Israel’s test was given in order to show them very clearly the depths of their infidelity to God, and the depths of his mercy and patience. Israel was under the enslavement of sin, and they could not get out on their own. They were not any better than the nations surrounding them. For us then too, we need a proper view of sin. That we can and do easily fall prey to the seduction of sin, and commit a form of spiritual adultery, by mixing our Christianity with the idols of the world. For, not until the church gets a proper view of sin, also our sin, we will never see the gospel as something amazing. So God tests us for our good. But also for his glory.

What kind of tests are there today for us, to see whether we will take care to walk with the Lord? We are surrounded by a culture that pressures us to be at best indifferent to God’s Word, and at worst hostile toward it, to forfeit our distinctiveness. Social issues of the day, such as gender, sexuality, family, beginning and end of life matters, are very opposed to the biblical view on these things. As Christians we get labelled as intolerant, uncharitable, hateful, arrogant, bigots, and so on for holding to the biblical view. Our reaction to much of this is not so much, Ah, let’s join them in their worldview. Instead: It’s just going to get worse. Why is God sending this adversity? But perhaps God is doing this for the same reason he left the nations in the land of Canaan. To test us, to train us, to see whether we’ll depend upon him for everything. God brings hardship, even persecution into our lives in order to press us to place our trust in him alone for everything.