When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
The verse looks back to Israel after coming out of Egypt by Moses, when for forty years the fathers tested and proved God while continually seeing His works of grace and power. Their testing was obstinate unbelief, refusing His warnings, always erring in heart and not knowing His ways, and showing it in murmuring and complaining instead of trusting praise, in suspicion and faultfinding toward fellow men, and in hearing His word without receiving it in faith and practice. Though the gospel was preached to them, the word did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith, so God was grieved with those who sinned and in wrath swore they should not enter His rest, and all but the two who wholly followed Him fell in the wilderness when they might have been brought at once to the promised land. By the Holy Spirit that provocation and day of temptation becomes the voice of Today, warning all who hear not to harden their hearts and depart from the living God through the deceitfulness of sin and delayed obedience. Believers must therefore exhort one another daily, humble the heart in repentance, and hold fast the beginning of their confidence and hope firm to the end as partakers of Christ, for this history will be repeated among God's last-day people on the borders of the heavenly Canaan if they indulge the doubt, criticism and complaint of the unfaithful spies.
Israel's Forty-Year Provocation
The verse recalls the fathers testing and proving God while seeing His works for forty years in the wilderness after coming out of Egypt by Moses. Their tempting and proving was repeated through the whole forty years, and their seeing His works through the whole forty years did not keep them from unbelief. God was grieved those forty years with those who sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness because they believed not and could not enter in because of unbelief.
Their tempting meant obstinately refusing the warnings God sent them, persistently pursuing backsliding in unbelief and idolatry, always erring in heart and not knowing God's ways. Though truth was kept before them again and again so they might have known His ways, they divorced themselves from God to follow the wisdom of men not under His direction. It showed in murmuring and complaining instead of praising and trusting, losing confidence in the Son of God and turning from the living God. It showed in failing to trust that God knew the way they should go, dishonoring Him when difficulties came by complaining rather than trusting Him with calm confidence.
It showed further in becoming suspicious, weighing fellow men in human scales, conjecturing about words, coming to wrong conclusions, putting their own construction on movements, searching for someone to blame when appearances were not propitious, and wanting to fix things to meet their own minds. They heard Christ's word from the pillar of cloud yet did not receive it with faith and practise it, bringing guilt upon themselves through pride, selfishness and murmuring. The leaders also yielded, and did not obey His voice.
The unbelief broke out when the unfaithful spies magnified difficulties into insurmountable obstacles and leavened the whole congregation with unbelief. Then came lamentation and outcry, murmuring against God-appointed leaders, casting reflections upon God, planning rebellion to return to Egypt, and seeking to stone Caleb and Joshua when they bore the right testimony of faith. So the golden opportunity passed by, and the work God had prepared to do to manifest His greatness and favor could not be done because of wicked unbelief and rebellion.
Seeing His works meant God manifested His grace and power over and over again. That repeated manifestation should teach always cherishing faith, talking faith, and acting faith. Despite witnessing His power, the people and their leaders did not obey His voice. The gospel was preached to them as well as to believers now, but the word preached did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it.
God was grieved with that generation because they always erred in heart and did not know His ways, and in wrath He swore they would not enter His rest. So their carcasses fell in the wilderness, and all but two of the adults who left Egypt died in the wilderness and did not enter, except the two who wholly followed Him. It was not His good pleasure for them to wander so long; He would have brought them at once to the promised land if they had submitted and loved to be led by Him.
Today's Warning to Believe
It is the Holy Spirit's voice speaking now, saying Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation and in the day of temptation in the wilderness. The fathers tempted and proved God while seeing His works for forty years after coming out of Egypt by Moses, yet their provoking when they heard stands as the present warning to hear and not turn from the living God. God was grieved those forty years with those who sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness, because they always erred in heart and did not know His ways, and He swore they should not enter His rest, and they could not enter in because of unbelief. The gospel was preached to them as well as to believers now, but the word preached did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it, so there is to be fear lest any seem to come short of the promised rest.
Departing from the living God comes from an evil heart of unbelief hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Satan often presents temptation under the guise of goodness, and one violation of straightforward truthfulness prepares the way for a second, with wrongs repeated until the heart of unbelief is hardened and the conscience loses its sensitiveness. Delaying obedience to God's call of mercy hardens the heart against increased light, so each unheeded call of the Holy Spirit leaves less and less impression and less inclination to break away from worldly interests and leaves man helpless in the enemy's hands. Hearing without responding hardens the heart, and a mere promise to obey is not enough, for obstinately refusing the warnings God sends is persistently pursuing backsliding in unbelief and idolatry.
Believers must take heed, exhort one another daily while it is called Today lest any be hardened, humble the heart before God in repentance and conversion, and ask forgiveness for speaking words of unbelief that cast reflection on Him who is too wise to err and too good to do harm. They must hold fast the beginning of their confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm and steadfast unto the end in order to be His house and partakers of Christ. They must not cast away confidence, which has great recompense of reward, but have patience to do God's will, for He that shall come will come, and the just shall live by faith and must not draw back. Jesus died even for one in great peril, and those who always err in heart and have not known God's ways will not enter into His rest.
This experience will be repeated in the last years of the history of God's people, when men whom God has greatly honored will pattern after ancient Israel. History is being repeated, and the perils God's people encountered in past ages will be encountered again intensified, as Satan obtains influence over men honored above all human intelligence, so that honored leaders may yield to temptation, turn from God, and lose the blessings He designed them to have. Last-day believers just on the borders of the heavenly Canaan must not repeat the sin of the unfaithful spies, who magnified difficulties into insurmountable obstacles and leavened the whole congregation with unbelief, breaking out in lamentation and outcry, murmuring against God-appointed leaders, casting reflections upon God, planning rebellion to return to Egypt, and seeking to stone Caleb and Joshua when they bore the right testimony of faith, so that the golden opportunity passed and the work God had prepared to do to manifest His greatness and favor could not be done because of wicked unbelief and rebellion. They must not by indulging doubts and criticisms and complaints sow seeds of unbelief and distrust yielding an abundant harvest, for the chapter is a lesson for both teachers and students, written for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.
God still proves His people to see if they will look to Him instead of looking to men and trusting the arm of flesh, numbers, or apparent capabilities, and there is no encouragement given for unbelief, doubt, and distrust. God manifested His grace and power over and over again, and that repeated manifestation should teach always cherishing faith, talking faith, and acting faith. God's discipline of His church can be loving-kindness, with affliction purifying His people while the gospel and God's sure Word give consolation and refuge. God requires His people to trust in Him alone and not receive help from those who do not serve Him, for it was not His good pleasure for them to wander so long in the wilderness, and He would have brought them at once to the promised land if they had submitted and loved to be led by Him. The present invitation of mercy may be refused for the last time, with no second probation, for God will not be trifled with, and those who defy Him to His face, cling to their own way, and work at cross-purposes with Him are met with His judgments as reproof to arouse them, so His word must be heeded intelligently and unitedly in proclaiming warning and salvation, lest coming suddenly He find people unready.
The warning applies to one not making straight paths for the feet and going over forbidden ground in course of action and business transactions. It rebukes becoming suspicious, murmuring and complaining when difficulties come, weighing fellow men in human scales, conjecturing about words, coming to wrong conclusions, putting one's own construction on movements, searching for someone to blame when appearances are not propitious, wanting to fix things to meet one's own mind, getting on the judgment seat, and charging fault where it does not belong instead of seeking where the fault lies, showing failure to trust that God knew the way they should go. It calls for character molded after the divine similitude with the fragrance of God's Spirit and for calm confidence instead of dishonoring Him when trials lead to complaint rather than trust. Every worker must heed God's words, because He has given evidence that if they cooperate with Him He will work with their efforts.
The verse looks back to Israel after coming out of Egypt by Moses, when for forty years the fathers tested and proved God while continually seeing His works of grace and power. Their testing was obstinate unbelief, refusing His warnings, always erring in heart and not knowing His ways, and showing it in murmuring and complaining instead of trusting praise, in suspicion and faultfinding toward fellow men, and in hearing His word without receiving it in faith and practice. Though the gospel was preached to them, the word did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith, so God was grieved with those who sinned and in wrath swore they should not enter His rest, and all but the two who wholly followed Him fell in the wilderness when they might have been brought at once to the promised land. By the Holy Spirit that provocation and day of temptation becomes the voice of Today, warning all who hear not to harden their hearts and depart from the living God through the deceitfulness of sin and delayed obedience. Believers must therefore exhort one another daily, humble the heart in repentance, and hold fast the beginning of their confidence and hope firm to the end as partakers of Christ, for this history will be repeated among God's last-day people on the borders of the heavenly Canaan if they indulge the doubt, criticism and complaint of the unfaithful spies.
Israel's Forty-Year Provocation
The verse recalls the fathers testing and proving God while seeing His works for forty years in the wilderness after coming out of Egypt by Moses. Their tempting and proving was repeated through the whole forty years, and their seeing His works through the whole forty years did not keep them from unbelief. God was grieved those forty years with those who sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness because they believed not and could not enter in because of unbelief.
Their tempting meant obstinately refusing the warnings God sent them, persistently pursuing backsliding in unbelief and idolatry, always erring in heart and not knowing God's ways. Though truth was kept before them again and again so they might have known His ways, they divorced themselves from God to follow the wisdom of men not under His direction. It showed in murmuring and complaining instead of praising and trusting, losing confidence in the Son of God and turning from the living God. It showed in failing to trust that God knew the way they should go, dishonoring Him when difficulties came by complaining rather than trusting Him with calm confidence.
It showed further in becoming suspicious, weighing fellow men in human scales, conjecturing about words, coming to wrong conclusions, putting their own construction on movements, searching for someone to blame when appearances were not propitious, and wanting to fix things to meet their own minds. They heard Christ's word from the pillar of cloud yet did not receive it with faith and practise it, bringing guilt upon themselves through pride, selfishness and murmuring. The leaders also yielded, and did not obey His voice.
The unbelief broke out when the unfaithful spies magnified difficulties into insurmountable obstacles and leavened the whole congregation with unbelief. Then came lamentation and outcry, murmuring against God-appointed leaders, casting reflections upon God, planning rebellion to return to Egypt, and seeking to stone Caleb and Joshua when they bore the right testimony of faith. So the golden opportunity passed by, and the work God had prepared to do to manifest His greatness and favor could not be done because of wicked unbelief and rebellion.
Seeing His works meant God manifested His grace and power over and over again. That repeated manifestation should teach always cherishing faith, talking faith, and acting faith. Despite witnessing His power, the people and their leaders did not obey His voice. The gospel was preached to them as well as to believers now, but the word preached did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in those who heard it.
God was grieved with that generation because they always erred in heart and did not know His ways, and in wrath He swore they would not enter His rest. So their carcasses fell in the wilderness, and all but two of the adults who left Egypt died in the wilderness and did not enter, except the two who wholly followed Him. It was not His good pleasure for them to wander so long; He would have brought them at once to the promised land if they had submitted and loved to be led by Him.
Today's Warning to Believe
It is the Holy Spirit's voice speaking now, saying Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation and in the day of temptation in the wilderness. The fathers tempted and proved God while seeing His works for forty years after coming out of Egypt by Moses, yet their provoking when they heard stands as the present warning to hear and not turn from the living God. God was grieved those forty years with those who sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness, because they always erred in heart and did not know His ways, and He swore they should not enter His rest, and they could not enter in because of unbelief. The gospel was preached to them as well as to believers now, but the word preached did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it, so there is to be fear lest any seem to come short of the promised rest.
Departing from the living God comes from an evil heart of unbelief hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Satan often presents temptation under the guise of goodness, and one violation of straightforward truthfulness prepares the way for a second, with wrongs repeated until the heart of unbelief is hardened and the conscience loses its sensitiveness. Delaying obedience to God's call of mercy hardens the heart against increased light, so each unheeded call of the Holy Spirit leaves less and less impression and less inclination to break away from worldly interests and leaves man helpless in the enemy's hands. Hearing without responding hardens the heart, and a mere promise to obey is not enough, for obstinately refusing the warnings God sends is persistently pursuing backsliding in unbelief and idolatry.
Believers must take heed, exhort one another daily while it is called Today lest any be hardened, humble the heart before God in repentance and conversion, and ask forgiveness for speaking words of unbelief that cast reflection on Him who is too wise to err and too good to do harm. They must hold fast the beginning of their confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm and steadfast unto the end in order to be His house and partakers of Christ. They must not cast away confidence, which has great recompense of reward, but have patience to do God's will, for He that shall come will come, and the just shall live by faith and must not draw back. Jesus died even for one in great peril, and those who always err in heart and have not known God's ways will not enter into His rest.
This experience will be repeated in the last years of the history of God's people, when men whom God has greatly honored will pattern after ancient Israel. History is being repeated, and the perils God's people encountered in past ages will be encountered again intensified, as Satan obtains influence over men honored above all human intelligence, so that honored leaders may yield to temptation, turn from God, and lose the blessings He designed them to have. Last-day believers just on the borders of the heavenly Canaan must not repeat the sin of the unfaithful spies, who magnified difficulties into insurmountable obstacles and leavened the whole congregation with unbelief, breaking out in lamentation and outcry, murmuring against God-appointed leaders, casting reflections upon God, planning rebellion to return to Egypt, and seeking to stone Caleb and Joshua when they bore the right testimony of faith, so that the golden opportunity passed and the work God had prepared to do to manifest His greatness and favor could not be done because of wicked unbelief and rebellion. They must not by indulging doubts and criticisms and complaints sow seeds of unbelief and distrust yielding an abundant harvest, for the chapter is a lesson for both teachers and students, written for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.
God still proves His people to see if they will look to Him instead of looking to men and trusting the arm of flesh, numbers, or apparent capabilities, and there is no encouragement given for unbelief, doubt, and distrust. God manifested His grace and power over and over again, and that repeated manifestation should teach always cherishing faith, talking faith, and acting faith. God's discipline of His church can be loving-kindness, with affliction purifying His people while the gospel and God's sure Word give consolation and refuge. God requires His people to trust in Him alone and not receive help from those who do not serve Him, for it was not His good pleasure for them to wander so long in the wilderness, and He would have brought them at once to the promised land if they had submitted and loved to be led by Him. The present invitation of mercy may be refused for the last time, with no second probation, for God will not be trifled with, and those who defy Him to His face, cling to their own way, and work at cross-purposes with Him are met with His judgments as reproof to arouse them, so His word must be heeded intelligently and unitedly in proclaiming warning and salvation, lest coming suddenly He find people unready.
The warning applies to one not making straight paths for the feet and going over forbidden ground in course of action and business transactions. It rebukes becoming suspicious, murmuring and complaining when difficulties come, weighing fellow men in human scales, conjecturing about words, coming to wrong conclusions, putting one's own construction on movements, searching for someone to blame when appearances are not propitious, wanting to fix things to meet one's own mind, getting on the judgment seat, and charging fault where it does not belong instead of seeking where the fault lies, showing failure to trust that God knew the way they should go. It calls for character molded after the divine similitude with the fragrance of God's Spirit and for calm confidence instead of dishonoring Him when trials lead to complaint rather than trust. Every worker must heed God's words, because He has given evidence that if they cooperate with Him He will work with their efforts.