Do not test the Lord Your God Deuteronomy 6:16

Satan chides Jesus:  if you are the Son of God throw yourself off the temple and God will send His angels to protect you less you bruise even your heel.

Jesus replies quoting the scripture from Deuteronomy. 

Why do we put people to a test?  Is it so we can see if they can really do what they promise?  Is it to see if they have the knowledge that we think they should have?  Is it to put them under some sort of stress to see how they will perform?  As someone who has been a trainer for more than 30 years with some of those in the military and I can answer yes to all those questions for why we put people to a test.    It always in some way shape or form comes down to the test taker’s ability to perform.  And we who are giving the test are then put in the position of judging the level of performance to see if the grade is passing.

And therein lies the rub when we put God to the test.  God you said you loved me and promised me and said all I have to do is knock and it will be answered; seek and I will find, ask and it will be granted unto me; so I tell you what, here is what I’m asking for, seeking to get and the door I want you to open when I knock.  And I’ll decide if you came through or not.  Do we not at times trying to put ourselves into the judgement seat, throwing out a challenge to God and demanding that He fulfill our wishes to our standard?

Jesus knew (knows) God better than any other living creature in existence.  He absolutely knows God’s faithfulness to His promises and knew that should he have jumped off that temple, God would not have let any part of him be injured in the slightest.  So why not answer Satan’s challenge and show Satan just how powerful God is?  Quite simply because if we truly believe with unquestioning faith that God will do what He promises, then there is no need for a demonstration. 

And finally, who is there who can adequately score the test that we would give God:  God the one and only creator of the universe?  God I know you created the heavens and those galaxies are amazing feats of creation but I’m only going to give you a B+ on meeting  the prayer and the steps that I laid out for you.  You were a little late.  I would hope that we can all see the absurdity in that! 

Our enemy Satan loves the phrase: If You really _______ then You’ll___________  how ever you fill in the blank.  God sighs.  For it is the height of arrogance for us the created to believe we have the wisdom to judge the actions of the Creator.  That we can give to Our Heavenly Father a grade concerning His plan for us.

It was and is right and true that Jesus Christ was called Teacher.  In fact, the greatest teacher of all time.  Our Heavenly Father also gave Jesus the title of “Grader”, that is judge of this world.  So let us learn from our teacher’s example.  Let us not put God to the test, rather let us strive to be the pupils that we should be; learning love, humility, mercy and worship.  That in the end we would hear the wonderful praise that bestows upon us the wonderful graduation:  well done you good and faithful servant.

Amen