Class Lesson May 7, 2023

4

The Temptation to Place Something Else Before God

Question 1:

Whom do you find it easy to brag about?

THE POINT

The greatest joy comes 

from exalting God.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

“If you don’t toot your own horn, who will?”

We enjoy those moments when good things happen to us. We feel good when we’ve accomplished something. With those accomplishments and good experiences, we naturally want to tell others. Unfortunately, in the process of telling others, our words can easily turn into, “LOOK AT ME!” We don’t have to utter those exact words, but it can certainly come across as exalting ourselves. Social media sites are overrun with posts that make the person look really good. And the more “likes” a person gets for what he or she has said, the better this person feels.

Self-exaltation is deceptive and fleeting. What happens when our next posting doesn’t get as many “likes”? We can feel defeated.

Jesus was tempted to exalt Himself in a way that was not right. Jesus certainly deserves our praise and exaltation, but He would not seek it in a way that was outside His Father’s plan. As we consider this temptation before Jesus, we’ll discover the joy that comes with making much of God rather than ourselves.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Matthew 4:8-11

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.

One thing Christians can look forward to is living in the presence of Christ in His kingdom. This was prophesied and promised centuries before Christ came to earth.

Let’s keep this in mind as we look at the third attempt by Satan to tempt Jesus. Satan is tempting Jesus with something that has already been promised to Him! So where is the temptation in that? The temptation comes in that Jesus could take the kingdoms of the world now—without delay and without the road to the cross that lay before Him. Satan offered a shortcut: the rule and reign of a kingdom without having to suffer for it.

Satan does this with us. He offers us good things—even promised things—but he entices us to obtain them in sinful ways. We see something similar in Jesus’s parable of the lost son (Luke 15). The son had an inheritance waiting for him, but out of selfishness, he wanted his father to give it to him immediately.

We often equate idolatry with worshiping images made of wood or metal, but idolatry happens whenever we place anything ahead of God. We can even make good things idols, because when we take something good and place it ahead of God, that is desiring something more than God—and that is the definition of idolatry.

Question 2:

What are some things in our culture Satan tempts us to almost worship?

For Jesus to rule over all the kingdoms of the world is a good thing, but to pursue that over obedience to the Father is wrong. Jesus rejected that and responded by citing the truth found in Deuteronomy 6:13: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

Satan is still very much in the business of idolatry today. His goal is to get us to worship anything other than God. He wants us to “bow down” to these things because he stands behind them. When we bow down to them, we bow down to the devil. Let’s consider just three good things God has given that get turned into objects of worship. 

• Money. Money isn’t evil, but “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10a). Satan uses our desire of money to entice us to bow down to him.                                                                                                
• Sex. Sex is a good gift from God, but God has designed a marriage between one man and one woman in a life-long covenant relationship to be the only place where sexual desire is to be satisfied. Satan loves to entice us to find sexual satisfaction outside of marriage.                                                                                                                                                      
• Authority. Authority is another good gift from God. He uses authorities to establish order in this world, but when we pursue power to domineer over others and sacrifice their well-being for our own selfish gains, we have taken a good gift and made it a god.

Jesus’s response to such temptation should be ours as well: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

Deuteronomy 6:10-12

10 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you — a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, 11 houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant — and when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.”

In the words of John Calvin, our hearts are idol factories.1 We are continually tempted to make idols, and this was Israel’s ongoing problem. So, God warned them that when they entered the land and found all the blessings that He promised, they were to “be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery” (v. 12).

This is also our temptation. We tend to forget God when life is good. And when crisis hits, we tend to turn somewhere else before going to God. Yet, if we will remember that God is the source of all good things, we could avoid the temptation to look to other things for the satisfaction only He truly provides.

For the Israelites, God was about to pour into their lives a host of good things: land, cities, houses, cisterns, vineyards, and olive groves. The people had a role to play; they were to take back the land that God had first given to their forefathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

This pattern of conquest allowed God’s people to enter the promised land and be provided with ready-made facilities—cities, gardens, and homes—in which to live and work. However, when all these good things were theirs, they would face the danger of resting in these things and losing their reliance and dependence upon the One who provided them.

Adversity doesn’t threaten our walk with Christ quite like prosperity does. When we get comfortable, we let our guard down. We are lethargic. We gradually replace a reliance on God with a reliance on ourselves and what God has provided.

The way to avoid this slippery slope is to do as Moses called the people to do: Remember! Moses reminded the people who God is: He is the Lord who established a covenant with them. He is the One who brought them out of slavery and into freedom. The people were never to forget this. We too must remember all God has done for us in Christ and all He has provided for our enjoyment and contentment.

Question 3:

What does it look like to be thankful in our everyday lives?

Deuteronomy 6:13-15

13 “Fear the Lord your God, worship him, and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the Lord your God will become angry with you and obliterate you from the face of the earth.”

Jealousy is certainly a bad thing when it reflects an envy of others. But jealousy is also a virtue when it’s a sense of protection over something that is rightfully ours. Jealousy can be a righteous response. When Moses described God as a jealous God, he was describing God’s feeling for His people, those who have entered into a relationship with Him.

Even as jealousy is a righteous response when someone is stealing another person’s spouse, God is jealous over those who are His. Marriage is one of the major images the Bible uses for God’s relationship with His people. And in that marriage, God is the always-faithful, never-failing, all-satisfying husband. By contrast, we can often be the disobedient, unfaithful bride. Because we are His bride, God is jealous for us. That’s a good thing! While we are continually tempted to turn away from God to pursue other “lovers,” He will pursue us. He will not let us go because we are His.

Question 4:

What can we learn from today’s passages about facing temptation?

Another way to understand temptation and sin, then, is as turning away from God to find satisfaction in something or someone else. When we turn away from God to find satisfaction and joy elsewhere, the Bible calls us “adulterous people” (Jas. 4:4). This was the temptation Israel would face as they entered the promised land; they would be tempted to chase after the things of the world, the things the pagan nations chased. To avoid this, the people were exhorted to do three things: fear God, worship God, and take oaths in God’s name only.

When we live as God calls us to live, we experience our greatest joy. Satisfaction never comes from pursuing other things we think might satisfy us. We can say no to the temptation to bow before the things Satan and the world throws at us as we remember this singular truth: A life spent in worship and exaltation of the One who loves us deeply will always lead to satisfaction.

Question 5:

How can our group help one another put God first?

Engage

TRUE WORSHIP

Our worship is seen in the way we place God above everything else. Using the word “worship” as an acrostic, identify ways we can show that we have placed God above all else (an example is provided).

W

O

R

S

H

I

Prioritize God above all else

“Every one of us is, even from his mother’s womb, a master craftsman of idols.”

JOHN CALVIN

LIVE IT OUT

The greatest joy comes from exalting God. Choose one of the following applications:

Expose your idols. Consider where you turn when life becomes difficult. Where do you look for satisfaction and joy? Identify those as idols and turn from trusting them. Choose to place your trust solely on God.

Give thanks. Write a prayer to God, thanking Him for all the ways He has worked in your life. Be specific about what He has done for you.

Meet together. Meet with one or two other believers of the same gender and talk openly about those areas where you might be tempted to look to someone or something other than God. Agree to stand together and support one another in making God the sole object of your devotion and worship.

Temptations to exalt ourselves are all around us. Our flesh doesn’t need much nudging in that direction. But lifting up ourselves is contrary to our growth as followers of Jesus. Let’s confess that as sin and exalt God instead. 

 

Class Lesson April 30, 2023

 

3

The Temptation to Test God

Question 1:

When have you realized “looking for a sign” was not such a great idea after all?

THE POINT

We can trust God 

without putting Him to the test.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

I was in elementary school when central air conditioning units were finally installed throughout the school. My family had not been in the United States very long, and I couldn’t speak English very well. I was new, but I already had a crush on a girl in my class.

For some reason the idea came into my head to ask God for a sign so that I could know if this girl liked me. The sign I chose? Because the AC unit was on a thermostat, it would turn on and off automatically, so I wanted the AC to come on just at the moment I predicted. I closed my eyes and waited and waited and waited, then I said, “NOW.” Nothing happened. Being determined, I tried again. Again, nothing happened.

We can still be tempted to do the same as adults and put God to the test. But because God is faithful, we don’t need to put Him to the test. We simply need to trust Him and ask Him for what we need.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Matthew 4:5-7

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”

When we’re afraid, we often long for God’s presence and protection. Satan would like nothing more than to use those fears to undermine our faith in God. This is what Satan attempted with his second temptation directed at Jesus.

With the first temptation, Satan tried in vain to get Jesus to question God’s provision. With this second temptation, Satan was tempting Jesus about God’s presence and protection. Forty days before this temptation, John the Baptist had baptized Jesus. At that baptism, God the Father spoke audibly and declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Jesus had no reason to doubt the Father and His care for Him, but Satan was going to try.

With the first temptation, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture. Now Satan tried using Scripture to his own advantage. Satan knows Scripture well, and he knew Jesus had come to save His people from their sins and bring them back to God. So, Satan quoted from Psalm 91, a psalm about God’s protection over His people.

This was not the first time Satan tried to manipulate a word from God. He did the same with Adam and Eve in the garden: “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1b). Satan used God’s words, but also distorted them. As Satan did with Adam, Eve, and Jesus, he’ll do with us: manipulate and distort Scripture. Satan uses people to twist Scripture and lead God’s people astray.

Question 2:

When might we be most tempted to test God?

Satan used Psalm 91:11-12 to challenge Jesus to put God to the test. If Jesus jumped off the top of the temple, which represented God’s presence among His people, the Father would rescue Him in front of the people gathered there, and they would see clearly that He is the Messiah. If Jesus wanted to be recognized as Messiah, this was a quick and easy way to make it happen. But Jesus didn’t need a test to prove God’s faithfulness, nor would He shortcut the path laid out by the Father’s will.

Jesus responded to this temptation by quoting Scripture. In the next section, we’ll look closely at the passage Jesus quoted, but Jesus acted on the command in Deuteronomy 6 not to test the Lord. Jesus didn’t need to, because He knew that God was with Him. He didn’t need to prove that to Himself, and He would follow the Father’s will in how He would reveal Himself to others.

Question 3:

How have you seen a misapplication of Scripture lead people astray?

Deuteronomy 6:16-19

16 “Do not test the Lord your God as you tested him at Massah. 17 Carefully observe the commands of the Lord your God, the decrees and statutes he has commanded you. 18 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that you may prosper and so that you may enter and possess the good land the Lord your God swore to give your ancestors, 19 by driving out all your enemies before you, as the Lord has said.”

Israel had no reason to put God to the test. So, as God prepared the second generation to go into the promised land, He reminded them once again of His promise of provision. God would bring them into “a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant” (Deut. 6:10-11).

God promised all this to their parents, the first generation that left Egypt for God’s promised land, but they put God to the test because they failed to believe. The Lord reminded them of one such moment in their history when they had camped at Rephidim on their way to Mount Sinai (Ex. 17:1-7). Despite all the signs and wonders they witnessed God perform against Egypt (7:14–12:30), despite watching God destroy the Egyptian army at the Red Sea (14:26-28), despite the manna God provided (16:1-15), they still complained to Moses that they had no water to drink. They became so distraught, they wondered if God brought them out of slavery in Egypt just to kill them with thirst in the wilderness (Ex. 17:3).

Engage

TEST OR TRUST?

Complete the statements below that reflect testing or trusting God in each potential crisis.

Health Crisis

Test: If God wants me to trust Him in this, then He better …

Trust: I choose to trust God in this because He …

Financial Crisis

Test: If God wants me to trust Him in this, then He better …

Trust: I choose to trust God in this because He …

Family Crisis

Test: If God wants me to trust Him in this, then He better …

Trust: I choose to trust God in this because He …

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.”

EZEKIEL 36:26-27

God had already performed miracle after miracle in His care and provision for the Israelites, yet they failed to believe God could provide them with water. How many more signs would they need? What else would God have to do? They expected God to prove Himself one more time by providing water. They put God to the test. They could’ve trusted God to provide water in His own way, say through natural springs and a well, but instead they demanded God do the miraculous.

The command for us is simple: don’t test, but instead, trust. Immediately after the command, “Do not test,” the Israelites were told to “carefully observe the commands of the Lord your God. . . . Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight.” God wants to bless us, as He wanted to bless the Israelites, but we can only experience those blessings as we trust Him and obey His word. No test is necessary when we’re living fully in obedience to Him.

Question 4:

How does an obedient faith keep us from testing God?

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

20 “When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 tell him, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household, 23 but he brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that he swore to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the Lord our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. 25 Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’ ”

Not only were the Israelites to be faithful and obedient to God, but they were also to teach their children to do the same. If they wanted their children to experience God’s goodness and faithfulness, they must teach them to keep the covenant. They were to teach them God’s Word. This is what Moses had told them earlier: “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children” (Deut. 6:6-7a).

But it wasn’t enough for the children and succeeding generations to know what to do; they needed to know why they were doing it. The “why” motivates the “what”! Tradition is often viewed in a bad light, but tradition can be a vital part of the Christian faith. The danger with tradition is when we do things simply because it is tradition, and we’ve lost the meaning and significance of how that became a tradition to begin with. As one generation hands down truths and practices to the next generation, it’s important to also hand down the “why” of those practices.

We’re not Israel under the old covenant, but we serve the same God. Their history is a part of our history. The story of redemption was carried out completely in Christ; God established a new covenant through the blood of His Son. One of the glorious promises of the new covenant that Jesus established by His blood is a new heart and God’s indwelling Spirit.

Jesus kept the law for us. He died for us. He rose again. He forgives. He gives new life. In every step along the way, it is God who took the initiative. How do we respond to this great deliverance? The Israelites were to respond to God’s work for them with obedience and fear, submission and trust. It’s the same for us.

Question 5:

What’s an example of obedience to God’s commands producing goodness in your life?

LIVE IT OUT

We can trust God without putting Him to the test. Choose one of the following applications:

Confess. If there are areas of your life where you live with uncertainty and are tempted to put God to the test, confess that as wrong. Acknowledge that you don’t need to act in a way that tries to “force” God to act in the way you want Him to act. Ask God to help you simply trust Him.

Memorize. Choose a verse or two that emphasizes the value of trusting God and memorize them. Here’s an example: “You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you” (Isa. 26:3).

Challenge. If you know someone who is presuming upon God to act in a way that justifies his or her actions, challenge this person to see why Jesus wouldn’t put God to such a test. Encourage this person to trust God to work in His own perfect way and in His timing.

There are many ways people put God to the test, from the silly to the serious. But there’s no reason for us to give in to the temptation to test God. When we look at all He has done for us through Jesus, we can trust that He is there, He takes care of us, and His plans are the best for us. We experience God’s goodness and faithfulness as we obey His Word. 

Teacher's Notes:

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Sometimes the way ahead can be so challenging that we’ll look for another way around our circumstances — even if it means twisting the truth to get there. We might even justify our path by thinking it leads to the same place, anyway, even asking God to bless it. That’s testing God and it’s not God’s way. Often God’s plan is for us to take that difficult path, but it’s during those journeys that we are molded and shaped to be more like Christ.

What does it mean to test God?

In the Bible, there are examples of both an acceptable and unacceptable kind of testing God. It’s acceptable to “test” God in regard to tithes and offerings, for example, but unacceptable when the test is rooted in doubt.

 

Malachi 3:10 says,

“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’” This is the only situation given in the Bible in which God tells His people to “test” Him. Interestingly, the Hebrew word used for “test” in this verse is bachan, which means “to examine, scrutinize, or prove (as in gold, persons, or the heart).” Just as gold is “tested” with fire to prove its quality, God invites Israel to test Him in tithes and offerings and see that He proves His faithfulness in response.

 

 

 

 

Bachan

Examine, scrutinize, or prove as in gold, persons, or the heart.

God invites Israel to test Him in tithes and offerings and see that He proves His faithfulness in response.

 

There is another Hebrew word for “test” used elsewhere in the Bible. Nacah means “to put to the test, try, or tempt.” It is used in Deuteronomy 6:16, where God commands Israel to not test Him: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.”

 

Nacah

To put to the test, try, or tempt.

An unacceptable kind of testing is when doubt leads us to demand something of God to prove Himself to us.

 

 

 

 

Satan tempts Jesus to see if he could lead Jesus to test God at the point of His Word.

He quotes Psalm 91:11-12

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 

God’s word does state a promise of God’s protection to those who are in His care. However, the devil distorts the context. The psalmist was referring to those who stumble and fall, not those who deliberately jump from something and dare God to take care of them. Such is not faith in God; it is utter foolishness.

We can be tempted to test God for our own purposes.

 

 

Let’s read…

 

Deuteronomy 6:16-19

“Do not test the Lord your God as you tested him at Massah. Carefully observe the commands of the Lord your God, the decrees and statutes he has commanded you. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that you may prosper and so that you may enter and possess the good land the Lord your God swore to give your ancestors, by driving out all your enemies before you, as the Lord has said.”

 

This second, unacceptable kind of testing is when doubt leads us to demand something of God to prove Himself to us. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 in the wilderness, in response to one of Satan’s temptations. “The devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”’” (Matthew 4:7–10). Essentially, the devil was telling Jesus to “prove” God’s Word was true by forcing God’s hand—if Jesus was in peril, God would have to save Him. Jesus refused to test God in such a way. We are to accept God’s Word by faith, without requiring a sign (see Luke 11:29). God’s promises are there for us when we need them; to manipulate situations in an attempt to coerce God into fulfilling His promises is evil.

 

The occasion where the Israelites tested God at Massah is found in Exodus 17. As God was leading Moses and His people toward the Promised Land, they camped at a place where there was no water. The Israelites’ immediate reaction was to grumble against God and quarrel with Moses (Exodus 17:1–3). Their lack of trust in God to take care of them is evident in their accusations toward Moses: “They said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?’” (Exodus 17:3). The Israelites were obviously in a situation where they needed God to intervene. The point at which they tested God, though, is when doubt and fear overtook them and they came to the conclusion that God had abandoned them (see Exodus 17:7). They questioned God’s reliability because He was not meeting their expectations.

 

The command here for us is simple: don’t test, but instead, trust.

 

The difference between these two kinds of testing God is faith. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). The Israelites at Massah tested God because they lacked faith in Him. The Israelites in Malachi’s day were invited to test God because they had faith in Him.

 

Faith, by definition, takes risk. When true faith is present, obedience follows. It is that faith-inspired action of obedience that God loves. As seen in the example of Israel’s tithes and offerings, when we give out of our faith in who God is, He proves Himself to be faithful. By contrast, when we view God through our doubt and demand something of Him as a way of determining whether or not He can be trusted, we’re in danger of testing God (see Mark 8:11–12).

 

The temptation Jesus faced was to test God.

He refused because doing so was not the kind of relationship He had with His Father, whom He trusted. Such is to be our relationship with God as well. Rather than test Him, we trust Him. However, at least one time the Lord invited the faithful to “prove me now herewith” (Mal. 3:10). Other translations render the word prove (bahan) as “test” (CSB, ESV, NIV). The difference is significant.

·      Testing God with complaining, rebellion, and unbelief as Israel did at Massah and Meribah (Ex. 17:1-7; Deut. 6:16; Ps. 95:8-9) is a sin against God.

·      Testing or proving His faithfulness with our obedience is a way in which we see His authenticity as the Lord God.

 

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

“When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. Before our eyes the Lord inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household, but he brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that he swore to our ancestors. The Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the Lord our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’”

 

Not only were the Israelites to be faithful and obedient to God, but they were also to teach their children to do the same. If they wanted their children to experience God’s goodness and faithfulness, they must teach them to keep the covenant. They were to teach them God’s Word.

The Bible gives us examples of acceptable and unacceptable ways of testing God. 

 

Many times, we test God because we doubt Him. A test rooted in unbelief is unacceptable.

 

Like Israel, like Jesus, you and I are on a journey much like their journey through the wilderness:

·      We can look back at God’s kindness in the past. Each of us has personal ways that God has blessed us in this life. Most importantly, we have the Bible to tell us of God’s great love demonstrated on the cross of Christ. We can’t emphasize this enough. No greater act of love has ever been committed than Jesus’ death on the cross for us. We have every reason to believe in God’s goodness towards us.

·      We have great promises from God about the future. God’s people have been promised an eternal life of righteousness. What is more valuable in the world? The people of God have a great destiny.

 

Today our present circumstances are sometimes difficult. We suffer. We struggle with sin. We let each other down. Life can be painful, difficult, and disappointing. We are often led to ask: “Why has God brought me here?”

Moses tells us – Jesus tells us – that we must not put God to the test. To test God means much more than trying to get Him to do a miracle; to test God is to insist that He prove that He is trustworthy. To test God is to look at today’s difficulties and say, “A loving God would never let me suffer in this way. Maybe if things get better, then I can trust Him.” To test God is to ask, as Israel did, “Is God with us or not?” God has shown us that He is with us; He has nothing to prove to us. If we refuse to see it, we are as blind as Israel was in the wilderness.

 

Israel and Jesus were not in the wilderness by accident; God led them there. Neither is it an accident when life pushes hard at believers today. We can, if we choose, interpret our troubles as evidence of God’s indifference. We would be wrong. Because God loves us, He uses our troubles to confront us with the spiritual issues we would rather ignore. Our eternal destiny is riding on the choices we are making today: will we trust God in the midst of our troubles, or will we put Him to the test?

 

 

Conclusion

 

To test God overlooks His past faithfulness and dares Him to act in defense of His holiness. Jesus would not dare do that by jumping from a pinnacle and daring God to rescue Him. Jesus’ mission was to bring glory to His Father but not through spectacular events but through faithful obedience to His calling.

 

WE CAN TRUST GOD WITHOUT PUTTING HIM TO THE TEST.