And as long as we remain in Him, we will be secure.
Today’s proverb tells us not to move those boundaries. Don’t mess with God’s Word! The whole of it is inspired by God - not just the parts we like.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2Timothy 3:16-17)
The world has continually tried to chip away at God’s Word. Even Thomas Jefferson actually physically cut out passages of scripture from his Bible that he didn’t like - thus there is a Jeffersonian Bible in the Library of Congress with holes in it! Our culture is ever-changing, and our values fluctuate. Those things which were once considered appalling are now completely accepted and celebrated. But God’s Word remains.
All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever. (I Peter 1:24-25)
Don’t mess with the boundaries. They are not there to restrict our freedom, but to mark God’s ownership of us. They are there for our protection and will lead us to an abundant, joy-filled life. Jesus is the living Word of God. We need to remain in Him!
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