Boundary Lines
Meet Sassy, our ISA Brown hen who has been full of spunk since her little chick days, which you can observe on full display in the picture below. There she is, out in front during the baby chicken photo shoot, while all her friends huddle against the wall of the chick corral in fear of the giant, human person. Thus… she earned her name to match the attitude.
Now I would like to introduce, Lucy. She is a younger hen than Sassy, who was in the second batch of chicks we purchased a year after the OG’s. (It really is true, once you start raising chickens, it becomes addicting). She is an Easter Egger and lays lovely, pale green eggs.
When the new gals got big enough to hang with the older sisters, Sassy and Lucy became fast friends, pulling off all kinds of chicken shenanigans together. We allow all the girls to free range in a fenced in area around our barn that runs parallel to the garden. The hen lot is too large for a covering and soon Sassy discovered she could fly over the fencing and into the garden to help herself to tasty treats. Her partner in crime observed and followed suit.
However, it didn’t stop there, because once Sassy and Lucy realized they could fly over one barrier, they decided they needed to free range the whole 4 acres and jumped the garden fence into the open yard. It wasn’t long before some of the other gals got brave enough to try and before we knew it, chicken ladies were roaming everywhere. We quickly clipped wings to eliminate their ability to fly over the fence. Or so we thought…
One Saturday morning, while looking out my kitchen window which overlooks the barn and part of the chicken pen, I watched as Lucy ran over to the gate, looked up with great determination, squatted down, jumped and flapped with all the might those short, clipped off wings could muster. She had just enough strength to make it to the top railing and hop to the ground on the other side. I shook my head in frustration.
I thought, “Girl, we clip your wings to keep you in the pen. We have electric ran all around the bottom of the fencing to keep the foxes, raccoons and skunks out. Fake owls are posted up in various places around the barn to ward off hawks. We have lost some of your friends to all of these predators in the past, so everything we do is to keep you safe! Don’t you know there are things out there that will kill you?”
In that instant, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit spoke to me- not audibly, but in my heart and said, “It’s the same with my children. I place all these boundaries in their lives because I am trying to keep them safe and yet they are determined to do everything they can to climb over them. Don’t they know there are things out there that will kill them?”
“Then Boaz said to his servant who was set over the reapers, ‘Whose maiden is this?’ And the servant set over the reapers answered, ‘She is the Moabitish girl who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab and she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. So she came and has continued from early morning until now, except when she rested a little in the house.’ Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but stay here close by my maidens. Watch which field they reap and follow them. Have I not charged the young men not to molest you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.’” Ruth 2:5-9 (AMP)
Boaz set a boundary for Ruth to keep her safe. Do you see it? “Do not go to glean in another field or leave this one.” Unfortunately, it was common in those days for the young, male field workers to force themselves upon the female servants. Boaz was a just man and cared for his workers. He knew the dangers a young, beautiful girl could face on other property, especially one who was foreign to their nation. He desired to keep her safe, but it was up to Ruth to stay within the boundary lines she was given.
All of us have boundaries placed on our lives by different authority figures. From parents to teachers when we are young to supervisors and police officers when we are older, we cannot escape rules and guidelines, and just like Ruth, it is our choice to comply or rebel.
The same holds true for your faith walk. There are boundaries detailed throughout the scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments. God has not set limitations to kill our joy, but to prevent us from being destroyed by the dangers beyond the borders. Just as Boaz knew what could have happened to Ruth if she wondered onto other property, the Lord knows the evils that lurk past the safety net He has stretched out for us. Perhaps we should put down the scissors and trust the wisdom of our Creator?
Probably the most famous and well known boundary lines are the “Big Ten” aka The Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17) (Which, fun fact, is also one of my favorite movies. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend, plus you will get a kick out of the overdramatic, Hollywood acting of the 1950’s.)
Charlton Heston as Moses- Ten Commandments (1956)
But even prior to Moses and the stone tablets, from the very beginning, God gave His creation a guardrail.
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17).
We know the rest of the story. Eve was deceived by the serpent and the next thing you know she jumped the barrier running full throttle toward the very thing meant to kill her, while dragging her husband along for the ride.
I know what you are thinking. “It wasn’t totally Eve’s fault! The Bible clearly teaches that the serpent was more cunning than all of the beasts of the field. (Genesis 3:1) It wasn’t fair.” Or was it?
Eve and Adam were given a clear command to follow. Their Creator told them if they consumed the fruit, they would perish; which seems crystal enough to me, so where did they go wrong and how can we learn from their mistake?
“But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4)
Seeds of doubt are dangerous for the human heart, for once planted they will sprout, grow and blossom into unbelief. Satan is the master of half truths, which sound extremely realistic, but ultimately are always fatal. Eve’s error was believing the hiss of the serpent over the gentle truth of the Father. We, so often, do the same.
“I don’t believe that is what these verses in the Bible really mean. It has been misinterpreted for years, but thankfully we have new knowledge.”
“Not all the teachings of scripture are relevant for our modern times so we must change and stay in sync with the culture.”
“The texts were written by mortal men and not to be fully trusted.”
We are bombarded with messages such as these and more from scholars, scientist, social media, movies and so on, telling us we cannot trust the Word of the Lord. I believe I hear the rustle of the grass as a snake slithers away with a delightful grin, reveling in his deception.
If doubt of God’s Word is allowed a place of residence in our heart, then we will question His authority and challenge the guidelines, ultimately leading to unbelief. Before long, we will attempt to move the boundaries and place them in places that are more favorable to our way of thinking. To put it bluntly, unbelief is calling God a liar. Let that sink in for just a moment.
Too harsh? Let’s go back to Eve and the serpent. One of the greatest goals of Satan is to convince us that God is not trustworthy. Eve decided to believe the message of the snake over the words of God the Father, which then lead her to act on that belief. Her actions made a bold statement and so do ours when we cross boundary lines set by the Lord. People act and behave according to what they believe; therefore, smashing through God’s borders sends a very clear message.
“I do not believe what You have said to be true. You are a liar.”
We also need to be honest and recognize there are many times we don’t need a leg up to hop the fence so we can run in the other pasture or the hiss of a serpent in our ear coaxing us on. Prideful, stubbornness says, “I’m going to do, what I want to do, so get out of my face and stop trying to box me in.” Blatant disobedience of God’s word also sends a firm message.
“I know better than You.”
So many times we struggle with releasing control of our desires and placing full faith in the One Who loves us and wants the very best for our lives. Like any good father, God longs to shelter, provide, comfort and give peace to his children. Why do we fight so hard against the principles that are meant to keep us safe?
I have heard it said, that perhaps the reason the grass is greener in the far pasture, is because you cannot see the sewage seeping up through the ground. Strange lands may seem like a grand adventure, until the day comes you find yourself running from the demons who wish to devour you. The darkness promises freedom and pleasures in the wide open spaces stretched before your eyes, while simultaneously binding your hands behind your back.
The next time you are tempted and drawn to cross a line you know God has placed before you, I challenge you to stop, pray and ask for strength to fight either unbelief or disobedience. Then dig down to the root of what is causing the desire to step outside the safety net of the Lord’s good plan for your life and kill the disease that is seeking to weaken your faith roots, just as we discussed in our “When Roots Run Deep” series.
Dear friends, you have everything to lose by moving beyond the borders of Kingdom living. You want to live a life of simplicity? A life marked with peace? Read these beautiful promises from our Lord and cling to them.
“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit. Who leads you in the way that you should go. Oh that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a flowing river.” -Isaiah 48:17-18a
“And the effect of righteousness will be peace (internal and external) and the results of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever.” -Isaiah 32:17
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” -Proverbs 3:1-2
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” -Proverbs 3:5-8
“Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble.” -Psalm 119:165
Live Beautifully Simple in the security of God’s Boundary Lines.