Test

             Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2) 

Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. (Deuteronomy 6:16) 

 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:7 – the cross reference for this verse is Deuteronomy 6:16)

 

“Don’t touch,” says a parent.

A child looks toward the adult with mischief in her eyes. She edges closer to a forbidden object. When nothing is said, she reaches out with a finger poised to touch, and looks at the parent again. She touches the forbidden object. She caresses it with one hand, then two. Each time, checking to see if the parent notices. She may draw back, to pretend she’s not interested, but she inches her way to it again. That is putting someone to the test.

Then, there’s the same child, told, “Don’t touch” who walks to another object. She may go through the same routine with this second object or she might say, “Touch?” and be answered. She may run this test with a thousand things in the house. One may be touched, another not. And the parent will probably lose patience. This is also putting someone to the test, but clearly, they are not the same sort of test.

The passages from Deuteronomy and Matthew above are the first sort of test. The test referred to in Romans is the second. It does not seek to violate God’s will, but to explore it. When Christians discuss God’s will, they tend to wisely suggest several ways to test it.

The first is to look at it in terms of God’s Word. What the Bible says – correctly understood – tells us what is and isn’t God’s will. The “correctly understood” must be included because people do things in the Bible that are clearly not what God commanded.

A second is wise counsel. A third is circumstances.

The challenge for me is to test God. It seems to me that I either plow ahead with the idea that God is welcome to stop me if I’m wrong, or I say I’ll pray about it. The latter usually means that I will end up not doing it, because I don’t pray all that hard, and I don’t really seek an answer. God’s welcome to tell me, but “Sorry, nope, God hasn’t given me the go-ahead.”

This brings the Syrophoenician woman to mind. She had a daughter who was possessed, and she heard Jesus was coming to town. Everything was against her. She was not a Jew, and she was a woman, and Jewish rabbis didn’t associate with gentiles or women. She went anyway. The disciples intercepted. They were there on vacation and if this woman got to Jesus, they knew the vacation was over. She kept begging. Jesus told her that He was sent to the Jews. He insulted her, saying that it wasn’t right for bread to be given to dogs. She kept begging. They went inside and closed the door. Curiously, they didn’t lock it or post guards. She walked in. She was shown God’s will.

It also brings to mind when David and Bathsheba’s first son was dying. David fasted. He wept. He prayed. His advisors were afraid he’d do himself harm when he learned that the child was dead. Instead, David got up, cleaning up, ate up, and got on with life.

I tend to be passive about God’s will. Once I am shown what it is, I may move forward, but – well, there’s part of me that thinks the best way to end up being told “no” is to admit to wanting it. How many blessings do I miss because I am too afraid to see if the door is unlocked?