Touch not, taste not, handle not
Colossians 2:21 “(touch not; taste not; handle not:
Colossians is an epistle written to a mostly Gentile church that stresses Christ…His glory and authority.
(Only once is the Spirit mentioned in this book…..when speaking of their love to Paul. Col. 1:8)
Paul speaks again and again of Christ…
…”Who is before all things and by Him all things consist….that in all things He might have the preeminence.” (Col. 1:17-18)
For this church was being influenced by a philosophy of “will-worship”….to puff up their supposed intelligence.
Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Therefore, Paul places before them, what Christ is, and has done, and what He has for His church…..(what better to look to, than Christ!)
Col. 1:27-28 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
….and so he stresses, “wisdom and spiritual understanding” from God….and knowing God’s Will.
Colossians 1:9 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to
pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His Will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding:”
Christ Jesus was to be the Object of their understanding and their love:
Colossians 2:9-10 “For in Him (Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:”
(The other day, I was “considering” some things….my word for worrying and letting my thoughts wander about them….
And the Lord said, “Touch not, taste not, handle not.”
Very simply, I was to stop wasting time on these thoughts….of what ifs…or perhaps….
….who knows where they would have led….and simply get about what I needed to do. What the Lord wanted me to do then.)
When we think of “touch not, taste not, handle not”….we think of boundaries….those lines of demarcation, which separate.
And that is what we are to do….be separated to God….from the world….and even from our own reasonings and self-emotions.
We are bound for something better, than to be “bogged down” with the things of our circumstances by thought or affections.
Touch not: this is to reach out in our thoughts as well as words and actions and see whether we want to get involved…as though you reach your hand out to take it.
Taste not: that is, we take something into ourselves….whether someone else’s attitude or rules….and think about following them…we just taste.
Handle not: this is the action itself….following after something other than the Lord’s Will.
Those things we are not to do…..so what are we to do?
We are to follow Christ,….it is God’s Will that we are to seek…”and whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” (Col. 3:17)
Colossians 3:1-2 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Colossians 3:12-16 “Put on therefore, as the elect (chosen) of God, holy (separate) and beloved:
Bowels of mercies, kindness (feel compassion for others, for sinners are dying everyday.)
Humbleness of mind, meekness (don’t seek the accolades of the world, but see things in honesty)
Longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And above all these things…put on charity (love), which is the bond of perfectness (the glue that will hold you to Christ and to the church).
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
(This is sometimes a hard one, for it means we work at giving up our worry and fretting about…and let the peace of Christ steady us)
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teachings and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
The last two verses say….”let”….which means that Christ is ready and willing to give us His peace and Word…..let us, let go of everything else and take a hold on Him.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 