Test God…Or Not?

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7

In the broader context, Jesus is responding to Satan’s suggestion in Matthew 4: 5 & 6

Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

I’ve been wrestling with this matter today.

You see, this scripture in my mind, conflicts with Malachi 3: 10. When talking about bringing the tithe to the storehouse, God challenges us to test him. The verbiage varies based on the translation, but the message is the same.

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!?

This morning, I was thinking, reading Jesus’ response…did Jesus misquote his word?

In Jesus’ response he is specifically referring to Deuteronomy 6:16

“You must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah.”

Okay, so on one hand, we are not to test him, on the other we are to test him. Is it any wonder people say the bible contradicts itself? Was my thought.

But, as I have dug just a little deeper into it, it actually doesn’t.

Here’s what I’ve learned.

These “tests” are two different types of testing.

Let me give you God’s word from his reference to the days they complained at Massah.

“At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sinand moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.  So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.

“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?”

But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”

The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you.  I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”

Note the “once more”.

In other words, “here we go again…”.

If you have kids you can relate to what I am going to say next. If you are a leader, over people, you can relate to what I am going to say next.

You know what I mean when I say “You are really starting to test my patience”.

Whoever you are uttering this to is standing on your last nerve. You are ready to break out a can of whoop ass. In other words, “ENOUGH ALREADY….GOSH!”

When my kids were little, Like 5 and 4, Jacob, 4, would seemingly work hard to antagonize Elise, 5. He was sneaky, and quiet, so you never heard what he had done or said, you would only hear Elise’s high pitched screech and then her yelling at him.

This was annoying and I grew tired of it with time.

This happened with frequency it seemed whenever they were playing with the Nintendo system we had back then.

The game system when they played it always seemed to elicit this type of situation.

“Kids, you’re testing my patience, if you don’t shore this up and STOP giving mom fits when I am at work by acting like this, you are not going to like the outcome.”.

I found it to be a bit frustrating whenever I’d get the reports from their mother that they were at it again.

The patience as a father I was able to muster grew thinner and thinner as they created trouble and havoc. This testing is, in my view, the kind of testing we are told NOT to do.

I think this kind of testing we are told not to do is a testing of the Lord’s patience with us. It’s pushing him to a point of frustration. To me, it seems this is the case and is made evident in the passage of Deuteronomy 6:16, but more specifically in context of what 6:16 references in Exodus 17:1-7.

I think what Jesus is saying to Satan might be.

“Uhhh, no. Not me. To do so is going to really test God’s patience. It’s a bad call. He’s going to be very displeased with my choice to do so were I to actually test him like that.”

Or

“No, that’s an inappropriate use of the gifts and talents I have, an inappropriate test of my abilities. I don’t want to test my father’s patience with me in that regard.”

In other words, I think we are not to test the Lord’s patience with us. That seems to be the message from my perspective.

When I was reading today, I then had a hard time grasping or understanding that on one hand, we are told not to test the Lord. On the other hand we are told to test the Lord.

I believe I may, through some thinking come to a bit of an understanding, although I am not completely there.

It would seem, from the way it’s presented, the “test” we are encouraged to do in Malachi is more of what I might call, a scientific test. Sort of a “If I try this, what is the outcome?”.

Or maybe another test.

One that might look like….

Dad

“You wanna see how fast I can run?”

Ed

“Sure”

Dad

“Get the Stop Watch and you’ll see what I can do”.

Ed

“Ready, set go…(starts stopwatch) and records result”

I am not sure, but I wonder if it’s more like that.

I believe the testing we are to do according to Malachi is more of a let’s see what happens if we do this. He said he would and he said to test him in it. So let’s preform said tests.

It is not testing God’s patience, hence rousing frustration and anger on his part.

From what I can tell there are a few ways to “test” God.

-Complaining constantly

-Laziness

-Continually sinning the same sin

-Not using the gifts we have been given by him (My big problem right now)

-Using the gifts we have been given from him in the wrong way or context (secondary problem for me)

-Worrying constantly/living in fear

-Constantly doubting him/what he can do/what he will do/how he loves us

All of the above, in my human mind create a “ohhhh….COME ON!” whenever someone I know is doing them.

I know in my case, I most certainly have been testing the Lord’s patience. You may be able to relate.

For years and years and years, I have known that Public Speaking is my thing. Speaking to large groups is something upon which I thrive. I love telling stories, I enjoy sharing life experiences with others, and most importantly, I enjoy encouraging others and through those stories I tell and things I say. I want desperately to help lift them up a few notches. Maybe even bolster their courage to step out, take a risk, try something new.

It is here that I have concluded I am indeed going to “test” God. He’s been telling me to do something. I have lived in fear of it for almost my entire adult life.

Certainly, as my Father, my creator, I do not blame him if in fact his patience with me is wearing thin. I am willing to bet I am indeed testing his patience.

SO, I am going to put him to the test. I have sold my business, Joelle and I are selling our house and most of our belongings. After which, we will purchase a small 4 season camper and we are going to hit the road.

We want to focus on building a presence on this website in such a way that through our photography, our story, and Joelle’s struggles and challenges in overcoming her Borderline Personality Disorder along with how I have grown through it can perhaps help others in the world to be encouraged.

I cannot do this, however, without really testing the Lord.

In other words, I am going to put him to the test by stepping out in Faith. I think this is in line with the test he encourages in Malachi. You know. “Test me and see what happens.”

I believe in choosing to act totally in faith, expecting God to guide and show up, I am, in fact, testing him, but at the same time, HONORING him.

As my friend Don Cousins says, “Faith honors God and God honors faith.”

Isn’t that faith? Isn’t exercising faith actually testing God?

Rob, Elise, and Levi standing at the edge of Observation Point in Zion National park

However, I won’t, while on the road, jump off, say, Observation Point in Zion National park in Utah, plummeting 3000 or more feet to the ground below “testing” God to save me and keep me alive.

THAT is actually just stupidity. I think doing this I’d demonstrate a way in which the testing creates a frustration and even anger in the Lords mind toward me.

While God can alter the state of physics on my behalf, this is just an exercise in pure stupidity.

I don’t think that honors him, one bit.

I think such action tests his patience as does perpetual bitching, griping, or complaining.

Same concept in my view.

I’m not sure I’ll ever fully understand this testing issue, but I am hoping I am getting closer.

This is my life. Perpetual motion moving forward as I try and further understand the simple complexities of walking in peace with the Lord.

Until next time…

rob out