As we saw in Malachi 3:10, putting God to the test is not wrong if it is to prove God’s faithfulness to his promises by acts of faith and obedience. But the testing referred to in this verse is far different. Here it refers to committing acts of deliberate disobedience, to bait or provoke God, to see whether he would respond in wrath and punish their disobedience.
That they escape
means that God failed to respond. He did not punish their deliberate provocation. He allowed their sin to go unpunished. From this, the Israelites deduced that it was better to disobey than to obey, since obedience brought no advantage and disobedience had no negative repercussions. But while the wicked might escape the wrath of God in this life, there will be a day when their wicked deeds are brought to light and judged (Proverbs 11:21; Proverbs 16:5; Revelation 20:12).
15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”