# 196 The Holy Woodshed

The Book of Genesis

Day 196

Ge 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

God tests us in order to teach us very important spiritual lessons. Such was the case of the children of Israel as they wandered in the desert for 40 years. When they were finally about to enter the Promised Land, Joshua reminded them:  De 8:2 "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.  4 "Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.  5 "You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you.

Imagine that! A testing that lasted 40 years! That’s half a lifetime!  All because God wanted to see if they would still keep His commandments in the midst of adversity! Were their hearts stayed on Him or on the physical comforts of life?

As God miraculously provided for them in the wilderness during their time of testing, He was teaching them that He is trustworthy, and that by trusting in Him, they would live. They were learning, (just as we need to learn) that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Still another lesson to be learned from their wilderness experience is that God chastens His children. Sometimes we need to be taken to the holy woodshed! Just as we chasten our errant children to train them and educate them, so it is for our heavenly Father as He brings tests our way.  These tests, like the tests in our parents woodshed, are meant to steer us clear of harmful behaviors , they are trainings in righteousness. Hmmmm, isn’t that one of the functions of God’s Law?

Rejoice in your tests and trials, because the Bible tells us that “whom the Lord loves, He chastens!” And the motivating factor behind chastening is love and restoration as He leads us to holy living…..and that’s an education worth obtaining.

Pray: Lord,  help us to learn the lessons of the wilderness. Help us to see the necessity of utter reliance on You! And in the midst of our trials, let us continue to seek to treasure Your Word.