What does it mean to test God?
Across the Bible the same warning keeps appearing: God's people are told not to put Him to the test, and Jesus used those very words to shut down Satan in the wilderness. But what does testing God actually look like — and why do commentators insist it is almost the opposite of what most people assume?
Distrust, Not Excess of Trust
The phrase is often read as a caution against expecting too much from God. Commentators read it the other way round.
J. N. DarbyTaking His place with Israel in the condition they were in when they had no king in the land, and quoting the directions given to them in that book to guide them in the godly path, He uses for His guidance that part of the word which contains the divine command on this subject: "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test" — a passage often quoted as if it forbade excess in trusting God, whereas it means not to distrust, and not to try whether He is faithful. They tested God, saying, Is God really among us? And this Satan would have had the Lord do.
Massah: The Original Case
The command in Deuteronomy points back to a specific place and a specific sentence spoken by Israel. What made it testing was not open rebellion but a question.
Truth & TestimonyIn meeting the temptation the Lord Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah." The reference is to Exodus 17. In Exodus 16 the people had complained in their hunger, and now they complained in their thirst. Yet it was specifically by saying "Is the Lord among us or not?" that they tested Him. How could they raise such a question? Had not the manna fallen around the camp that very morning, and could they not see the pillar of cloud that spoke of His presence?
The Experiment
Testing God means setting up a trial to see whether He will keep His word. William Kelly puts the absurdity of that in everyday terms.
William KellyThe true Israelite does not need to put God to the test. If you suspect that a dishonest man is in your employment, you may test him by marking a piece of money to see whether he steals or not. Am I then going to mark something for God, to see whether He will keep His word or not? I know God will do it; I do not need to put Him to the proof.
Stepping Off the Path
Satan quoted Psalm 91 to Jesus but cut a phrase out of it. That missing phrase is where the whole issue lies: God's promised care belongs to the road of obedience, not to a stunt of our own choosing.
J. A. TrenchHe could quote Scripture too, and even apply a Messianic psalm to the Messiah Himself, if only to falsify its truth, but he left out the key condition of such care, "in all your ways." To throw Himself down from a pinnacle of the temple was no part of God's ways, for Him or for any man. In those ways He knew God too well to need to test Him, to see if He would be as good as His word... People say that we test Him if we do not do the best we can for ourselves, but this is the exact opposite of the truth: we test God when we do not trust Him completely in everything.
Demanding as Well as Doubting
Testing God is not only a private doubt. It can take the form of a demand made on Him, and it carries into the New Testament — the lie of Ananias and Sapphira is described in the same terms.
Morrish Bible DictionaryThe Israelites tested God. "They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved." They questioned whether God could spread a table in the wilderness. At other times they asked, "Is the Lord among us or not?" But it should be noticed that when Israel put God to the proof, they were really proved by Him... The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was testing the Spirit of the Lord.
Which Way the Testing Runs
Scripture speaks of God testing people and of people testing God. The two are not the same act in reverse.
William KellyThe difference is clear when we read on the one hand that God tested Abraham, and on the other that Israel tested God. God never tempts anyone to evil, but He may and does bring out their faith and faithfulness this way. Yet sadly it is all too common for His people to test Him by doubting His mercy and active care... The Lord utterly refuses to test God, as if His protection were doubtful in the path of obedience.
Summary
- Proof demanded. Testing God means running an experiment to see whether He will keep His word — marking the money to catch out a servant you already suspect.
- Proof despite evidence. Israel asked "Is the Lord among us or not?" with the manna on the ground and the cloud overhead; the doubt was not caused by a lack of evidence.
- Proof off the path. Satan dropped "in all your ways" from the psalm. God's care is promised along the road of obedience, not to a leap we invent.
- Proof turned around. When Israel put God to the proof, they were the ones proved — and the same charge reappears in the church with Ananias and Sapphira.
- Proof unnecessary. God tests His people to bring out their faith; faith needs no test of Him. Trusting Him fully is the opposite of testing Him, not an excess of it.