November 29 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image. Deuteronomy 9:11–12 While Moses was on the mountain alone with God for forty days, the people were sinning down below. “I’m going to destroy these people and make of you a new nation,” God said to him (see verse 14). Would Moses accept the offer? Wait a minute. This sounds strangely familiar to another test after a forty-day fast . . . “Bow down to me,” Satan said to Jesus, “and the entire world will be Yours” (see Matthew 4:8–9). The similarities are neither coincidental nor accidental. Rather, they show us that what God uses to test us, Satan uses to tempt us. God tests us to work good in us, to show Himself strong through us. Satan, on the other hand, tempts us in order to destroy us. Whenever you’re tempted, realize that God uses what Satan means as a temptation for a test. Conversely, whenever you’re going through a test from God, Satan will jump on it and make it a temptation. James makes it clear that God does not tempt any man to do evil (1:13). Like a car manufacturer who puts his car through rigorous tests in order to showcase its capabilities, when God tests you, He’s not saying, “I hope you don’t fall apart.” No, He says, “I know what I’ve built into you. And I will not allow you to be tested above what you’re able” (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). The test He sends our way is not Him saying, “I wonder what’s going to happen.” It’s Him saying, “Look what I’ve done.” This makes murmuring or complaining or whining a sin. “Pipe down,” God would say to us. “It’s only a test. I know what I’ve built into you. I know the work I’ve done deep within you.” God knew Moses would pass this test. He wasn’t tempting him to sin. Rather, He was testing him, knowing he would come through with flying colors. If you’re tempted by Satan, God intends it as a test to see you through. If you’re tested by the Father, Satan will jump on it to tempt you. That’s why the Greek word for “test” and “tempt” is the same word. Moses would pass the test. Jesus would beat back the temptation. So when that temptation comes strolling up to you tomorrow, know it’s a test from God - and that He won’t test you above that which you are able. This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book A Pillar By Day by Pastor Jon.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:53:21 +0000
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