Proverbs 22:28 “Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.”
There many Biblical phrases that are common in our society and there are times when people quote certain phrases, mistakenly believing that they actually are in Scripture. Now that may seem innocent, but I’ve found that when people replace God’s thinking with human reasoning they often end up some pretty warped theology and lives.
I’ve known people who not only believed the Bible said “God helps those who help themselves” but they used it to justify some very un-Christian thinking and behavior
-They would avoid giving to the poor, because – “God helps those…”
-They would explain why they didn’t pray very often because – “God helps those…”
-They would even engage in dishonest and abusive business practices because – “God helps those…” and they were quite comfortable with helping God in way they could.
David recognized the danger of this tendency. In Psalm 119 he wrote:
Verses 5, 6 “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying YOUR decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands…”
Verses 10, 11 “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you…”
There many Biblical phrases that are common in our society and there are times when people quote certain phrases, mistakenly believing that they actually are in Scripture. Now that may seem innocent, but I’ve found that when people replace God’s thinking with human reasoning they often end up some pretty warped theology and lives.
I’ve known people who not only believed the Bible said “God helps those who help themselves” but they used it to justify some very un-Christian thinking and behavior
-They would avoid giving to the poor, because – “God helps those…”
-They would explain why they didn’t pray very often because – “God helps those…”
-They would even engage in dishonest and abusive business practices because – “God helps those…” and they were quite comfortable with helping God in way they could.
David recognized the danger of this tendency. In Psalm 119 he wrote:
Verses 5, 6 “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying YOUR decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands…”
Verses 10, 11 “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you…”
Verse 24 “Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.”
What David was telling us was that if we want to live the right kind of life we need to hide His word in our hearts because wrong thinking is based on wrong information, while good thinking/good living is based on good information. And God’s Word is the best information you can get.
Jesus prayed to the Father for us in John 17:17 when He said, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth.”
What David was telling us was that if we want to live the right kind of life we need to hide His word in our hearts because wrong thinking is based on wrong information, while good thinking/good living is based on good information. And God’s Word is the best information you can get.
Jesus prayed to the Father for us in John 17:17 when He said, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth.”
Essentially, Jesus is telling us that the Bible you hold in your hands is truth. The Bible is like an ancient boundary marker because it marks the beginning and the ending of all truth.
(1) Now what is a boundary marker? A boundary marker or a landmark is something that establishes the boundaries of your property.
Back in the days of ancient Israel
The Word of God is our “boundary marker”. It’s our landmark of truth. It marks the beginning and the ending of truth. And that boundary marker of God’s Word protects us.
As long as we stay within the boundaries of God’s Word we’ll avoid many of the harmful things in life.
-We’ll avoid shame, guilt and personal loss
-We’ll protect our reputations and our families
-We’ll guard our relationships and our business ventures.
God has set those boundaries to protect us from all kinds of difficulties in life.
But those boundaries can be “encroached” upon. I mean just because God put those boundary markers there doesn’t mean that something or someone else can’t move them. God’s wisdom can be “pushed back” and something else can be built on the property that doesn’t belong there. The Bible is very clear that it’s up to us make sure that this doesn’t happen.
(2) How can those markers be moved? How can they be pushed back?
-We can do it ourselves, out of our willful disobedience
I’ve heard people say “I know that’s what the Bible says… I just don’t want to do it that way.” And they say that because God’s word can be uncomfortable to obey once in a while.
a. It happens in churches. I’ve seen members and preachers look the other way when a relative or a friend was engaged in flagrant sin
The Word of God is our “boundary marker”. It’s our landmark of truth. It marks the beginning and the ending of truth. And that boundary marker of God’s Word protects us.
As long as we stay within the boundaries of God’s Word we’ll avoid many of the harmful things in life.
-We’ll avoid shame, guilt and personal loss
-We’ll protect our reputations and our families
-We’ll guard our relationships and our business ventures.
God has set those boundaries to protect us from all kinds of difficulties in life.
But those boundaries can be “encroached” upon. I mean just because God put those boundary markers there doesn’t mean that something or someone else can’t move them. God’s wisdom can be “pushed back” and something else can be built on the property that doesn’t belong there. The Bible is very clear that it’s up to us make sure that this doesn’t happen.
(2) How can those markers be moved? How can they be pushed back?
-We can do it ourselves, out of our willful disobedience
I’ve heard people say “I know that’s what the Bible says… I just don’t want to do it that way.” And they say that because God’s word can be uncomfortable to obey once in a while.
a. It happens in churches. I’ve seen members and preachers look the other way when a relative or a friend was engaged in flagrant sin
b. It happens in homes where husbands and wives break up their families because they’re not happy.
c. It happens to parents who are afraid of hurting their children’s feelings and so they allow their kids to do whatever they want to do with whoever they want even when they know that such behavior is contrary to Scripture.
A good leader/husband/spouse/parent/ pastor/ teacher knows where the markers are and they make sure they lead their people inside those boundaries.
-We can allow the markers to be moved by negligence
A good leader/husband/spouse/parent/ pastor/ teacher knows where the markers are and they make sure they lead their people inside those boundaries.
-We can allow the markers to be moved by negligence
We just didn’t pay attention when the markers were moved. It wasn’t our fault. We didn’t move the landmarks-somebody else did it.
When this happens, it’s like the neighbor that “encroached” on his friend’s property. He put up a fence, but in doing so moved the boundary stone. The man that owned the property never bothered to have a survey done or to check where the boundary marker should have been. By the time he realized what had happened and complained, the damage had been done. He lost that piece of his property to a grandfather clause in that community because he did nothing to insure what was his was protected when he had the chance.
All kinds of things try to encroach on the boundary markers God has set in our lives.
Let’s be honest with ourselves-the people we work with, even our relatives and friends, when they find out what you believe, they’ll be incredulous.
-They’ll mock you.
-They’ll make fun of what you stand for.
-They’ll try to shame you into abandoning the landmarks God has set in place.
You’ll be tempted to back off to let them change the standards because you don’t like the ridicule. And that’s not uncommon. The tendency is to allow someone or something else to encroach on God’s landmarks in situations like that. I mean, it’s not that we deliberately are intending to disobey God. It’s just that someone else has set the boundaries for us, and we let them be set that way because we’re afraid of being mocked.
When that happens, it helps to remember that God’s people have often been mocked. Jesus Himself was mocked, and ridiculed, and made fun of while He hung on the cross for your salvation. So, don’t negligently allow someone else to encroach on God’s landmarks because you fear being made fun of.
It’s important to make sure you know where God’s boundary stones are and to make sure they’re not moved.
When this happens, it’s like the neighbor that “encroached” on his friend’s property. He put up a fence, but in doing so moved the boundary stone. The man that owned the property never bothered to have a survey done or to check where the boundary marker should have been. By the time he realized what had happened and complained, the damage had been done. He lost that piece of his property to a grandfather clause in that community because he did nothing to insure what was his was protected when he had the chance.
All kinds of things try to encroach on the boundary markers God has set in our lives.
Let’s be honest with ourselves-the people we work with, even our relatives and friends, when they find out what you believe, they’ll be incredulous.
-They’ll mock you.
-They’ll make fun of what you stand for.
-They’ll try to shame you into abandoning the landmarks God has set in place.
You’ll be tempted to back off to let them change the standards because you don’t like the ridicule. And that’s not uncommon. The tendency is to allow someone or something else to encroach on God’s landmarks in situations like that. I mean, it’s not that we deliberately are intending to disobey God. It’s just that someone else has set the boundaries for us, and we let them be set that way because we’re afraid of being mocked.
When that happens, it helps to remember that God’s people have often been mocked. Jesus Himself was mocked, and ridiculed, and made fun of while He hung on the cross for your salvation. So, don’t negligently allow someone else to encroach on God’s landmarks because you fear being made fun of.
It’s important to make sure you know where God’s boundary stones are and to make sure they’re not moved.
(3) How do I make sure I know where the boundary stones are at?
Psalm 119:12-16 “Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”
-He says that he is filled with rejoicing and delight because of God’s Word that he will not neglect it. It’s kind of like having a garden out in your backyard that you really enjoy working in. If you neglected it, it would be filled with weeds and crabgrass. But because you “delight” in that garden, you don’t neglect it. You’re constantly working so that you can have the crop you desire.
Psalm 119:12-16 “Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”
-He says that he is filled with rejoicing and delight because of God’s Word that he will not neglect it. It’s kind of like having a garden out in your backyard that you really enjoy working in. If you neglected it, it would be filled with weeds and crabgrass. But because you “delight” in that garden, you don’t neglect it. You’re constantly working so that you can have the crop you desire.
-David says that he wants God to “teach” him. He realizes there are going to be things that only God can help him understand, so he is pleading with God to work with him and instruct him in what he needs to know.
-He says he “recounts” all God’s law. He goes over them and over them. He’s not satisfied to just read them once and move on he wants to visit them again and again.
-David says he “meditates” on God’s Word. He reads it and then he thinks about what he’s read for awhile and asks himself what these words mean to him.
-And he says he “considers” or thinks about God’s ways (vs. 15). He thinks about how God interacted with some of the great men and women in the past. He thinks about the stories of Moses, and Abraham and Esther. He asks himself why God dealt with these people as He did and why He didn’t do other things that He might have with them.
Essentially, David takes the Word of God and he turned it inside out trying to find out what pleased God and what would make him a better servant for his Lord. David did this because he knew that God had set up His Word as a boundary marker - a landmark - to help His people know what was right and true.
David wanted to know where the landmarks were so that he could stay inside God’s will. And that’s what we need to do with our lives as well because those boundary markers are there to protect us, and to protect the ones we love.
Essentially, David takes the Word of God and he turned it inside out trying to find out what pleased God and what would make him a better servant for his Lord. David did this because he knew that God had set up His Word as a boundary marker - a landmark - to help His people know what was right and true.
David wanted to know where the landmarks were so that he could stay inside God’s will. And that’s what we need to do with our lives as well because those boundary markers are there to protect us, and to protect the ones we love.
Those boundary markers are important for us and our loved ones. But they’re even important for the sake of people you don’t even think about people who watch you because they know you’re a Christian and that you believe in God. They sense that if they watch you, they’ll know where the markers are at themselves.
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