Judges 3:1-6

¹ Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. ² It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. ³ These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. ⁴ They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. ⁵ So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁶ And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Part of the training process includes tests. All students, whether home-schooled, private-schooled, or public-schooled, have tests that are the norm. They are used to ensure students know the information in one lesson before moving on to the next.

Not only are tests important in schooling, but the Bible teaches that testing is important in our spiritual growth as well. For example, James says in James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Psalms 26:2 says, “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.” And in Deuteronomy 8:2 says, “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.” The idea of passing the test is not foreign to the believer in God. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. In this parable, a nobleman gives money to his servants: one is given mega-bucks, another a very large amount of money, and yet another was given a small, minuscule bit. Each servant had the same instruction: invest the money and when the nobleman returns, each will stand accountable for the profit they made. The nobleman did return. He called each servant to stand accountable. The one who was given the largest amount invested well and he was given exceedingly more. He was blessed because this servant passed the test. The next servant also invested the money and received an additional large sum in return, but not as great as the first servant. Nevertheless, as he stood before the nobleman, he also received an additional amount of money to invest. He, like the first servant, passed the test. The third servant was given only a small amount to invest. Sadly, he did not invest the money, but hid it; therefore, the money did not grow any interest. The nobleman came and the third servant stood accountable. Yet, the nobleman cursed the lazy servant for not investing his money. He did not pass the test. In the same way, we stand accountable to God for all we do and say. When we passed the test, the Lord may bring us blessings because of our obedience, just like the two servants in this parable who invested the nobleman’s money. For those who are obedient, if they are a child of God, He will discipline them like a father disciplines and teaches his child. If they do not belong to God, they will be cast out into outer darkness where there is gnashing of teeth.

Most people today do not consider that in life there are tests, and they are supposed to grow in holiness if indeed they belong to Him. To them, it is okay to worship other gods. Sadly to say, they do not have a close intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. While we know that God is loving, good, and kind, and that is a fact. We also must remember and realize, our God is just. We who are His children are to be holy as he is. Therefore, he does not want us to dabble and be enslaved to sin. Rather, God teaches us to put off the old self and put on the new. We are to grow in our knowledge of God and by faith, imitate Him. This is where testing is important in our sanctification. God tests our faith. The testing of our faith is joyful, even when we fail. For it is a work of God. When we fail, we fail forward by learning to hate evil and to love the righteousness of Christ. By this, we mature and grow in our assurance of faith. We come to rely on and be dependent on Christ Jesus our Lord. Failing causes us to not be self-willed, boastful, or proud. Failing forward allows us to learn that He is sufficient to meet our needs in all matters of life.

God did not drive the Canaanites out of the land of Canaan because of Israel’s rejection of Him. Like Esau in the Book of Genesis, Esau disregarded God’s law, married women outside of Israel, and didn’t respect his birthright. This is the same thing that the Israelites did when they went into the land of Canaan. God gave them His law through Moses, yet they disobey and did not do what God said. They also allowed their daughters to marry the Canaanite men, and their sons to marry the Canaanite women. They did not respect their birthright. They became polluted by intermarrying themselves with the ungodly. They worshiped and called upon their gods. Where they should have learned from Esau’s mistake in Scripture, yet, their sin accumulated and caused them to fall more into spiritual poverty. They left God and God allowed other nations to plunder and take vengeance on them.

In application, we know that our faith will be tested. We need to watch and pray that our faith does not fail. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples on the night of His betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:40-41, Jesus said to Peter after waking him up from sleep, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We also must take heed. Yes, our spirit desires to watch and pray so we may not sin. We must remember, however, our flesh is weak. Therefore, we who are His were given the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We have His indwelling power to overcome these temptations, though not perfectly, as we pray fervently in the Holy Spirit, and trust Jesus who is our advocate and intercessor before God. Second Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” Today, we need to consider if we have passed the test! Some may need to repent, but we all need to be in the Word of God and be watchful and ready for the next lesson!

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Precious Lord Jesus, I praise You for dying for my sins and giving me the free gift of eternal life by grace through faith. You, O Lord, are worth it! I worship You. I confess that I do sin in my pride and my rebellion. Help me, Lord Jesus, to hate my sin and to walk humbly before You as my God. Help me to be obedient to Your Word.

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Search Me, O Lord, by Frances J. Crosby in 1875