Last week, I wrote about the fact that what ultimately causes us to go on existing is not our own efforts or our circumstances (be they good or bad), but rather God's powerful, effective, creative, sustaining word that accomplishes His will for us. As I pointed out in that post, Jesus' first response to the temptations of the devil in Matthew 4 expresses his confidence in the Father's ability to uphold his life by His word even when he has no physical sustenance. What is interesting and instructive is the devil's response to Jesus. The very next thing he tempts Jesus to do is to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple, because angels are sure to catch him. As William Hendriksen points out, in his commentary on Matthew, it is as if the devil is saying to him, "You trust that your Father will keep you alive by the power of His effective word as long as it is His will, whether you've got food or not? Well, then prove that you can't thwart His will! Throw yourself down, and show me that He'll sustain you!" But how does Jesus respond? "Again, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Hendriksen says, "The false trust in the Father, which the devil demanded of Jesus in this second temptation was not any better than the distrust he had proposed in the first."
We are not to be anxious about our lives or the lives of our loved ones. We are carried by God's word even through very difficult or impossible situations. And even when life is easy and pleasant, it is still God's word that allows us to continue to live. But it is also quite possible to have a false confidence in God's ability and desire to sustain us that makes us reckless, foolish and irresponsible. God is sovereign over our lives, but He has also gifted us with working brains and the Spirit's guidance. He commands us to ask Him for wisdom when we lack it (James 1:5). The Bible is full of God's revelation of true wisdom to us, and if we ignore or deny God's wisdom for our lives, all the while expecting that God will protect us anyway, we are putting our Father to the test.
Hendriksen gives some examples:
"A person will earnestly beseech the Lord to bestow upon him the blessing of health; however, he neglects to observe the rules of health. Or, he will ask God to save his soul; however, he neglects to use the means of grace, such as the study of Scripture, church attendance, the sacraments, living a life for the benefit of others to the glory of God. Again, someone will plead with the Lord for the spiritual as well as physical welfare of his children, but he himself neglects to bring them up in the way of the Lord... 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test' is the answer to all of this."
Maybe you're a student who "forgets" to study and then pleads with God to help you pass your exam. Maybe you're a mother who prays daily for the safety of her children, but is too busy surfing the web (or writing her blog) to effectively supervise them. Maybe you're a driver who can't imagine that God would ever allow you to be the one involved in a fatal crash, but you don't maintain your vehicle and you drive too fast. Maybe you're praying for God's provision for a big financial need you have, but you aren't careful with your budget, and when you get an extra little bit of unexpected money, you spend it on your passions instead (James 4:3)."'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test' is the answer to all of this."
None of us lives in perfect wisdom. Only Jesus has ever done that! And his righteous response to Satan's temptation is counted to us who believe the gospel, even when we give in to that very same temptation. And God is often merciful to speak His sustaining words even when we have been incredibly stupid, or just plain naive. It is also true that we may be a very godly, wise person and yet God in His good wisdom ends our life in an early or tragic way. But we must not put Him to the test, ignoring His means of sustenance and presupposing on His desire to give us life. Rather, in thankfulness for His continued care and revealed wisdom, let us press on to grow in the grace of wisdom, trusting fully that it is not ultimately our efforts but God's powerful and merciful word that sustains us, and using the mental faculties that He has provided, and relying on His written word and the guidance of His Spirit to make us wise, responsible, careful children of our Father in heaven.
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