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“Jesus answered him, *‘It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’*”
— Matthew 4:7 (quoting Deuteronomy 6:16)
Deuteronomy 6:16 says:
> “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.”
And the background is recorded in Exodus 17:2–7:
> “So the people quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water that we may drink.’
> And Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ …
> He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel,
> and because they tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us, or not?’”
The central theme in the lyrics and in these passages is this:
God requires trust without testing.
We are not permitted to set conditions for our obedience. We are called to trust His character and His Word, not to demand signs or proofs.
The song keeps repeating:
> “Do not test the Lord your God—
> trust His word, stand on His promise.
> He is faithful, He is true—
> don’t demand a sign from Him.”
That is a spiritual dividing line. On one side is humble faith. On the other is unbelief dressed up as spirituality, which says, “Prove Yourself to me, God, then I will trust You.”
So we begin by asking: What does the Word of God mean when it says, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”?
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Deuteronomy is Moses’ final message to Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He is speaking to a generation whose fathers died in the wilderness because of unbelief and disobedience. He is preparing them for spiritual warfare, for blessing and curse, and for life in covenant with God.
In Deuteronomy 6, Moses has just stated the *Shema*:
> “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
> You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
> — Deuteronomy 6:4–5
Then he warns them about forgetting God when they come into prosperity:
> “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers… houses full of all good things which you did not fill… then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord.”
> — Deuteronomy 6:10–12
Immediately after that comes the command:
> “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.”
> — Deuteronomy 6:16
Moses is saying, in effect: *Do not repeat your fathers’ sin. Don’t handle God the way they did.*
What happened at Massah?
In Exodus 17:1–7, Israel had just come out of Egypt by mighty miracles. They had seen the plagues, the Red Sea parted, the destruction of Pharaoh’s army. They had tasted supernatural provision: manna from heaven, bitter water made sweet. Yet when they came to Rephidim and found no water, they reacted with anger and accusation:
> “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (v.3)
Moses identifies this as *testing the Lord*:
> “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” (v.2)
The text defines their “test” very clearly:
> “…they tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us, or not?’” (v.7)
They were not merely crying out in need. They were questioning God’s presence and faithfulness, despite overwhelming evidence. They set a condition: “If You are really among us, give us water the way we want, when we want.”
This is the context Jesus draws on in Matthew 4 when Satan tempts Him to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, quoting Psalm 91. Jesus replies:
> “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Satan suggested a spectacular sign to “prove” God’s protection. Jesus refused. He would trust His Father’s Word without demanding a sign, without manipulating Scripture for self-will.
So the message is consistent: from Israel in the wilderness, to Moses in Deuteronomy, to Jesus in the wilderness temptation, God’s people are forbidden to “test” God by demanding that He prove Himself on our terms.
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### 1. “Test” – Hebrew: נָסָה (*nasah*)
In Deuteronomy 6:16 and Exodus 17:2,7 the word “test” is *nasah*.
*Nasah* means:
In Scripture, *God* sometimes *tests* His people (*nasah*), as in Genesis 22:1:
> “God tested Abraham…”
But it is forbidden for *man* to test God. The direction matters. The lesser does not put the greater on trial.
At Massah, Israel essentially said, “We will decide whether God is faithful based on whether He performs as we require.” That is *nasah*—putting God in the dock, making ourselves the judge.
So when the lyrics say:
> “Do not test the Lord your God—
> trust His word, stand on His promise.
> He is faithful, He is true—
> don’t demand a sign from Him.”
The contrast is:
### 2. “Trust” – Hebrew: בָּטַח (*batach*) / Greek: πείθω (*peithō*) / πιστεύω (*pisteuō*)
The Old Testament commonly uses *batach* for “trust”:
to be confident, to feel secure, to rest on something.
The New Testament often uses *pisteuō* (to believe, to trust, to rely on) or *peithō* (to be persuaded, to have confidence in, to obey).
Biblical trust is not a vague feeling. It is an *act of the will* based on the *reliability of the Person trusted*. It means I transfer my reliance from myself, my reasoning, my circumstances, to God and His Word.
So “trust His word, stand on His promise” means:
*Base your internal security, your decisions, your attitudes on what God has said, not on what you see or feel.*
When we understand *nasah* and *batach* together, we see the contrast clearly:
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### Stanza 1
> “Jesus answered him,
> ‘It is also written:
> Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Matthew 4:7 is Jesus’ second response in the wilderness. Satan quoted Scripture (Psalm 91) but misapplied it, tempting Jesus to force God to protect Him in a reckless act. Jesus countered with Deuteronomy 6:16.
The principle: Scripture must interpret Scripture.
We are not free to seize verses to justify presumption. Any “faith” that contradicts the warning, “Do not test the Lord your God,” is not biblical faith.
Psalm 91 promises angelic protection. But Deuteronomy 6:16 forbids manipulating that promise to stage a sign. Jesus used one Scripture to set the boundary for another. That is how we must handle the Word in spiritual warfare.
Many today confuse faith with presumption. They demand signs, experiences, manifestations as proof that God is with them. But Jesus shows the pattern:
True faith does not throw itself from the pinnacle to make God prove His promises. It walks in daily obedience, confident God will keep His Word in His way and His time.
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### Refrain 1
> “Do not test the Lord your God—
> trust His word, stand on His promise.
> He is faithful, He is true—
> don’t demand a sign from Him.”
“Do not test” is a prohibition. “Trust His word” is the alternative.
1. Trust His Word
Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
Faith is anchored in what God has already spoken. At Massah, Israel had abundant evidence: the exodus, the plagues, the Red Sea, manna. Yet they asked, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” They ignored what God had already said and done.
2. Stand on His Promise
Ephesians 6:13–14a: “Having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore…”
Standing is an act of resistance. We refuse to be moved by lack of visible supply. We refuse to interpret God’s character through immediate pressure.
3. He is Faithful, He is True
Lamentations 3:22–23: “Great is Your faithfulness.”
Revelation 19:11: “He who sat on it is called Faithful and True.”
God’s faithfulness is not variable. It is rooted in His nature. When we demand signs, we imply that His character alone is not sufficient basis for obedience.
4. Don’t Demand a Sign
Jesus addressed sign-seeking explicitly:
> “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign…” (Matthew 12:39)
The issue is not that God never gives signs. He may choose to. The error is *demanding* signs as the condition for trust. Sign-demanding makes experiences the authority, rather than God’s Word.
---
### Stanza 2
> “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,
> as you tested Him at Massah.
> Remember how your fathers grumbled—
> trust Him fully without doubt.”
“Remember” is a key word in Deuteronomy. God repeatedly commands His people to remember His works and their own failures, so they will not repeat them.
At Massah, Israel did two things:
1. They grumbled
Philippians 2:14: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”
Grumbling is more than venting emotion. In Scripture, grumbling is a verbal expression of unbelief. It questions God’s goodness, wisdom, and intentions.
2. They doubted His presence
“Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Exodus 17:7)
That is the essence of testing: *I will treat You as absent until You meet my terms.*
So the lyrics call us: “Remember how your fathers grumbled—trust Him fully without doubt.”
James 1:6–7 warns:
> “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea… That man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”
Doubt here is not mere temptation to question; it is divided loyalty. “I will trust God *if* He meets my conditions; otherwise I revert to self-reliance and complaint.” That is the spirit of Massah.
The antidote is “trust Him fully”—undivided reliance. We anchor trust in what God has already revealed of Himself in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
---
### Repeated Refrains
> “Do not test the Lord your God—
> trust His word, stand on His promise.
> He is faithful, He is true—
> don’t demand a sign from Him.”
The repetition is spiritually significant. God often repeats warnings that we are prone to ignore. Israel’s repeated failures in the wilderness centered on the same pattern: pressure → fear → complaint → demand for proof.
We must recognize that testing God is not always loud rebellion. It can come in subtle forms:
These inner conditions are spiritual tests we set for God. We decide how He must behave to retain our trust.
Scripture teaches the opposite. Hebrews 11 records people of faith who:
> “…were tortured… experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment… they went about in sheepskins… being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated…” (Hebrews 11:35–37)
Their trust did not rest on visible blessings but on God’s unchanging character and promises.
---
### Final Stanza
> “Trust His heart, obey His voice—
> do not put the Lord to the test.”
“Trust His heart” means:
Trust His character when you do not understand His methods. You may not see His hand, but you know His heart from the cross.
Romans 8:32:
> “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
If God has already given His Son, He has nothing greater to withhold. That is the ultimate proof of His heart.
“Obey His voice” brings in another essential dimension. Trust that does not produce obedience is not biblical trust.
John 10:27:
> “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Deuteronomy 28:1:
> “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments…”
When we refuse to obey until God explains everything or provides proof of the outcome, we are testing Him. We have reversed lordship. We make our understanding the condition of obedience.
So the song brings the matter to a sharp point:
Trust His heart, obey His voice—do not put the Lord to the test.
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We must move from theory to practice. How do we stop “testing” God and start truly trusting Him?
### 1. Recognize and Renounce the Spirit of Massah
First, we must identify where we are repeating the wilderness pattern.
Ask the Holy Spirit:
When He shows you, call it what Scripture calls it: *testing the Lord*. Confess it as sin, not as “honesty” or “processing.” Repent—change your mind and direction.
1 Corinthians 10:9–11 warns believers:
> “Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents…
> Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction…”
We learn from their failure so we will not repeat it.
Proclamation 1:
“I renounce the sin of testing the Lord. I refuse to demand signs or proofs as a condition for my obedience. I choose to trust God’s character and His Word.”
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### 2. Anchor Your Faith in the Word, Not in Circumstances or Signs
Second, you must settle the issue of your authority. God’s Word must be final in your heart, above:
Psalm 119:89:
> “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.”
Hebrews 11:1:
> “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Faith rests on what God has spoken, not on what our eyes see.
Make a conscious decision:
“I will interpret my circumstances through God’s Word, not God’s Word through my circumstances.”
Proclamation 2:
“God’s Word is my final authority. I choose to stand on His promises, whether or not I see immediate evidence. I walk by faith, not by sight.”
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### 3. Replace Grumbling with Thanksgiving
At Massah, Israel grumbled. That is how they tested the Lord. To break that pattern, we must deliberately cultivate thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:18:
> “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Thanksgiving is an act of faith. It declares:
“God is good, God is wise, God is sovereign, even here, even now.”
Philippians 4:6–7 connects prayer, thanksgiving, and peace:
> “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God…”
Notice: we may present our needs. That is not testing God. The difference is in the attitude. Instead of accusation—“Why did You bring me here?”—we bring requests with thanksgiving, acknowledging God’s past faithfulness and present goodness.
Proclamation 3:
“I lay down grumbling and complaint. I choose to give thanks in every situation, trusting that God is good and faithful toward me in Christ.”
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### 4. Obey the Voice of the Lord Without Demanding Full Explanation
Finally, trust expresses itself in obedience—prompt, simple, and unconditional.
Abraham’s example in Hebrews 11:8:
> “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out… not knowing where he was going.”
He did not demand a map, only a word. He did not test God by saying, “Show me all the details first.” He trusted the One who called him.
John 7:17 gives a principle:
> “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching…”
Revelation and understanding follow obedience, not the other way around. If you wait to understand before you obey, you are testing the Lord. You are saying, “Convince me, then I will surrender.” True disciples say, “You are Lord, I will obey, and in obedience I will understand.”
Ask the Lord:
“What have You already told me to do that I am postponing until I feel ready or see more evidence?”
Then obey.
Proclamation 4:
“I submit my will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I choose to obey His voice without demanding full explanation. My security is not in knowing all the details but in knowing the One who leads me.”
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### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith:
“In the name of Jesus, I declare:
### Prayer
“Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to You.
I acknowledge that many times I have tested You. I have doubted Your presence. I have grumbled in my heart. I have demanded that You prove Yourself according to my expectations.
I confess this as sin. I ask You to forgive me through the blood of Jesus. Wash me from the spirit of Massah. Deliver me from unbelief, from complaint, and from the desire to control how You must act.
Holy Spirit, write Your Word in my heart. Teach me to trust the Father’s heart, even when I do not understand His ways. Strengthen me to stand on the promises of God. Put a guard over my mouth, that I may speak faith, thanksgiving, and obedience, instead of testing and complaint.
Lord Jesus, You refused to test the Father. You trusted Him unto death on the cross. I ask You to reproduce that trust in me by Your Spirit. Lead me in simple, prompt, unconditional obedience to Your voice.
I declare that You are faithful. You are true. You are with me, whether I feel it or not. I choose to trust without testing.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.”
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