ACD Feature June 29, 2005

By Brian Knowles

eshua HaMashiach – Jesus the Anointed One – instructed his disciples (Hebrew: talmidim) to teach others what He had taught them. He said to them: “Therefore go and make disciples (talmidim) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19).

            “All nations” means the goyim – the gentiles. This process of passing on Jesus’ teaching to others, of making students or disciples out of them, was to continue to the end of the age. David Stern, in his Jewish New Testament, translates this passage as follows: “Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age,” (Matthew 28:19, Jewish New Testament).

            (Note: The late Professor David Flusser believed that the line above that begins “…baptizing them…” may have been a later addition and not original with Jesus.

            Jesus’ life and teaching were full of lessons that are timeless in their spiritual value and application. Those who are willing to seek understanding of Jesus’ teachings, practice them personally, will then be able to pass them on to others, thus continuing the process of “making disciples.” Ezra the scribe set the example in this. His process was “to learn, to do, to teach” (Ezra 7:10).

            One of the things Jesus’ modern-day disciples must learn to do is avoid putting God to the test.

Origin of the Commandment

It is taught in Judaism that there are 613 commandments (mitzva’ot) in the Torah. Rabbi Simlai explained it this way: “613 commandments were revealed to Moses at Sinai, 365 being prohibitions equal in number to the solar days, and 248 being mandates corresponding in number to the limbs of the human body.” The prohibitions are known as “negative” commandments (“thou shalt nots”), and the mandates are referred to as “positive” commandments (“thou shalts). Negative commandment No. 64 is found in Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah.” The name “Massah” means “testing” and it refers to an earlier incident out of which this commandment was formed. We find the incident in Exodus 17.

            At this point in the story of Israel, God had already performed the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea. Following that remarkable display of divine power, we read the following: “And when the Israelites saw the great power of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant,” Exodus 14:31). In Exodus 16, we find the account of how God provided food for the Israelites in the form of manna. By the time we get to the events of Exodus 17, the Israelites had seen stunning displays of God’s power to protect them, and to provide for them. With that in mind, let us now focus on the story of Massah.

            “The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink,” (Exodus 17:1-2a).

The Commandment’s Meaning

This wasn’t a simple request for water on the part of the Israelites. It was a complaint that led to a quarrel. Clearly they were expressing doubt about God’s servant, Moses, and they doubted God Himself, Who had already performed for them the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the miracle of the manna. Why would they doubt that he could, or would, provide them with water?

            “Moses replied, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” (Exodus 17:2b).

            Moses’ response failed to induce repentance. The people continued to doubt and complain: “But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?’” (Exodus 17:30.

            Moses, exasperated, took the matter up with God directly: “Then Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me,” (Exodus 17:4).

            God then instructed Moses to walk ahead of the people to a place called Horeb (“a waster”). He was to take his staff, and a group of elders with him. God then instructed Moses to strike a rock, which he did. Immediately water gushed forth from this unlikely source and all of the people and their animals were able to drink their fill.

            Why did God choose a rock? You’ve heard the expression: “Like getting water out of a rock?” It’s a euphemism for difficult. Clearly God wanted to show the people that nothing is impossible for Him. The issue is, why did they doubt God, especially in light of all that they had seen and experienced to this point?

            Once the people had drunk their fill, Moses renamed the site of the miracle “Massah” which, as we noted earlier, means “testing.” Moses added another name to the place as well: Meribah, meaning “quarreling.” The site of the great demonstration of God’s power was from that time forth known as a place the faithless multitudes has quarreled with Moses and put God to the test. In his comment about the incident, Moses explains the meaning of “testing God”: “And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7).

            The people did two things here: They quarreled with God’s prophet, Moses, and they doubted God, demanding that if He was truly among them He should produce water, and not allow them to die of thirst.

            Moses had already proven himself to be a true prophet of God. God had set his seal of approval on Moses, and by this time no one should have doubted that Moses was God’s true servant. His credentials were impeccable.

            In addition, God had worked directly through Moses, and performed some of the most incredible miracles of recorded history. Yet, the people doubted both God and his anointed servant.

Maimonides Comments        

Moses Maimonides, the 12^th century Jewish sage, comments on this commandment: “By this prohibition,” he writes, “we are forbidden to test His promises and threats (exalted be He), conveyed to us by His Prophets, by casting doubt upon them after we have learnt that he who uttered them is a true Prophet,” (The Commandments – Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth, Volume II, p. 63).

            Maimonides also writes of this mitzvah: “Finally, the Commandment also prohibits exposing oneself to mortal danger and expecting the Almighty to perform a miracle to save him” (ibid.).

            Another Jewish sage, Kimchi, suggests that even the great prophet Samuel at one point doubted God’s ability to protect him: “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.

            “But Samuel said, ‘How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me?’” (I Samuel 16:1).

            Part of the lesson here is learning to walk by faith in God, not by what we see around us (II Corinthians 5:7). The Israelites looked at the physical reality that they and their cattle were parched with thirst in the midst of a simmering desert. Samuel looked at Saul’s track record. He knew what kind of a man he was, and why God had rejected him as king. Samuel’s fear overcame his faith.

            When we look to God instead of to the physical evidence that surrounds us, we realize that with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). God can produce devastating plagues, and in a moment, lift them. God can open a massive body of water to make passage for a fledgling nation of ex-slaves to pass through dry shod. He can then bring that same body of water down upon a mighty Egyptian army and obliterate it. God can feed people with “angel’s food” (manna) and he can draw enough water to feed millions of people and all of their cattle out of a rock in the desert. Once we know that we are dealing with God, or with one of his true servants, why should we doubt, argue or question? Why should we challenge or test God by asking him to perform a miracle just so that we can know he’s there, or that he really has the power to act?

Nahmanides Comments

Nahmanides, another famous Jewish sage of the Middle Ages, also comments on this commandment as follows: “One does not need to test God’s Omnipotence by questioning the validity and efficacy of the Torah and mitzvot [commandments], for He has already established beyond any shadow of doubt the binding worth of His word in the incidents of Egypt and the desert. Whatever emanates from God is obviously perfect,” (The Mitzvot by Abraham Chill, p. 382).

            Chill also cites other sages regarding the meaning of this commandment:

            “It is forbidden to question whether God can accomplish specific deeds…” (Saadiah).

            “Do not test God by being good and righteous and then expecting your reward to shower down from heaven…” (Bahya ben Asher).

            “Do not ask God’s prophets to show you heavenly signs and miracles at your every whim and fancy. It is God’s own decision when He will show miracles and not the prerogative of the prophet. If this were in the power of the prophet, he would be open to ridicule when he could not perform miracles at every call and behest” (Hinnukh).

            “Once it is established that a man has fulfilled the requirements of being a prophet of God and a sage, we have no right to test him or question him, just as we have no right to test God himself” (Radbaz).

            Are you beginning to see the picture?

Asaph’s Commentary

Asaph, whose name means “Collector,” was a musician and singer in David’s court. He wrote a number of Psalms that have found their way into the Bible. One of them is Psalm 78. In verses 17 through 22, Asaph comments on the incident at Meribah:

            “But they [the Israelites] continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God saying, ‘Can God spread a table in the desert? When he struck the rock, water gushed out, and streams flowed abundantly. But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people...they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance” (Psalm 78:17-22, excerpts).

            We see then that to challenge God’s ability to deliver and to save, to provide or protect, is what is meant by “putting God to the test.” It is saying in effect, “If you’re really God, then do this, or do that.” Note the repeated phrase in Asaph’s psalm, “Can God? Can God?”

            In modern parlance it’s like saying to God, “Show me your stuff Lord, do a miracle!” Or, “If you’re really there Lord, do something spectacular to prove it.” If is also testing God to say to one of his proven servants, “Hey prophet, if you really are tight with God, do a miracle, heal someone, turn that water into wine or something.” It’s as though we’re asking God, or one of his servants, to don a leotard and cape and act like a superhero that just can’t wait to demonstrate his “powers.”

Jesus and the Pharisees

Perhaps now Jesus’ response to some Pharisees will make more sense: “Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, ‘Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.

            “He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!” (Matthew 12:38-39a).

            The world is full of people, including Christians, who say, in effect, “Do a miracle God, then I’ll believe.” Had they known God, and known his track record throughout Israel’s history, they would not have sought a sign. They would have known that the Sovereign Lord could “perform” a miracle or provide a sign at any time he chose; but God is not a genii in a lamp who emerges to do our bidding when we rub the lamp. Nor is he a circus performer showing off his talents for an admiring audience. God is utterly sovereign, all-powerful and omniscient. He cannot be manipulated into showing off his “powers.” God’s power is displayed with divine majesty and dignity, and only when it serves His purposes. God cannot be manipulated into “showing off.”

Jesus and the Devil

The mentality of testing God, and testing his prophets, comes from the darkest depths of Hell. Jesus said it was a symptom of “wickedness” (Matthew 12:39).

            In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, we find accounts of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. During the period of tempting, Jesus fasted. By the end of 40 days, he was extremely hungry. The devil, seeking to capitalize on Jesus’ hunger, tempts him by saying to him: If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3).

            Jesus didn’t take the bait in this temptation, so the devil threw another one at him: “Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your feet against a stone” (Matthew 4:5-6).  

            It is here that Jesus quotes the commandment that we have been discussing: “Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4:7).

            Jesus knew that to deliberately endanger himself in order to elicit a miraculous act of salvation on God’s part was to violate the commandment against putting God to the test. It’s like saying, “Okay God, I’m going to jump off this cliff, and if you’re really there, you’ll save me.”

            Now let’s look a little deeper into these verses. Most translations read, “If you are the Son of God…” The word translated “if” in these verses is ei in Greek. It is correctly translated “if.” However, the sentence that follows it is conditional. That is, it assumes the condition to be a reality and the conclusion follows logically from that assumption (cf. Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament by Fritz Rienecker and Cleon Rogers, p. 9).

            Dr. Robert Lindsey, a noted Synoptic scholar, says the word “if” could therefore be translated “Since” – “Since you are the Son of God...” Satan knew who Jesus was and what he was capable of doing. This fact compounds Satan’s sin. Jesus knew that if he took the bait on this one, he would be in violation of Negative 64 – and by so doing, he would have disqualified himself both as God’s prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15), and as our Savior (I John 3:5).

            The mentality that tests God is of the devil. Those who say, “If God is God then I want a miracle to prove it,” are thinking like the Pharisees, who thought like the devil. We can also see that those who take foolish risks in order to demonstrate their faith that God will act to save them are missing the mark; snake handling would be a case in point. God is not looking for spiritual Evil Kneivels. He’s looking for obedience. If he has promised to provide for us, He will do so. We have no right to test him. We simply wait, in faith, for his provision, his way.

            Someone once told me that the biggest little word in the English language is “if.” He was right.