Do You Put God to the Test?

When we go through hard times, what kind of thoughts about God come into our minds? Do we fight to believe that God is who he says he is, our do we grow suspicious toward God?

Deuteronomy 6:16 is unambiguous: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” But what does it mean to put God to the test?

Evidently the events that transpired at Massah—which means testing—serve as the cautionary example. And one thing we learn at Massah is that putting God to the test is related to thinking suspicious thoughts toward God.

Exodus 17 recounts what happened there. On their way from Egypt to Mount Sinai, the Israelites traveled through the wilderness. “But there was no water for the people to drink” (Exodus 17:1). A couple million people in the desert with no water—that’s what you might call un problemo. 

So what did the Israelites do? 

Remember, these were the people who witnessed the ten plagues God sent upon the Egyptians, the people who walked through the Red Sea on dry land (Exodus 14:22), the people who drank bitter-water-made-sweet (Exodus 15:25) and ate bread from heaven (Exodus 16). This was not the first time they faced a difficult situation. They had literally seen and tasted God’s miraculous provision over and over again.

One might reasonably assume that the Israelites’ response to a water shortage would be to turn to God in faith, humbly asking him to supply all that they needed.

One would be wrong. 

“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?’” (Exodus 17:2-3).

Wait. What? “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us?” (That should be read in an incredulous tone.) After all of God's protection and provision, that’s what they thought God was trying to do? Kill them?

Everything God had done for Israel, he did so that they would know he was the Lord (Ex. 10:2). He multiplied his wonders before them (Ex. 11:9). He gave them favor in the eyes of their oppressors (Ex. 12:36). He brought them out of Egypt with a strong hand (Ex. 13:9, 16). He fought for them (Ex. 14:14).

But Israel repeatedly maligned God’s character and alleged that he was trying to kill them.

“The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us” (Exodus 5:21).

“Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11).

“Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3).

Hard times tempt us to doubt God’s character and intentions toward us. At Massah, the Israelites warn us how easy it is to misinterpret hard circumstances to mean God is against us when he is actually in the process of working mightily for our good.

The antidote to thinking hard thoughts about God is to form our convictions about his character and purposes based on his Word and not our ever-changing circumstances and feelings. And God has provided the ultimate proof of his love for us by sending his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).