How many of you boys and girls would taste some deadly poison if you knew that one sip would mean illness or death? We cannot think of anyone in his right mind who would do such a thing. So it is that poisons are marked with the sign, Skull and Crossbones, and the word POISON is printed in big letters to warn us.
There are also many harmful and deadly things in this world which God’s Word warns us about, and these are to be avoided, for they are as harmful to our souls as poison is to the body. The Bible tells us, “the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23); and “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:44Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4).
Our story today is about a farmer who actually tasted poison. Although he was an older man, he liked to try things out; in fact, he had been an inventor before he became a farmer. Then one summer he read how many people had died after eating some wild mushrooms they had gathered, which were thought to be safe to eat. He carefully read an article that both described and showed pictures of the dread “Destroying Angel” mushroom. It had caused many deaths and was so named because of its pure white and innocent appearance.
One day the farmer was in his field and there at his feet he recognized the very “Destroying Angel” mushroom that he had seen in the pictures. He was about to give it a kick, but checked himself, saying, “I’ll try it first, I’ll only taste it to see what it’s like, then spit it out.” How foolish he was! And yet is not this how Satan, the tempter and enemy of our souls, works? He tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, and tempts us, saying, “Just try this once,” although conscience would warn us not to.
There are many things in this world that appear pleasing and harmless enough, but if tasted will only bring bitterness, sorrow, and perhaps death, in the end. Satan whispers, “There’s no harm in it,” but he would hide from us the miry that sin brings afterward. On the other hand, a loving God and Father wants to make His children happy, and to bless them; “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalms 84:1111For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11). He would guide our feet into the path that brings honor to Him and peace and joy to our souls. At the same time, He would lead us away from the temptations and snares that Satan lays for our feet, to make us stumble and fall.
Well, the farmer in our story took a bite of the mushroom, chewed it up, and spit it out again. Then he went on his way and thought no more about it. Five hours later when he went to bed, he became aware of a tingling sensation in every nerve of his body, followed by painful cramps. The poison, although not swallowed, had evidently attacked his nervous system through the walls of his mouth. Five days later, having lost fifteen pounds, and himself surprised to be still living, he started to recover. He summed up the whole hard and painful experience as “the most foolish thing he had ever done.”
How many there are of us who because of our foolishness have passed through painful experiences, which leave only sorrow and regret. Oh, what sad results often come from our folly! What great mistakes we can make when we do not walk with God and heed His Word.
The Bible tells us, “It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:2323O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. (Jeremiah 10:23)), and we are never wiser than Scripture. We have a powerful enemy who would lead us down to eternal ruin, and only the Lord Jesus can save us from his power. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” 1 Timothy 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15) — to save us from our sins, from Satan, and from eternal judgment; to save us for heaven and that blest eternity with Him above.
ML 04/28/1968