Do Not Test the Lord – The Ninth Commandment

Do Not Test the Lord

The Ninth Commandment

Deuteronomy 6:16-19

“‘You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has promised.’”

At Meribah and Massah Israel put God to the test. He had already promised to provide for them and had shown Himself faithful to His Word. In questioning His faithfulness the people of Israel denied His Word and sought to manipulate God through their leaders, Moses and Aaron (Numbers 20). They did not do what was right and, as a result, confirmed their condemnation to wander and die in the wilderness.

In a very real sense the people of Israel called God a liar and challenged His right to put over them such “incompetent” leaders as Moses and Aaron. They were not dealing truthfully with the Lord; that is, they were not relating to Him on the basis of what He had revealed to them and previously done for them.

Are we not all like this at times? We hear the Word of God, but do not believe it, and do not carry it out in our lives. Then we grumble and complain about situations and conditions, as if we somehow deserved better—that is, as if God were unfair. We are not relating to Him on the basis of His truth, but on the basis of our own perceived needs, finite understandings, and lack of faith.

We will not be true to one another if we cannot relate to God on the basis of His truth.

In this series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.