This is a Test

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.’”
Exodus 16:4

The Israelites had been on the road to the Promise Land for two months, they had been free for two months. They had seen the power of God at work when He divided the Red Sea. They could see that He was present with them in the cloud that guided them on their journey. They had seen God provide for them at Marah in the desert of Shur, and yet…

Every time they encountered an obstacle or missed the comfort and stability of their slavery they grumbled. Imagine the sound of two million people grumbling. At Marah, after providing water to quench their thirst, the Scriptures tell us that “There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.” (Exodus 15:25). The Hebrew word translated test in both of these verses is “nasa” is means: to test (usually to prove character or faithfulness). God wants to know if these people would have the character to be obedient and the faithfulness to believe and follow.

These will not be the last obstacles the Israelites face on their journey to the Promise Land. Unfortunately for them their character and faithfulness will be tested time and again. Sometimes, they pass the test with flying colors and other times… well they ended up wondering in the wilderness until a new generation would have the character and faithfulness to enter into the land that had been promised to them. It is a good thing for them that God is the God of second chances, of third, fourth and fifth chances even.

Scripture doesn’t tell how many times during the forty years they stopped at the Jordan River and possibly had an opportunity to cross over but didn’t, but somehow I suspect they may have had other opportunities.

God wasn’t testing the Israelites because He wanted them to fail; he was testing them because He wanted them to succeed. He wanted them to have the character of over-comers, people who by faith in God would face the obstacles of life head on and get past them to the blessings waiting on the other side.

If there is an obstacle, a test before you right now; trust God, have faith in Him and over come.

A Prayer
Father - Thank you that Your word reveals Your character, Your power, Your provision and Your faithfulness. Help us to have the kind of character that trusts You with every aspect of our lives. May we get to the end of our journey having passed the tests that You set before us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.