Walk Of Life – Day 03, March 2022 – March With The Words Of Jesus Christ
Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” – Matthew 4:7
These words of Jesus Christ are quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16 in which Moses says to the Israelite “Do not tempt the Lord your God.”
Israel had seen God do great things in the past. He saved them miraculously out of Egypt; He parted the red sea; He sent them manna to eat. God also had promised to do great things in their future. He promised them all the blessings of Abraham; He promised to take them to a land of peace and abundance. The problem for Israel was the present. They were in the middle of the wilderness, and they had no water.
Israel’s reaction might seem perfectly reasonable. Given the lack of water, anyone’s natural reaction would be to worry. But Israel had much evidence from the past that God was powerful and trustworthy; Israel had great promises that the future would be wonderful. Why was this present situation so worrisome? Because at heart the people did not trust God. They gave no thought to what God had done in the past nor what He promised for the future; they thought only about their lack of water now.
Notice how Exodus describes it: “…they tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us, or not?’” The lack of water caused them to question whether God was really on their side. All that He had done in the past didn’t count; all that He had promised to do in the future didn’t count; what counted was the frightening present. God couldn’t really be there, couldn’t really be powerful and trustworthy, if He would bring them to a barren wilderness.
The question should have been settled already; God is there; He is powerful and loving. Instead, each new difficulty caused Israel to question His power and goodness. They “tested” Him by making Him prove His faithfulness all over again. Years later, Moses looks back on this event and warns the people: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.” This is the verse Jesus quotes when Satan tempts Him in the wilderness.
Like Israel, like Jesus, you and I are on a journey much like their journey through the wilderness:
We can look back at God’s kindness in the past. Each of us has personal ways that God has blessed us in this life. Most importantly, we have the Bible to tell us of God’s great love demonstrated on the cross of Christ. We can’t emphasize this enough. No greater act of love has ever been committed than Jesus’ death on the cross for us. We have every reason to believe in God’s goodness towards us.
We have great promises from God about the future. God’s people have been promised an eternal life of righteousness. What is more valuable in the world? The people of God have a great destiny.
Today our present circumstances are sometimes difficult. We suffer. We struggle with sin. We let each other down. Life can be painful, difficult, and disappointing. We are often led to ask: “Why has God brought me here?”
March with faith in your heart without testing the Lord.
