City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

⁹ And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    to guard you,’

¹¹ and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,

    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

–Luke 4:9-13 (ESV)

You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.

–Deuteronomy 6:16 (ESV)

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

–Psalm 95:7-9 (ESV)

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord , and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord ?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord , “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

–Exodus 17:1-7 (ESV)

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses outline the temptation of Jesus to test God, and the supporting scriptures reference times of testing God in Israel’s history.

Firstly, what does it mean to “test God.” Exodus 17:2 gives us an insight: 

‘Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” (Exodus 17:2 ESV). 

Psalm 95:7-9 also refers to testing God as a hardening of the heart. 

From these supporting verses, we see that testing God connotes a contentious spirit that is unwilling to simply trust God. When the children of Israel were traversing the wilderness, they had already witnessed and experienced a multitude of God’s miracles and displays of His personal commitment to stay with them. They had experienced Passover which spared their firstborn sons and livestock, the parting of the Red Sea, which allowed them to break free from slavery in Egypt unharmed, the daily provision of manna, which kept them alive in the wilderness, among other such miracles. 

Now, they come across a dry season, and instead of trusting God to provide (as He always had), they quarreled among themselves and hardened themselves to God’s faithfulness. Testing God led to a rift in their relationship with Him, and they were doomed to wander the wilderness, never entering the rest of God. 

Fast forward to Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple with the same opportunity to test God. However, this time Jesus victoriously waits for God’s prompting, rather than impetuously jumping from the high place to force a response from God. Jesus trusted in God’s timing and direction. He did not need to jump from the high place because He was already securely resting in His relationship with God. 

Truly, it was His relationship with God that gave Jesus the endurance to resist temptation, stay in God’s will, and surrender His life completely to His Father in heaven–for better or worse. And that relationship is built on trusting, not testing. 

Application

Trust is usually built in small increments over a long period of time. The same can be said of our trust in God. Even though the Lord is completely trustworthy in every way, it takes time to learn to trust God especially in seasons of waiting and uncertainty. 

When the pressures of life come up, rather than worrying, complaining, quarreling, or hardening your heart towards God, what if you turned toward Him in gentle surrender? What does trusting God look like for you today? How would changing your attitude about God impact your behavior and the world around you?

Prayer

Lord, I admit I find it difficult to trust You especially when faced with overwhelming circumstances. In the times when my life doesn’t line up with Your promises, I choose to turn towards You. Today, when I hear Your voice, I will listen. In Jesus’ name, amen.