The Test
Today’s Bible Reading: EXODUS 20:1-22:15
Exodus 20:20
And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin."
God’s people had been freed from their long bondage in Egypt. God had borne them on “eagles wings” and brought them to Mt. Sinai. It was here He would meet with them. They had seen His power displayed in the plagues and now they would see His presence declared.
Moses went up to meet with God and brought back God’s message to His people. God called the people to obey His voice and keep His covenant. In doing so, they would be His treasured possession among all peoples (Ex 19:3). They all agreed to adhere to all God asked. What He said they would do (Ex 19:8).
Here God demonstrated His presence with the same display of His might that was manifest during the plagues. He did this to create faith in them, not fear. God was showing the Israelites that He was the same God that they had encountered in Egypt.
But that was not how they perceived Him. The last time that they had seen this kind of display of God’s power was during the plague of hail. (Ex 9:23). They were reminded of the devastating loss of life for everyone who didn’t obey God’s warning and take shelter from the hail. This time there was nowhere to take shelter from the storm’s destruction. This caused terror and horror to spread among the people. They feared for their lives. They assumed God was about to strike them dead.
Moses sought to calm the people. He tried to turn their fear into faith. He states that God’s intention is not to destroy them, but to direct them. God sought to develop a reverential fear for Him that would lead them to faithfully follow Him. He was looking for a people who would follow Him out of devotion, not out of dread.
God’s response to their commitment to follow Him was to set forth His commandments. These divine principles would direct the people how to avoid sin and how to please Him. These were not suggestions, but standards. They were given to make the Israelites aware of their sin and guide them toward obedience.
The commandments were also given to test their testimony. They had declared their willingness to follow the Lord. They had understood that along the way the Lord would test their will to obey Him. This was their test. It was a test to see if they would validate or violate their vow. It was designed to determine if they would remain true to their commitment or transgress God’s commands. Obedience to God’s ordinances would demonstrate their obligation to obey. Disobedience would declare their disdain for God’s directives. They had to decide if they would follow or forsake God’s law.
This is the same choice that we must daily make. God has set forth His law to make us aware of our sin and how to avoid falling into sin. We must decide how we will respond. Granted everyone who believes in Jesus has received forgiveness of their sin. They are free from the penalty for their sins. Their debt for sin has been paid in full by the death of Jesus. Yet their daily struggle with sin remains. We must decide whether we will constrain sin or continue in it. This is our test. A test of trusting God’s Spirit within us to enable and empower us to stop sin before it starts. Like the Israelites, we must choose our course.
Today recognize that God’s law is good. It directs you in what to do to please God and avoid sin. Thank Him today that our disregard for God’s law pointed us to Jesus who fully obeyed the Law and can by His death pay the penalty for our disobedience to the Law. Rejoice that God has given His Spirit to Christ followers to empower and enable them to avoid sin. Ask Him to help you trust Him in today’s tests.
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