The Testing Test
Deuteronomy 6:10-25 – New International Version (NIV)
10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to
your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large,
flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds
of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards
and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not
forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of
slavery.
13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your
oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the
gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God
and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of
the land. 16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the
commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he
has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in
the Lord’s sight, so that it may
go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, 19 thrusting out all your
enemies before you, as the Lord said.
20 In the future, when your son
asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws
the Lord our God has commanded
you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of
Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on
Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from
there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to
fear the Lord our God, so that
we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey
all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be
our righteousness.”
Who did the Lord swear to about the
promised land (verse 10)?
Who are the
Israelites to “be careful” not to forget when they “eat and are
satisfied” (verses 11 and 12)?
How is the Lord
described (verse 13)?
Who are the Israelites
not to follow (verse 14)?
Where is the Lord
(verse 15)?
What did the
Israelites do at Massah that they’re not to do now (verse 16)? (if you are
interested see Exodus 17:1-7 to read about Massah)
Why were the
Israelites to “do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight” (verse 18)?
How are the
Israelites to answer the question “what is the meaning of the stipulations,
decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you” (verses 20 and 21)?
Where did the Lord
send “signs and wonders” (verse 22)?
What did the Lord
give the Israelites (verse 23)?
When would the
Israelites “always prosper and be kept alive” (verse 24)?
What will be the
Israelites “righteousness” (verse 25)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this
passage?
In your opinion, what
does this passage teach us about testing?
Psalm 91:9-16 - New International Version (NIV)
9 If you
say, “The Lord is my
refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because
he loves me,” says the Lord,
“I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Why is the first word crucial to understanding everything
that follows (verse 9)?
What is the Lord (verse 9)?
Where
will disaster not come (verse 10)?
Who will the Lord command (verse 11)?
Why will the foot not strike the stone (verse 12)?
What will the foot tread on (verse 13)?
Why will the Lord rescue and protect (verse 14)?
Where will the Lord be “in trouble” (verse 15)?
What will the Lord “show him” (verse 16)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about testing?
In your opinion, what is the difference between putting “the Lord your
God to the test” that we are warned not to do in Deuteronomy 6:10-25 and
taking refuge in the Lord in Psalm 91:9-16?
Matthew 4:5-7 - New International Version (NIV)
5 Then the
devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of
the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said,
“throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He
will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a
stone.’”
7 Jesus
answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Where did the devil take Jesus (verse
5)?
Where did the devil have Jesus stand (verse 5)?
In your
opinion, why is the first word in verse 6 crucial to understanding everything
that follows (verse 6)?
What was Jesus to do if He was God’s Son (verse 6)?
What was the devil’s point when he quoted “He will
command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so
that your will not strike your foot against a stone” (verse 6)?
How did Jesus answer the devil (verse 7)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this
passage?
In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about testing?
In your
opinion, how does Deuteronomy 6:10-25 give richness and strength to Jesus
answer to the devil in Matthew 4:5-7?
In your
opinion, what can we learn about the devil’s deceit in quoting part of Psalm 91:9-16
to encourage Jesus to jump off the highest point of the temple in Matthew 4:5-7?
1 Corinthians
10:1-13 – New International
Version (NIV)
1 For I
do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our
ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the
sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud
and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual
food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank
from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was
Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of
them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from
setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be
idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to
eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We
should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day
twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some
of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not
grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11 These things happened to them as examples and were
written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has
come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be
careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has
overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he
will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you
are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
What did “our ancestors” pass through (verse 1)?
What were they all “baptized into” (verse 2)?
What did they all
eat (verse 3)?
Who was the “spiritual rock” that they all drank
from (verse 4)?
How did God feel about “most of them” (verse 5)?
Why did these things occur (verse 6)?
How did Paul demonstrate that some of the people were
idolaters (verse 7)?
What happened to those who tested Christ (verse 9)?
Why were people killed “by the destroying angel”
(verse 10)?
Why were these things written down (verse 11)?
When should we “be careful that” we don’t fall
(verse 12)?
What kind of temptation has fallen on us (verse 13)?
What will God provide (verse 13)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what
does this passage teach us about testing?
In
your opinion, how is saying “the Lord is my Refuge” with the Psalmist in
Psalm 91:9-16 a part of the “way out” that 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 says
that the Lord will provide?
In your opinion, how
is the command to not test God in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 made more difficult by
the devil twisting Scripture as he did in Matthew 4:5-7?
In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, Psalms,
Matthew, and 1 Corinthians help us understand about “testing God”?
In your
opinion, how can our relationship with God help us grow stronger when we are
tested and also help us avoid the temptation to test God?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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