1145. Thou Shalt Remember How the Lord Led Thee to Prove Thee

Thou Shalt Remember How the Lord Led Thee to Prove Thee

"To humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no" (Deu_8:2, l. c.).

We now consider the purpose or the object of God's leadership. There are four distinct things said. Let us notice them singly.

1. The Lord led thee to humble thee. Israel was a proud and stiffnecked people. It does seem that their experience, during the four hundred years of servitude in Egypt, would have sufficed to humble them, but such was not the case.

The children of Israel had come out of Egypt under a true token; the blood had been sprinkled upon the door post; they were saved but not sanctified. The forty years of journeying in the wilderness was their schooling. During these years God sought to lead them into the place of humility. Israel, however, was anything else than meek. Time and again trials and tribulations befell them in order that God might bring them down, but each time they refused to profit thereby.

2. The Lord led thee to prove thee. That is, God put Israel on trial, He tested her. In former years we read how "it came to pass that God did tempt Abraham." That is, God tested Abraham, tried him, proved him. It is just this trial of our faith that is precious in God's sight. When testing has proved the sincerity of the heart, of the life, God gives unto us the crown of life.

3. He led thee to know what was in thine heart. The real man is fully revealed under fiery trials.

It was when Job had all swept from him, when he had suffered the loss of house, and of property and of children; it was when his wife had implored him to curse God and die; it was when false friends derided and bemoaned him, that Job's true worth was discovered. Then it was that Job cried out, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him."

4. He led thee to know whether thou wouldst keep His commandments. There are many who start out with a flourish of trumpets, and with promise of doing great things, but they quickly fall by the way. The seed upon the stony ground made great show of life, but when the hot sun of persecution arose it withered away.

A certain one said to Christ, "I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest." We have always felt that he took "back water" when Christ told him about the foxes and birds being better housed than was He.

Alas, how many there are who fall by the way. They join the church and they promise good things, but they soon do just as Demus did. Paul wrote of him, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world."

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR