The Test
Does God test people? Trace the repeated theme of testing in the Bible and see how God determines the loyalty and trust of his covenant partners.
Script
Adam and Eve Given a Choice [00:00-00:33]
Tim: The story of the Bible begins with God creating a beautiful world, and then sharing it with all of his creatures.1
Jon: And he appoints Adam and Eve to rule it on his behalf.2
Tim: God gives them access to his wisdom and life but then tells them that there’s one tree that they can’t eat from because it will lead to death.3
Jon: So they have a choice about how to rule with God. This kinda feels like a test.
Tim: Well, that’s because it is a test.
Jon: But isn’t that kinda cruel, for God to test them?
An Opportunity or a Trap [00:34-01:20]
Tim: Well not all tests are bad. Let’s say there’s a king who chooses you to fulfill a royal task because he wants to know if you are trustworthy.
Jon: Well, I guess that’s a test, but really it’s an opportunity to do something important and noble.
Tim: Right. But then let’s say there’s a rebel who hates the king and you and he tries to convince you that you would be better off not doing what the king asks.
Jon: That rebel is setting a trap.
Tim: Right, so a test could be an opportunity or a trap. And the difference is whether the one testing you has your best interest in mind.
Jon: I see. And both types of tests appear in the beginning of the Bible. God tells them to eat of the tree of life and not the forbidden tree.
God’s Tests of Loyalty [01:21-03:43]
Tim: Yeah, this is God’s test of loyalty. God wants to rule the world with humans as his partners, which means they will need to trust his wisdom over their own.
Jon: But then a rebel comes and tests them to eat of that other tree.4
Tim: Right. The rebel seizes this opportunity and twists it, so he can lead the humans into exile and ultimately death.
Jon: He turns the test into a trap.
Tim: But after the humans fail, God promises that one day a human will come who will pass the test and defeat the snake.…5
...And, as the story moves on, God gives a couple, named Abraham and
Sarah an opportunity to trust him by leaving their family behind, and to go
to a new land, where God will use them to restore his blessing to all
people.6
Jon: So this is a test.
Tim: And at first things go well. But Abraham quickly fails: he lies to protect himself, and then he and Sarah scheme to get a son their own way, by abusing one of their servants.7
Jon: Definitely not passing the test.
Tim: But God doesn’t give up on Abraham. He gives him one final opportunity, a test to prove his loyalty. God asks Abraham to go up onto a hill and offer his son as a sacrifice.8
Jon: I can’t imagine a more intense test.
Tim: And Abraham does it. but in the last moment, God stops him and provides a substitute animal in the place of his son. God then says he will fulfill his promise through Abraham’s family, because he passed this test.
Jon: So Abraham passed this test, but he hasn’t proven to be a fully trustworthy partner. We are still waiting for someone who can pass the ultimate test.
Tim: Yeah, and as the family of Abraham grows and becomes a nation,God continues to test them.
Jon: Like when the Israelites wander in the wilderness for forty years.9
Tim: They have lots of opportunities to trust in God to provide water or daily bread.
Jon: But they instead blame God and even say that he trapped them in this desert to kill them.
Tim: And so the rest of Israel’s story in the Hebrew Scriptures, is pretty much the same. The Israelites don’t trust in God and his promise, they’re not loyal, and eventually the whole nation fails.
Jon: So humans have an amazing opportunity to partner with God, but no one is really qualified.
Jesus Passes the Test [03:44-04:59]
Tim: And so all of this brings us forward to Jesus. There’s a story where Jesus goes into the wilderness for forty days and nights, without food or water.10
Jon: Ah yes, the wilderness! And there he meets a sinister creature who tries to trap him.
Tim: But Jesus trusts in God’s wisdom...
Jon: ...and he passes the test.
Tim: Then later there’s a story about Jesus going to pray with some friends, and God commissions him to go up to Jerusalem and to give up his life.11
Jon: So he goes. And on the night of his arrest Jesus took his friends and went to a garden,
Tim: and he told them to pray because tonight, he said, is “the great test.”
Jon: And he prayed to God, “Please let this test pass from me. But not my desire, rather, may your desire be done.”12
Tim: In this garden, Jesus shows us what passing the test looks like. He trusted in God’s wisdom, he loved others more than himself, and he confronted evil with good...
Jon: ...even though it cost him his life.
Tim: Right, Jesus offered his own life as a sacrifice, to cover for all of the failed tests of his people Israel, and of all humanity. Jesus passed the ultimate test on behalf of us all.
A Test From a Good God is an Opportunity [05:00-05:47]
Jon: This is amazing. But that doesn’t mean everything is gonna be great in our lives. I mean, let’s be honest, we’re gonna face our own tests every day.
Tim: Right. Jesus said every generation of his followers would have their own tests that will force them to trust God in radical new ways.
Jon: And these tests can be difficult and often painful.
Tim: But remember, a test from a good God is an opportunity. This is why James, a leader in the early Jesus movement, said that we should be grateful when we face tests and trials because they offer us a gift. It’s an opportunity to surrender to God’s wisdom, and to become more like Jesus, the one who loved us and who passed the test on our behalf.13
