Part Three, Have We Also Tested God?

We continue our story with how the Israelites tested God, beginning with Exodus 32:4.

To provide some context, Moses was on the mountain with God, receiving the Commandments. He had been there for quite some time, and the people were growing restless. They were uncertain about Moses’s whereabouts. Consequently, they persuaded Aaron to create a “god” for them, which ultimately led to the events described in Exodus 32:4.

“And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’”

It appears that the Israelites needed something tangible to hold onto as their “god.” They sought an image they could point to that had saved them and brought them out of bondage. Something visible to worship and praise.

Have we created “gods” for ourselves instead of trusting in the One true God who has led us out of darkness into light?

I believe this subsequent testing of God is related to the Israelites’ ingratitude for all the Lord had done. It seems they were never satisfied.

Numbers 11:1 states, “And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.”

Have you ever experienced this? Perhaps this is what the Israelites were experiencing. Their problems were accumulating, and circumstances seemed to be worsening. They were so focused on their current problems that they couldn’t see a way out.

However, in times of misfortune when we’re tempted to complain, we can pause, take a deep breath, and pray that God would open our eyes, help us see from His perspective, and trust in Him to find a way when it seems impossible.

Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is be thankful in the midst of a trial, challenge, or difficult circumstance. But it is God’s will for us to be thankful.

Perhaps memorizing Psalm 9:1-2 might help. It reads, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

In Numbers 11:4-5, we find the Israelites testing God once again regarding the food they should eat. They are tired of the manna. However, some among them are deliberately stirring the pot to incite unrest.

“Now, the rabble among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, ‘Oh, that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.’”

There’s always someone who enjoys stirring the pot and getting people worked up. Someone who tempts us to believe that God is withholding something from us. They make us think that things were much better before He set us free, making us believe that the grass was greener than it actually was.

But remember, when you’re tempted to think that God is holding out on you, the devil is a deceiver. As Jesus reminds us in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The tenth way the Israelites tested God is found in Numbers 14:2-3.

“And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?’”

Go back to Egypt! Go back to slavery! Had they forgotten the abuse they suffered? Had they forgotten how they cried out to the Lord and He heard their prayers and brought them out of their suffering?

It’s all too easy for us to be swayed by the negativity and fears of others. It’s easy to forget all that the Lord has done for us and to disregard His promises.

So when you’re tempted to listen to the noise of the crowd remind yourself of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

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That’s all folks! Thank you for taking this journey with me to learn the ten times the Israelites tested God in the wilderness:)