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Every student knows that once you have been given instruction, you will be given an opportunity to apply that instruction or demonstrate how well you have retained it by putting it to the test. Those tests come in a variety of forms.

There are pop quizzes—a few short questions placed before you unexpectedly to test your grasp of an idea, principle, or fact soon after it has been presented to you.
There are tests—periodic exams given at the conclusion of a defined period of teaching, i.e. weekly, end-of-chapter, etc.
And, there are exams, including the mother of all exams—the final exam—through which you are tested on instruction you have received over an extended period, i.e. a semester or academic year.

The teachers i always appreciated the most were the ones that forewarned, “This is going to be on the test. You need to know this!” There was no doubt you needed to study and remember that principle and be able to apply it. There were no surprises; you either heeded your teacher’s admonition or you did not. If you did, you had a much greater probability of passing the test. Those who did not heed the warning often suffered the consequences.

The Israelites had been gone from Egypt for a month. They had seen God part the Red Sea, providing their way of escape from the advancing Egyptian army. He had turned bitter waters into sweet at a place called Marah. Then He had led them to a refreshing oasis outside of Elim. Through it all, God had more than proven Himself to be capable of leading them through the wilderness to the land He had promised them.

The people now found themselves on a piece of desert between Elim behind and Mount Sinai ahead.(1) God was continuing to teach His children. He was teaching them who He was. He was teaching them His character. He was giving them truth to live by; truth on which they could stand firm.

As every successful teacher knows, good teaching includes verbal instruction, visual reinforcement, practical application, personal application, and repetition. You see this pattern repeated throughout Moses’ writings to the Israelites. You see it repeatedly demonstrated throughout the Gospels as Jesus taught His disciples. He would teach a truth, demonstrate its application by use of a parable, give them an opportunity to apply the truth to a specific situation, and take them through the process again.

On this particular day in the desert, God said, “I’m going to rain down food. Go out each day and pick up what you need for that day. And on the sixth day, pick up a double portion. And, by the way, I’m going to test you in this to see if you will follow My instructions.”(2)

Consistent with the pattern that He had already set at the creation, God was instructing His people to set aside a day of rest each week—a holy Sabbath to the Lord—a day which would be set apart from all the others unto Him. To free them from having to spend that seventh day gathering food, He was giving them a double portion of food on the sixth day in order to provide for that Sabbath.

So how did the people do with the test? Well, some of them throughout the week tried to horde food from one day to the next. They FAILED—their effort resulted in maggots and decay. Others decided that they would ignore God’s instruction and take advantage of less competition being in the fields on the seventh day. They too FAILED—their effort yielded absolutely no harvest.

And though i’m sure that both of these groups did not intend for the others to know of their disobedience and failure, the stench of decaying manna or the sight of them wandering around the desert on the day everyone else was resting did not go unnoticed. God had given instruction so that through it, He would be glorified. And the saddest result for those who failed the test, was not the shame and embarrassment of their disobedience; it was their failure to honor the One who is worthy of all honor.

Along our respective journeys, the One who is leading us will also allow us to be put to the test. He is teaching us who He is, His character and His Truth. If we follow His instruction—His Word—we will pass with flying colors. And He will get the glory! After all, that’s why He has us on this journey to begin with!

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You can read about how God put the Israelites to a test in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Exodus.

This post is taken from chapter 16 of my book, The Journey Begins. For more information about the book, click here.

(1) Exodus 16:4-5, 21-23, 27 (NLT)

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. The people can go out each day and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether they will follow my instructions. Tell them to pick up twice as much as usual on the sixth day of each week." …The people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. …On the sixth day, there was twice as much as usual on the ground -- four quarts for each person instead of two. The leaders of the people came and asked Moses why this had happened. He replied, "The LORD has appointed tomorrow as a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. On this day we will rest from our normal daily tasks. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.” …Some of the people went out anyway to gather food, even though it was the Sabbath day. But there was none to be found.

(2) Paraphrase Exodus 16:4-5

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Put to the Test

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