THE GOD WHO TESTS
Deuteronomy 8:2, "And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, TESTING YOU TO KNOW WHAT WAS IN YOUR HEART, whether you would keep his commandments or not."
The God of the Bible is a God who tests our faith and obedience. The Scripture in Deuteronomy 8:2 clearly reveals that God tests the hearts of His people in the furnace of affliction. Let me share few more Scriptures with you.
Genesis 22:1-2 records - After these things God TESTED Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
The psalmist acknowledged, "For you, O God, have TESTED us; you have tried us as silver is tried" (Ps. 66:10).
In his parable of the sower, the Lord Jesus explains a superficial conversion in this way, "And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of TESTING fall away" (Luke 8:13).
Peter comforted the afflicted believers, "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the TESTED genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6-7).
Similarly, James wrote to the believers under trials, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the TESTING of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (Jas. 1:1-4).
Dear readers, God is not simply flattered by our words and passion. He tests our heart and sincerity. When we are devoted to Him in times of testing and not fall away from our faith and obedience to Him, God would be greatly pleased and takes great delight in us.
Does God find our faith and obedience to be genuine when He tests us?
One may wonder, "When God knows all things, why should He test us to know our heart?" The next lesson answers this question.
Lesson Seven
DOES GOD KNOW ALL THINGS?
Deuteronomy 8:2, "And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, TESTING YOU TO KNOW WHAT WAS IN YOUR HEART, whether you would keep his commandments or not."
DOES GOD KNOW ALL THINGS?
Deuteronomy 8:2, "And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, TESTING YOU TO KNOW WHAT WAS IN YOUR HEART, whether you would keep his commandments or not."
One of the majestic attributes of God is His omniscience, meaning, He knows all things. David specifically stated, "Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether" (Ps. 139:4).
So when God knows all things, why should He test to know what's in the heart?
Some try to justify this by saying that God wants us to know our own heart. If that's the case, the Scripture would say God tested your heart to expose it to yourself. But the Scripture says God tested to know what's in your heart. I think God knew the grammar well when He inspired His authors:-)
Some try to justify this by saying that God wants us to know our own heart. If that's the case, the Scripture would say God tested your heart to expose it to yourself. But the Scripture says God tested to know what's in your heart. I think God knew the grammar well when He inspired His authors:-)
Words fall short to describe the mysterious works of God. For our understanding, let me use the words "intellectual knowledge" and "experiential knowledge".
God in His intellectual knowledge knows all things. He is ignorant of nothing. All eternity is laid bare before His infinite mind. However, when the Scripture says God tested to know what's in your heart, it means, He desired to know by experience, bringing into reality what's in the heart.
Moreover, when Abraham proved himself faithful by obeying God, the angel of God said, "NOW I KNOW that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me" (Gen. 22:12).
Doesn't God know beforehand that Abraham feared Him? He did. But He knew by experience that Abraham feared God when in reality he was willing to offer his son Isaac on the altar for the Lord's sake.
The word "know" in these contexts speaks about God's experiential knowledge. God knows all things, but He also wants to experience the things He knows by bringing them into reality.
Lesson Eight
WHERE GOD GUIDES HE PROVIDES
Deuteronomy 8:2, "And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD YOUR GOD HAS LED YOU THESE FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not."
The Scripture not only speaks about God leading His people in the wilderness, but it also reveals of God's providence in the wilderness.
Verse 3 shows that God provided them with manna. Verse 4 tells that their clothes did not wear out on them and their foot did not swell those forty years. Verse 15 reminds how God protected them from predators and provided them water from the rock. Above all, the Lord's glorious presence was with them.
What do we learn from this Scripture?
God not only takes us through suffering, but also sustains us in it. He will not let us suffer alone in difficulties. He will not leave us nor forsake us. He will be with us and provides our every need to remain strong and to walk victoriously in the wilderness.
The famous Psalm 23 of David affirms God's presence and providence in our troubles, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (v.4).
Paul also encourages, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
Therefore, let us not lose heart in our journey in the wilderness. Let us not give ourselves to unbelief and bitterness. God is with us. He is good and faithful. Where He guides, He also provides. Hallelujah!
Lesson Nine
LED TO LEAD
Deuteronomy 8:2, "And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD YOUR GOD HAS LED YOU these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not."
How did the Lord lead the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years? We know that Moses was God's chosen leader to lead His people. Psalm 77:20 says, "You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron."
Interestingly, before leading the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years, Moses himself was in the wilderness for forty years.
When he was forty years old, Moses wanted to save his people, supposing God was giving them salvation by his hand (Acts 7:25). But he wasn't ready yet. After killing the Egyptian, he fled to Midian and lived in its wilderness.
Then after forty years, the Lord visited Moses and used him to deliver His people from the bondage of Egypt and led them through the wilderness to humble them for forty years. (Acts 7:30; Deut. 8:2)
What principle do we learn from Moses' life?
Before leading others in His ways, God leads us and teaches us His ways. Before humbling others, God humbles us. Before breaking others, God breaks us. We are not ready for ministering to others unless we are first ministered by God.
God will not bypass us (ignoring to humble us) and use us to humble others. Remember, He will not work THROUGH us unless He first works IN us. Those who are well trained in the wilderness would lead others well in the wilderness.
Charles H. Spurgeon rightly said, "The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction."
Lesson Ten
REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER
Deuteronomy 8:2, "And YOU SHALL REMEMBER the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not."
We are in the final, tenth lesson from this Scripture.
Moses commanded the Israelites to remember how the Lord had set them free from the tormenting bondage of Egypt and led them in the wilderness for forty years to teach them humility.
The word "remember" means "don't forget" or "keep in mind". This doesn't just speak about intellectually storing the things in mind, but also taking the things God has taught seriously to heart and be diligent in following them.
Regretfully, the Israelites forgot God's lessons and discipline after their entrance into the Promised Land. After sufficient exhortation and warning through His prophets, the Lord had to send them on exile in their enemy’s territory and again teach them humility.
What do we learn from the failure of Israel?
The Lord's ways, His teachings and His discipline are precious and good for us. We must remember them and be diligent in living accordingly by the divine power He has given us. We should not allow negligence or casual attitude to creep and grow in us.
It is good for us to deeply value the lessons God teaches and be careful in following them. When we humbly walk with God, He will take us from glory to glory. Nevertheless, we sinful people often forget God's work of humility in us and slip into complacency and arrogance.
Now, here is the point - if we forget God's works and ways which He teaches in the wilderness to humble us, we may have to go back to the wilderness to start all over again the lessons of humility.
"Heavenly Father, how good and gracious You are towards us. You are the God who loves us and desires to mold us into Your likeness. We learn that unless we become humble, we would never reflect Your character and glory. So Lord, break us, melt us, and mold us, through whatever means, to become humble vessels. May we decrease, and Your Name be exalted forever and ever. In Jesus Name. Amen."
CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE
Prayer
"Heavenly Father, how good and gracious You are towards us. You are the God who loves us and desires to mold us into Your likeness. We learn that unless we become humble, we would never reflect Your character and glory. So Lord, break us, melt us, and mold us, through whatever means, to become humble vessels. May we decrease, and Your Name be exalted forever and ever. In Jesus Name. Amen."
CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE
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