Proverbs 4:14–15 (NIV) “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.”
God, out of His deep love for us, tells us what to draw near and what to run from or avoid altogether!
In August of 2022, a 44-year-old man was visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon near Bright Angel Point. According to the National Park Service, he was off the designated trail when he accidentally fell from the edge. Rangers later recovered his body approximately 200 feet below the rim.
Following that tragedy, the National Park Service reminded visitors to stay on designated trails, remain a safe distance from the edge, and never climb over a railing or fence where one is provided. Those boundaries aren’t there to spoil someone’s view or keep visitors from having fun. They’re there because beyond that boundary is danger.
We understand that when we’re standing at the edge of a cliff. We call the fence protection. Yet it's interesting how differently we sometimes view the boundaries God gives us. When God says, “Don’t go there,” “Don’t do that,” or “Stay away from this,” it’s easy to think He is restricting our lives. We may even wonder why He won’t simply let us make our own choices. But what if we’ve misunderstood the fence?
God sees something we don’t. He sees beyond the boundary. He knows where roads lead long before we ever travel them, and He understands the consequences of choices that may initially look harmless or appealing. When God establishes boundaries in His Word, He isn’t trying to keep something good from us. He is often trying to keep something destructive from reaching us.
Any loving parent understands this. When our children were young, we didn’t let them play in the middle of a busy street. They might not have understood why. To a little child, the street might have looked like a wonderful place to ride a bike or chase a ball. But we knew something they didn’t. We could see the cars coming. That is an important thing to remember about God: He can see the cars coming.
There is one important difference between standing at the Grand Canyon and standing at one of God’s boundaries. At the Grand Canyon, you can see the cliff. You can look over the edge and immediately understand why the fence is there. But many of the dangers God warns us about aren’t nearly so easy to see.
When God warns us about sexual immorality, we may not immediately see the broken trust, damaged marriages, wounded families, or emotional scars that can follow. When He warns us about drunkenness or other things that can bring us into bondage, we may see only the pleasure of the moment and not the addiction or destruction waiting farther down the road. When He tells us to control our anger and our words, we may not see how one uncontrolled outburst can damage a relationship that took years to build. When He warns us against greed, dishonesty, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, or pride, everything may appear perfectly safe.
That’s where trust comes in. God's word says, “Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.” — Psalm 119:104 NLT.
God’s warnings should remind us of a fence at the edge of a cliff. When He says, “Don’t go beyond here,” faith responds, “Lord, I may not be able to see the drop-off, but You can.” We don’t need to understand every danger before we trust the One who does.
A child may not understand electricity, but when a loving parent says, “Don’t put your finger in that outlet,” the child doesn’t need to understand electrical current to benefit from the warning. He simply needs to trust the person who knows more than he does. That’s how I want to respond to God. When His Word establishes a boundary, I don’t want to wait until I see the consequences before I believe Him. I want to know His character well enough to say, “Lord, if You say there is danger there, that’s enough for me.”
Sometimes we judge God’s instructions only by what we can see at the moment. We may think, “What’s wrong with this? Everybody else is doing it. Nothing bad has happened.” But wisdom doesn’t wait until we’re falling over the cliff to decide the fence was a good idea.
The Bible gives us boundaries concerning our words, relationships, sexuality, money, anger, forgiveness, honesty, and countless other areas of life. God doesn’t give us those instructions because He is against our enjoyment. He gives them because He knows how life works—what strengthens us, what damages us, what brings peace, and what eventually brings pain.
Of course, we’ve all climbed over fences we shouldn’t have. We’ve ignored warnings, made poor choices, and learned some lessons the hard way. Thankfully, God doesn’t stand there saying, “I told you so.” When we turn back to Him, He offers forgiveness, wisdom, and grace to help us return to the right path.
So when you come across something in God’s Word that challenges what you want to do, don’t immediately view it as a restriction. See God's love within the words! Stop and ask yourself, “What does God know that I don’t? What might He be protecting me from? What good thing might He be protecting for me?”
The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve learned that God’s boundaries aren’t evidence that He wants less for us. They’re evidence that He can see farther than we can, and His reasons are always to keep us in His blessing! Maybe it’s time we started looking at His boundaries as protection rather than limitation.
Biblical wisdom is learning from God’s warnings instead of requiring life’s consequences to teach us the same lesson. At this very moment, many of you know what God has been warning you about! That's His love protecting you! Heed it!
“Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.” — Psalm 119:104 NLT.
Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me enough to give me boundaries. Help me trust Your wisdom even when I can’t see the danger myself. Give me the humility to believe that You can see what I cannot and the wisdom to follow Your Word before I have to learn something the hard way. When You tell me not to cross a boundary, help me remember that Your warnings are always for my good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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