God Proves You
| Bro Gaius Egwu (Ohafia Nigeria)
12
A
careful study of the Scriptures reveals that
God created man as a special part of His
creation. He desires people in eternity who
serve Him because they want to. They believe
that He is the sovereign God, a God of
truth, love and justice.
From the beginning, man was
under a test to determine
whether or not he would
choose to obey God without
question. God placed Adam
under the restriction of one
simple command. He was not
to eat of the fruit of one partic-
ular tree. If he did he would die.
In man’s opinion, eating of the tree
was a very minor infraction. We would be
inclined to ask, “Why all the fuss over such a
small thing?” No doubt Eve thought that. What
was the issue? It was the same as any disobe-
dience on our part today. The issue is that God
is God, not man. We look at such things as man
thinks. But God sees them altogether differ-
ently. He sees His holiness and sovereignty
despised in every act of
disobedience.
After God delivered His
people from Egypt they
murmured against Moses
because they found them-
selves in the wilderness,
or desert, (Exodus 16) and
thought they would starve
there. God spoke to them
through Moses “Behold, I
will rain bread from
heaven for you; and the
people shall go out and
gather a certain rate every
day, that I may prove them,
whether they will walk in my law, or no”
(Exodus 16:4). But the people had their own
ideas (:27-28). This was very serious to God.
In Numbers 15:32 a man was found gathering
sticks on the Sabbath day, which had been for-
bidden by God. This again would seem like a
very little thing. They ask God what should be
done, and He said, “The man shall surely be
put to death…”
The Old Testament, under the law of
Moses, gives nineteen such laws for
which God required the death
penalty. “…the law was our
school master to bring us unto
Christ, that we might be jus-
tified by faith” (Gal. 3:24).
“Be ye holy; for I am holy”
(1 Pet. 1:16). With God it is
not a matter of how big, or lit-
tle; or important or unimportant
a matter is to us. If it is disobedi-
ence it is all the same. The principle
is that when we disobey an authority
whom God has set over us, we despise God’s
holy name and character.
There is no sin in heaven. God requires that it
be that way with His people on earth.
Throughout the whole Bible God is God. His
words are to be obeyed. In Ephesians 6 we are
commanded to obey. When
we choose to disobey, de-
ciding that this or that is
not so important, we bring
God’s disfavour upon us.
“And Moses said unto the
people, Fear not: for God is
come to prove you, and
that his fear may be before
your faces, that ye sin
not.” (Exodus 20:20). “And
thou shalt remember all
the way which the LORD
thy God led thee these
forty years in the wilder-
ness, to humble thee, and
to prove thee, to know
what was in thine heart, whether thou
wouldest keep his commandments, or no…
Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna,
which thy fathers knew not, that he might
humble thee, and that he might prove thee,
to do thee good at thy latter end;” (Deu.
8:2,16). “Prove all things; hold fast that