Genesis 22:1-19; 39:1-12; 1 Sam.13:5-14
It is common knowledge that life is very short. Not only is life short
but it is also full of very important choices that can make or break, lift up
or pull down, develop or ruin, improve or devastate, bless or curse, build or
destroy, enhance or diminish. In that short window of time you will have the
opportunity for tests that could promote you, bless you, enhance you, but which
could also have the opposite effect if you fail theses life tests. These can
come in the form life-changing decisions that you will be required to make;
circumstances that will demand your attention and action, choices that you will
make, and opportunities that come across your pathway.
The test of our patriarch Abraham is one very good example of how God
can test people, especially people He wants to bless and use. Abraham was
severely tested in the thing that was most important in His life – his beloved
son, Isaac. He passed the test. Other Bible characters were also tested at
different times. Some passed and some failed.
When God tests us, it
is so that He can bless, promote, advance and commit bigger things to us. It is
really important that we understand this message and apply it to our lives.
Abraham’s Great Test (Gen.22:1-19)
i.
The Severity Of The Test (Gen. 22:1-2)
ii.
His Prompt Obedience (Gen. 22:3-10)
iii.
God’s Response: “Now I Know” (Gen.22:11-12)
iv.
Confirmation of Promises (Gen. 22:13-19)
Abraham is our father by faith in Christ Jesus. God made him a promise
to be the father of many nations. God promised to give him a son through his
wife Sarah. This was fulfilled after waiting for 25 years (Gen.18:9-11;
21:1-3). Isaac was born. It was a time of joy and happiness, a time of laughter
in the house of Abraham. God’s promise had finally been fulfilled. Little did
Abraham know that God was going to test his faith in a much harder way. It was a very severe test. God wanted Isaac to be offered as a
sacrifice! He waited for Isaac for 25 years and now he has to offer him as a
sacrifice!
But now you will know why God chose Abraham to be the father of many
nations. God said earlier concerning Abraham, “for I know him…” (Gen.18:17-19).
God said to Satan “Have you seen my servant Job…?” (Job 1:8; 2:3). Job knew he was having a test from God and
was determined to pass that test of faith (Job 23:10). God knows you too…! If
you are being tested, God wants you to come out as pure as gold
Abraham was shining example on how to respond to the Almighty God. God
must have spoken to him in the night and early in the morning he took his
journey to mount Moriah.
Did he feel emotion? Did it stab his heart with pain? Well to answer
that put yourself in his shoes. Despite what he must have felt, he obeyed God.
Again God responded “Now I know…” Tests of faith reveal to us who we are, what
we are, our character. Whatever we claim to be will tested. You claim to be a
pure Christian? Wait till you have been tested. You claim to be sanctified?
Wait till you have been test. You claim to be holy? Wait till you have been
tested.
Abraham passed with distinction and God confirmed His promises to Him
forever. (Genesis 22:13-19). There is blessing in passing the test of faith
(1Peter 1:7).
Tests Of Other Notable Bible Characters (Gen.39:1-12)
i.
Joseph in Egypt (Gen.39:1-12)
ii.
Daniel In Babylon (Daniel 6:10-23)
iii.
Saul The First King Of Israel (1 Sam.13:5-14)
iv.
David The Man After God’s Heart
What young man does not know how severely Joseph was tempted by
Potiphar's wife? Joseph stood as a shining light for us today. God chose him to
do a great work. But before that work could be fulfilled some great tests came
to him! The action he took by fleeing from that evil lady is a great example
today on how to overcome temptation. It was not God tempting him for God does
not tempt anyone. The devil wanted to divert his destiny! Thank God he stood.
God used him to save and preserve a whole nation.
Daniel was tested many times in Babylon. His integrity is encapsulated
for in (Daniel 1:8). If you want to pass the tests of life and faith, you must
have a heart purpose! Daniel became a man greatly beloved by God. His position
influence in Babylon and Persia was instrumental to the release of the Jews
from captivity after 70 years (Dan.9:20-25).
Saul, Israel’s first king was tested by God but failed several times.
First because fear and impatience he undertook to offer a sacrifice before
Israel went to war – an assignment that was not for him. At another time he
partially obeyed God in destroying the Amalekites, bringing back to best sheep
and their king Agagg back with him. The Lord told His destiny was cut short.
His Kingdom did not continue. He died miserably.
David was the most famous king of Israel, well beloved of God. His life
was never free from tests. He was a great general, he was the most renown poet
and psalmist, he always asked God before making any important decision. He was
a great character. But just once he was tempted and he fell in the matter of
Uriah’s wife. Did that test have consequences? Yes, very far reaching.
Are we better than these men? Are judging them in these stories? Far
from it. We ourselves face many tests every day and, Oh how many times we fail!
And how many destinies have been truncated, cut short or terminated by those
failures!
Testing
Of Contemporary Christians (1Pet.1:7; James
1:2-4)
i. Deception Of (false) Prophets
ii. Difficulties Of Poverty
iii. Delicacies Of Prosperity
iv. Delay Of Promises
v. Decision On Priorities
When our GS preached a message with similar title several years ago he
listed some areas where we all could be tested today. These six areas can
affect any one of us.
False Prophets: How can false prophets be used as a test to us? Can false prophets present a test for true
believers? Yes. Jesus warned us to “beware of false prophets” (Mathew 7:15-20).
When God led Israel out of Egypt, there arose false prophets among the people.
They later became so prominent that kings were consulting them before going to
war.
Those false prophets operate by lying spirits (1Kings 22:21-23). They
deceive anyone who listens to them. Even the very elect, even seriously
committed Christians can be deceived if possible.
Poverty is another area of strong test for believers to see whether they
will trust God or not. Poverty can lead people into different kinds of evil –
stealing, telling lies, falsifying information, prostitution, adultery, and
fornication, to name a few. A real believer should trust in God even in the
face of such deprivation.
What about prosperity? We all pray that God should prosper us. Many
people can be carried away with their prosperity to the point that they will do
things not according to the will of God (Luke 12:15-21). Pride can creep in.
And they may begin in their empty pride to despise other people (Luke 18:11).
Delayed promises is one area that test many of us (Proverbs 13:22). God
has made you a promise through revelations or through the scriptures, and you
claim them for your own and waiting for them to be fulfilled, only for there to
be a long delay (Hab.2:3). At such a time your faith will be tried to know what
sort it is! Abraham fell at one point to this trap.
Perhaps the most difficult and most frequent of these tests is decision
on priorities. What are your priorities? How do you select priorities? Priority
tests will come in times when you need to show love, when you have an
assignment in the house of God, when you want to choose life partner, when
there is need to submit to constituted authority.
Many believers fail the test of patience (James 1:4). They are very
impatient we other believers. They will excuse themselves when they err or do
wrong, but if another believer did the same thing they will never excuse it!
Others are impatient with God’s timing, they want to run ahead of God, and they
fall into the many pitfalls along life’s way. What you do in these areas will
determine whether you will pass those tests or not, and whether you will be
promoted or not, and whether promises God’s promises will be fulfilled in your
life or not.
Today is a day of decision. Decision that if you have not passed God’s
tests of faith you will determine to pass them from now on. !I pray today that
if any destiny has been truncated or terminated because of wrong decisions God
would give such a person a second chance (Luke 13:1-9).
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