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Does God tempt His saints?

How did God tempt Abraham?

A dissertation on Genesis chapters 12-22

Genesis 22:1-2

"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said to him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get you into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of".

What did God mean when He said that He "tempted" Abraham? To find out we need to know, that like many others in the Bible, this word has two meanings. One in God’s kingdom and one in ours.

In the Bible it is written that the acceptance of temptation in this world leads a soul into sin, therefore it is a device used often by the devil. But it was not created by him for he is not a creator. All he can do is take something which was ‘good’ before the fall and use it for unlawful purposes.

The initial purpose of temptation at the creation was to allow the individual to experience the joy of choosing right because it is right, and it came into being with the creation of creatures capable of choice. This was also the aim of the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil" in the Garden of Eden. It was a ‘test’ of their resolve. However, after the sin of Adam, when all things changed their roles, temptation became the main tool of the enemy of God. In these circumstances, it is written,

James 1:12-16

"Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him. [However] let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts He any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren [in understanding this point]".

God says that we do this to ourselves, or to others, because we are sinners and we enjoy doing it. Is God a sinner? No. Then He does NOT tempt anyone today for the purpose of leading into sin! ALL things God does are for the ‘good’ of others.

That settled, we can now look at what He does do.

That is that He still tests creatures.

Sinless as well as sinful creatures.

Why? So that they, and others around them, can see what they are like, and how they are progressing. Overcoming ‘tests’ as well as overcoming ‘temptations’ builds character. Jesus was ‘tested’ and ‘tempted’ greatly on all three of the major principles of life in the wilderness after His baptism as an example to us all. Matthew 4:1-11. Peter was deliberately ‘tested’ three times by Jesus after his three-fold denial on the night of the crucifixion, so that his fellows could regain their confidence in him. John 21:15-17.

A ‘test’ is designed to reveal what is in us, NOT to lead into sin. The two words have a similar meaning, but they are NOT the same. They have two entirely different results!! That is why God can say, ‘tempt and not tempt’, ‘kill and not kill’.

Angels in heaven are on "probation" which is another word God uses for the "testing" period.

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Like the angels, the dwellers in Eden had been placed upon probation; their happy estate could be retained only on condition of fidelity to the Creator's law. They could obey and live, or disobey and perish [take up ‘good’ or ‘evil’]. God had made them the recipients of rich blessings; but should they disregard His will, He who spared not the angels that sinned, could not spare them; transgression would forfeit His gifts and bring upon them misery and ruin.

Adam and Eve were ‘tested’ when they were placed in the garden and commanded not to eat of the fruit of God’s tree.

Abram was ‘tested’ when he was asked to leave his comfortable city life in Ur of the Chaldees, his relations, and even his earthly father’s authority. It is written of him in Genesis 12:1, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, unto a land that I will show you".

Ellen White’s comment is,

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Yet, as the first condition of fulfillment, there was to be a test of faith; a sacrifice was demanded.

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The message of God came to Abraham, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." In order that God might qualify him for his great work as the keeper of the sacred oracles, Abraham must be separated from the associations of his early life. The influence of kindred and friends would interfere with the training which the Lord purposed to give His servant. Now that Abraham was, in a special sense, connected with heaven, he must dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing from all the world. He could not even explain his course of action so as to be understood by his friends. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and his motives and actions were not comprehended by his idolatrous kindred [it was their inability to understand, not his inability to communicate].

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It was no light test that was thus brought upon Abraham, no small sacrifice that was required of him. There were strong ties to bind him to his country, his kindred, and his home. But he did not hesitate to obey the call... Many are still tested as was Abraham...

Genesis 12:4

"So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out of Haran".

In the days before the written revelation of God’s will, the Bible, Abram knew the voice of His Saviour and that of his Guide the Holy Spirit. He had been listening to, and mostly following, the visions and dreams he had been given, but, being human, he often had doubts and worries. When he moved into Canaan, "While he clung to the divine promise, it was not without distressful forebodings that he pitched his tent". PP 128.

Genesis 12:9-10

"And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land".

As he journeyed all were eagerly watching to see what he would do, how he would react to the ‘temptation’. When the great drought came he could not explain why, but he "sought a temporary refuge as near as possible to the Land of Promise, intending shortly to return..." PP 129. Then it was that he showed his lack of trust. In similar circumstances Jesus starved rather than desert His post of witness.

Genesis 12:11-13

"And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, ‘Behold now, I know that you are a fair woman to look upon. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see you, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save you alive. Say, I pray you, you are my sister: that it may be well with me for your sake; and my soul shall live because of you".

"During his stay in Egypt, Abram gave evidence that he was not free from human weakness and imperfection" by concealing the fact that Sarah was his wife. PP 130.

This was an attempt to save himself, still a common maneuver today amongst those calling themselves Christian. Like every other lapse by His followers, Jesus turned it into a victory by giving Pharaoh a warning and protecting His own. Thus was shown an example to others who might have harboured enmity towards Abram.

Genesis 13:8-9

"And Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray you, between me and you, and between my herdmen and your herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself, I pray you, from me: if you will take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left".

After separating from the selfish Lot, Abram received the promise again. In this experience, by allowing the younger man the first choice, he again showed his practical Christianity and this was a great help to the surrounding nations. "The piety of the Christian constitutes the standard by which worldlings judge the gospel". PP. 134.

In the rescue of Lot he showed that "righteousness is not cowardice", nor greediness. PP 135.

All these were ‘tests’, designed to show him and his watchers, both in heaven and on earth, what he was made of. But he was fearful!

Genesis 15:1

"After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward".

His "fear" was tempered somewhat by the promise that his son would one day inherit the world. This promise of the whole world was communicated to him in the sacrifice of the heifer, she-goat and ram, turtledove and pigeon. This manner of covenant was common among men of the time and his friend Jesus was willing to enter into an earthly-type agreement so that he should have no doubts.

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About sunset he sank into a deep sleep; and, "lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him." And the voice of God was heard, bidding him not to expect immediate possession of the Promised Land, and pointing forward to the sufferings of his posterity before their establishment in Canaan. The plan of redemption was here opened to him, in the death of Christ, the great sacrifice, and His coming in glory. Abraham saw also the earth restored to its Eden beauty, to be given him for an everlasting possession, as the final and complete fulfillment of the promise.

"For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his Seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith". Romans 4:13.

But ten years passed and nothing happened!

Genesis 16:1-2

"Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, Behold now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing: I pray you, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai".

When he was 86 years old Ishmael was born as a result of his and Sarai’s plans and when, thirteen years later, he was told that this boy could not have the promise, he was bitterly disappointed.

Genesis 17:1-5

"And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be you perfect. And I will make [future] My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be [future] a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you [right then he accepted the offer – from that moment on he is always called Abraham]".

But before the birth of his true son Isaac He was blessed with the visit by Jesus and two angels who had a meal with him and a discussion on the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and ways in which they might prevent it. In this we see the character of God showing clearly. It was His inability to save against the sinner’s choice that was the problem.

Genesis 18:23-25

"And Abraham drew near, and said, Will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from You to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from You: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

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Love for perishing souls inspired Abraham's prayer. While he loathed the sins of that corrupt city, he desired that the sinners might be saved. His deep interest for Sodom shows the anxiety that we should feel for the impenitent. We should cherish hatred of sin, but pity and love for the sinner. All around us are souls going down to ruin as hopeless, as terrible, as that which befell Sodom. Every day the probation of some is closing. Every hour some are passing beyond the reach of mercy. And where are the voices of warning and entreaty to bid the sinner flee from this fearful doom? Where are the hands stretched out to draw him back from death? Where are those who with humility and persevering faith are pleading with God for him?

It was at this time that Abraham became known as the "friend of God". "And the scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God". James 2:23.

It was in an atmosphere like this that Sarah and Abraham (as they now were) conceived their son. Like Hannah and Elkanah, who would do the same so many years later, they dedicated his life to the saving of those with whom he would come in contact. Like Elizabeth and Zechariah, they trained and taught him his mission. Like Mary and Joseph, they assured him that he was special, a child of promise.

Later, when the call came to Abraham from Jesus his Saviour to sacrifice his son he had no doubts at all that the command was from his Friend. He could not understand why it should be done, or explain how the promised Seed could come through a dead son, but he believed both words of the Son of God, ‘kill and not kill’. Was not redemption to come through a ‘dead’ Saviour? With the same faith that he had had that the birth would occur even he was 100 years old and Sarah 90, so he lived "by faith" in this test and commenced the preparations for the sacrifice. Although the devil hammered in his ears the commandment "Thou shalt not kill", he knew that Adam had been asked to sacrifice a lamb which was as close to him as a child. This had been turned into a wonderful symbol which he himself still offered. He believed that even the "stones" could supply what God intended if it was necessary, and so he went ahead and followed the instructions to the letter.

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God had called Abraham to be the father of the faithful, and his life was to stand as an example of faith to succeeding generations. But his faith had not been perfect. He had shown distrust of God in concealing the fact that Sarah was his wife, and again in his marriage with Hagar. That he might reach the highest standard, God subjected him to another test, the closest which man was ever called to endure. In a vision of the night he was directed to repair to the land of Moriah, and there offer up his son as a burnt offering [note what kind of sacrifice] upon a mountain that should be shown him.

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At the time of receiving this command, Abraham had reached the age of a hundred and twenty years. He was regarded as an old man, even in his generation.

Genesis 22:1-2

"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt [test] Abraham, and said to him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get you into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of [by a sign]".

Abraham knew the voice of God as Jesus knew the voice of His Father in the wilderness. It was no supposed Voice, no dim dream or uncertain vision. It was one of many that he had received over at least 50 years and he was certain although perplexed. Then, after two harrowing days and nights, "As they were about to begin the journey of the third day, the patriarch, looking northward, saw the promised sign, a cloud of glory hovering over Mount Moriah, and he knew that the voice which had spoken to him was from heaven" and he relaxed from that perplexity. PP 151.

Genesis 22:7-8

"And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together."

Leaving his servants at the foot of the mountain, Abraham and Isaac climbed to the place of sacrifice. There the old man Abraham explained to his twenty-year old son that Jesus, his Saviour also, had asked for his life. Abraham was not to "kill" him, but he was being asked to become a martyr! What a request!

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At the appointed place they built the altar and laid the wood upon it. Then, with trembling voice, Abraham unfolded to his son the divine message. It was with terror and amazement that Isaac learned his fate, but he offered no resistance. He could have escaped his doom, had he chosen to do so; the grief-stricken old man, exhausted with the struggle of those three terrible days, could not have opposed the will of the vigorous youth [he was 20 years old]. But Isaac had been trained from childhood to ready, trusting obedience, and as the purpose of God was opened before him, he yielded a willing submission. He was a sharer in Abraham's faith, and he felt that he was honored in being called to give his life as an offering to God. He tenderly seeks to lighten the father's grief, and encourages his nerveless hands to bind the cords that confine him to the altar.

Genesis 22:12

"And He said, Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do you any thing to him: for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me".

What a test this was for both of them. What was its purpose?

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It was to impress Abraham's mind with the reality of the gospel, as well as to test his faith, that God commanded him to slay his son. The agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man's redemption. No other test could have caused Abraham such torture of soul as did the offering of his son. God gave His Son to a death of agony and shame. The angels who witnessed the humiliation and soul anguish of the Son of God were not permitted to interpose, as in the case of Isaac. There was no voice to cry, "It is enough." To save the fallen race, the King of glory yielded up His life. What stronger proof can be given of the infinite compassion and love of God? "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32.

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The sacrifice required of Abraham was not alone for his own good, nor solely for the benefit of succeeding generations; but it was also for the instruction of the sinless intelligences of heaven and of other worlds.

The field of the controversy between Christ and Satan -- the field on which the plan of redemption is wrought out -- is the lesson book of the universe. Because Abraham had shown a lack of faith in God's promises, Satan had accused him before the angels and before God of having failed to comply with the conditions of the covenant, and as unworthy of its blessings.

God desired to prove the loyalty of His servant before all heaven,

to demonstrate that nothing less than perfect obedience can be accepted,

and to open more fully before them the plan of salvation.

By this ‘test’ Abraham experienced what it was really like to be the father of the faithful, and the people of the universe had their eyes opened more fully to the wonderful plan of salvation which had been operating all the time in the background since Adam’s leap into sin.

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Heavenly beings were witnesses of the scene as the faith of Abraham and the submission of Isaac were tested. The trial was far more severe than that which had been brought upon Adam.

Compliance with the prohibition laid upon our first parents involved no suffering, but the command to Abraham demanded the most agonizing sacrifice. All heaven beheld with wonder and admiration Abraham's unfaltering obedience. All heaven applauded his fidelity. Satan's accusations were shown to be false. God declared to His servant, "Now I know [and so does the universe] that thou fearest God [notwithstanding Satan's charges], seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me." God's covenant, confirmed to Abraham by an oath before the intelligences of other worlds, testified that obedience will be rewarded.

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It had been difficult even for the angels to grasp the mystery of redemption -- to comprehend that the Commander of heaven, the Son of God, must die for guilty man. When the command was given to Abraham to offer up his son, the interest of all heavenly beings was enlisted. With intense earnestness they watched each step in the fulfillment of this command. When to Isaac's question, "Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham made answer, "God will provide Himself a lamb;" and when the father's hand was stayed as he was about to slay his son, and the ram which God had provided was offered in the place of Isaac -- then light was shed upon the mystery of redemption, and even the angels understood more clearly the wonderful provision that God had made for man's salvation. 1 Peter 1:12.

God has a problem getting through to the universe!

This sacrifice was not just made by Abraham. Isaac, too, was asked to give up his life. It was not without a struggle, like Jesus in Gethsemane contemplating the crucifixion, that he decided that God knows what He is doing and anything is better than disobedience or neglect of God’s word. Adam’s sin had proved that what can appear to be a small matter often has far-reaching and devastating effects and he was not willing to chance it. Isaac had been well trained and self-disciplined through his teen-age years and now it came through.

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Not until parents themselves walk in the law of the Lord with perfect hearts will they be prepared to command their children after them. A reformation in this respect is needed - a reformation which shall be deep and broad. Parents need to reform; ministers need to reform; they need God in their households. If they would see a different state of things, they must bring His word into their families and must make it their counselor. They must teach their children that it is the voice of God addressed to them, and is to be implicitly obeyed. They should patiently instruct their children, kindly and untiringly teach them how to live in order to please God. The children of such a household are prepared to meet the sophistries of infidelity. They have accepted the Bible as the basis of their faith, and they have a foundation that cannot be swept away by the incoming tide of skepticism.

Such a reformation will produce the 144,000 who follow their LORD without deviation, no matter what the command.

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