Do you think God trusts you? No, really. Do you think God trusts you? Has God ever tested your faithfulness to him? Would you know it if he has? Do you think you passed the test? Hmm. Let’s think about this for a minute.
If you read the Bible, you will find that God tested people. And he didn’t let them know their struggles were a test. A test of their faithfulness. Imagine the nerve. But he did it anyway. After all, God alone is God. He knows our hearts. He knows if we will turn to him in those moments of darkness. And he knows if we will turn away from him.
In Exodus 15, God decided to test the Israelite people as they were settling into a new camp. Oh. He didn’t tell them about his plan, but he mapped out the requirements for the test.
- Listen to the voice of God
- Do what is right in God’s eyes
- Obey God’s commands
- Keep all of God’s decrees
Seems simple, right?
Listen to the voice of God. What does God’s voice even sound like? Have I ever heard him speak? Have I heard his voice? Would I know it was God if he spoke to me?
Now. God may have spoken audibly to Moses. But God also spoke to Moses through a burning bush. He has never spoken to me in an audible voice. And I’ve never seen a burning bush.
However, I do have a conscience. I know when I do right. And I know when I do wrong. I know when my heart is pounding out of my chest and I have to choose which path to take. Which words to say or not to say. That is God speaking to me. I must listen closely and not close my ears and heart to God. I must listen to God.
Do what is right in God’s eyes. If I’m listening to God and obeying him, then I am doing right. If I’m not listening to God, all bets are off as far as what I may or may not do. And if I’m not listening to God, then who am I listening to? And does the speaker I’m following speak the truth? Would I know the truth if it hit me smack in the face?
Obey God’s commands. I think immediately of the ten commandments (Exodus 20:3-17).
- You must not have any other gods before me
- You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind
- You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God
- Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
- Honor your father and mother
- You must not murder
- You must not commit adultery
- You must not steal
- You must not testify falsely against your neighbor
- You must not covet
But those aren’t the only commands God gives. There are many, many commands that God gives in the Bible. God commands us to avoid certain things, to beware of specific evils. We are commanded to do things and not to do things. The Word of God is full of commands. We only need to look for them.
Keep all of God’s decrees. According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, the decrees of God are his eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose. They comprehend all things that come to pass. What does all of that even mean? One of God’s decrees that pretty much sums up everything says: Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4
It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them (the Iraelites) the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:25-26
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28
And then there’s Job. God told Satan to test Job. And he gave clear instructions on how the test was to be conducted. He told Satan what he would allow and what he would not allow. So Satan obeyed and carried out those tests as if it were his only job. He made Job’s life miserable and destroyed everything Job had worked for. He killed all of Job’s children and his livestock. Only a handful of servants were spared. Yet Job persisted in his faith in God. His faith held firm. His trust in God withstood every test that Satan threw at him.
How do I know that some of the troubles that come my way aren’t designed by Satan? Under God’s approval. I’ll never know this side of heaven. I’m not sure it matters who designs the test. God or Satan. The point of the test is to prove my faithfulness to God. I wonder. Would I be found as faithful as Job if I were put to the limit, as he was? I pray that I will be found as faithful as Job. Will you?
Mercy for the Day 