The importance of Boundaries

Proverbs 23:10 “10 Do not remove the ancient landmark, Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;”

The hebrew word (Ghevhool/Ghebool) translated “landmark” is translated “boundary” other places of the bible.

Deuteronomy 27:17 NKJV

17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

Hosea 5:10 “10 “The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out my wrath on them like water.”

Why is it God against the removing of boundaries, especially those that have been set of old.

Is God really concerned about human boundaries.

To some degree yes, but there is a spiritual significance to this principle of boundaries and why God is strongly against those who removes this boundaries.

God creates things and sets boundaries

Job 26:9–10 (NKJV)

9 He covers the face of His throne, And spreads His cloud over it.

10 He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, At the boundary of light and darkness.

Psalm 104:6–9 (NKJV)

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains.

7 At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.

8 They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them.

9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth.

The same hebrew word (Ghevhool/Ghebool) translated “landmark” is translated “boundary” here.

The boundary was set when God created the waters, the light and the darkness.

The boundary keeps what God has created to exist in order.

What would happen if the waters passed over the boundary line. There would be destruction, chaos and death.

The reason we are able to not only live in the earth without fearing the ocean will one day completely consume us is because the ocean is respecting the boundary which God has set.

Imagine if there was no boundary between light and darkness, sudenly it will be light and suddenly darkness. We would not have day and night, as a result the plants won’t live, we would not be able to have set times of day and night and hence it will be impossible to live.

These boundaries that God has set over what he has created are crucial.

The boundaries of God’s creation

Acts 17:26 NKJV

26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,

God has establish the boundaries by which they are to exist and live.

There are certain boundaries that Govern our dwellings

Isaiah 10:12-13 “12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.” 13 For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.”

When satan wan’t to destroy people he removes the boundaries which God has placed when he created mankind.

The first boundary (the boundary between man and woman)

Genesis 1:26–27 (NKJV)

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

When God created man and women, that boundary was in their physical body.

The male could not cross over the boundary and become a female.

The boundary is reflected in the intrisic physical differences between the male and the female.

The boundary was also to be recflected in the apparel of the genders.

The apparel must not be the same

Deuteronomy 22:5 NKJV

5 “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God.

Why is God so admantly against the genders cross dressing. The man wearing womans clothing and the woman wearing the male clothing.

It is because this acts removes or obsecures the boundary which God has set between the male and female. This diffrence is not only to be reflected in the phyical bodies but also in what they wear.

We live in a world where this ancient boundary that has been here fo thousands of years is being removed. Not only in apparell, but also through surgical means people are crossing this boundaries.

The product has been confusion and chaos and eventually destruction and decay of society.

The work of the enemy

Isaiah 10:13 NKJV

13 For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.

The enemy through his cunning wisdom and stregth has managed to convince people to remove the boundarise of the the people.

The second boundary line, Between husband and wife.

Ephesians 5:22–33 NKJV

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The husband is the head is to reflect the headship of christ towards the church

The wife is to reflect the submision of the church towards Christ.

The husband is to lead his wife and family as Christ leads the church. By example and self- sacrifice that is rooted in love.

The problem.

Husbands don’t know how to behave as husbands or even a man.

They are selfish, they are unfaithfull, they are basically childish in many way.

Adam, had his problems, when he was confronted by God for his problems hi threw his wife under the buss.

The wife in some instances, has no choice but fill the void of headship left by her husband, though she will not succeed as she is no designed for that purpose.

The other problem is there are wives who want to be the head, and are bossy and controlling, the husband has no choice but to be the submissive wife.

This result in a dysfunctional family

The daughter will think in her subconscience mind that this is the way a husband should behave towards his wife, and the wife towards her husband.

She grows up to be bossy, and controllive wife, and the son grows up and marries a bossy and controllive wife and he becomes timid and submissive.

The basic repsect that a wife should have towards her husband and vice verse does not even exist today

Example of the phychiatrist.

You must respect your husband and vice verse just because they are your spouses, there is a line that must not be crossed.

The third boundary, Children and parents.

Ephesians 6:1–4 NKJV

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Children must be obedient to their parents in all things for this is right.

Children must know the basic boundaries that they must not cross

They way they know that is through descipline, and firmness

If the parents puts up with behaviours that is unacceptable, the children will register in their subconconsience mind that such behaviours towards their parents is acceptable.

Proverbs 20:20 “20 Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.”

“mə·qal·lêl” defination of the hebrew word is :to be slight , so to speak of your parents or with your parents, in very disrepectful way.\

The boundaries between us and God.

Within our relationship with God, there is a boundary line which we must not cross no matter what.

Hebrews 12:28–29 NKJV

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

What is it that we fear, what is it that we have to be reverent towards,

We must repsect God’s boundary line, and when we cross of the Line, God is going to reinfornce his boundary and that is going to be painfull. So you must respect his boundary and you must fear the punishment that will come to you if you cross over that boundary. Just like a Father desciplines his children, God will descipline us if we try to cross his boundary line

1 Chronicles 13:1–14 (NKJV)

1 Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.

2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us;

3 and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.”

4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim.

6 And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed.

7 So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.

8 Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.

9 And when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled.

10 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.

11 And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzza to this day.

12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?”

13 So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David, but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

1 Chronicles 15:11-13 “11 And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. 13 For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.””

Though Uzzah had the right intention, he was crossing a line that must not be crossed.

According to God’s Law only the levites are to carry the ark , and only the high priests are allowed to touch the tabernacle and the son of kohath carry them.

Therefore, when the boundary line was crossed, God acted and reinfornced his boundary.

God blessed Obed-Edom, because he ministered to the Lord Without crossing that line.

1 Samuel 6:13–21 NKJV

13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord. 16 So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; 18 and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. 19 Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up with you.”

The people of Bethshemesh and the levites there rejoiced to see the ark of the Lord that was in the hand of the enemy for more than twenty years. They sacrficed to God.

However and they did not respect God’s boundary and crossed over it by opening the ark to see what is in it. Curiocity killed the cat.

Sometimes our curiosity can lead us to destruction.

They Learned how holy God was when God smote them for crossing the line.

Boundaries within our ministry

When we minister there are boundaries that we must not cross.

God gave his people work to do within the boundaries which he had set.

Moses was to lead and he had boundaries which he had to keep

Aaron was to be the highpriest

Miriam was the prophetess

Sons of Aarrone were to minister in the sancuray and cover the utensils in preparation for travel

Son of Kohath, a levite, were to carry the ark and all the utencils

Sons of Gershon were to carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meetings with the gates and doors of the gate.

Sons of merrari were to carry the boards of the tabernacle and the bars, pillars and its sockets .

They were to ministery within the confines of this boundary that God had set.

The son of Kohath were not pass over and do the work of son of Gershon, nor were they to pass over and do the works of the Sons of Arraon.

Arrone was not to pass over and try to be Moses, or Miriam try to be him

God reinfornces the boundery and punishes thos who try to pass over it or remove it.

Numbers 12:1-4 “1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out.”

Numbers 16:3 “3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?””

Mirriam when she passed over the boundary line which God had set, she was punished.

Numbers 16:8-11 “8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?””

When Korah, Dathan and abihu and 250 of thier followers did try to cross over the boundary line which God had set, they were destroyed.

Conclusion.

The a live within the boundaries which God has set, Within our families and with God and in the Church