We, everyone of us is tested by The Creator of the Heavens and Earth. For me this statement goes without any further question. A rich person, one that inherited the family's wealth built over generations, seams to have a life of ease, yet bored, anger, frustration, misdeeds, . . . . . plague that life.
Every decision or choice we make which involves the Laws and Teachings given by G-D, is either for or against G-D. It does not matter whether or not you know these Laws and Teachings found in the Writings of Moses, you and I are accountable to G-D.
Let us take a look some tests which are in the Torah(Writings of Moses). Exodus 32: Moses has been receiving the Laws and Teaching on Mt. Sinai for 40 days., The LORD informs Moses verse 7 ”Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have dealt corruptly; 8 they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said: 'This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.'” These are outrageous acts by people that so recently lived through all of the miracles performed against the Land of Egypt and the people.--Yaakov “Exodus 32:10 Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation.” This is a fabulous offer to lift Moses up and bless him like Abram was blessed, if Abram left his home and all that he knew to follow a voice (Genesis 12), all Moses must do is let G-D destroy these stiff necked people. What a test(or trap), giving someone everything if they only do not interfere, this sounds like something from the Mob or a Dictator or some employers, . . . . Instead Moses comes back with “Exodus 32:11: . . .'LORD, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, that Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12: Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, and saidst unto them: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.' “
What a righteous man Moses is, he did not fall into the trap. The next day, after Moses destroys the idol Moses goes back up the mountain to plead with G-D. G-D's replay is Exodus 32:33 'LORD said unto Moses: 'Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.' “
Abram was less successful at making righteous choices, for example: Genesis 15:' . . . .LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying: 'Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceeding great.' In this fragment of the story G-D blesses Abram, apparently for his actions with the King of Sodom. Abram listens to G-D and Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness.” Abram has been well behaved to this point, but when G-D promises the land to Abram, it is as if he thinks he can get concessions from G-D, so he asks 'O Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?' --This is a direct challenge to G-D that just blessed him, and because Abram believed in the Lord, it was counted as righteousness for him. In response to this challenge, G-D has Abram create a contract in the manner of the time, with split animals. (In this contract both parties would walk through the two halves of the animals with the idea that if these two people broke the deal, the one breaking the deal would then be split in half as were the animals that are the witnesses to the contract. A very gruesome deal sealing process.) However, only G-D goes through the split animals, Abram has a heavy sleep placed on him and before Abram goes to sleep we get the real punishment: Genesis 15:13 And He(G-D) said unto Abram: 'Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; . . . .” It seems obvious to me that Abram lost points on believing G-D. Even worse, his children are sent into exile for 400 years, with pain and suffering mixed in.
In the story just prior to Sodom and Gomorrah, G-D reviles to Abraham: Genesis 18:20) "And the LORD said: 'Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous. 21) I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know." Based on this information Abraham replies: Genesis 18:23 “And Abraham drew near, and said: 'Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?”Tanach to look back upon and reflect as we do. Neither did he have continuous talks with G-D so that he might truly know and understand The GOD Most High, a statement Abram got from Melchizedek king of Salem, in Genesis 14:18,19,20 and Abram repeated to the King of Sodom in verse 22. It truly takes many test of Abraham before G-D stops testing him. The tests ended, with the Binding of Issac, where Abraham learns not to question, argue or negotiate with the G-D Most High for HE IS Righteous and acts for the good of HIS name and HIS Honor. Abram is called by G-D at the age of 75 years, Issac is born when Abraham is 100 years, and given that the 'Lad” should refer to one less than 13 years of age, it only took 38 years for Abraham to truly trust the Lord Our G-D, after which Abraham lived 62 years where he later had another wife and 5 sons, which do not inherit in the Covenant between Abraham and G-D. All of this is in the Writings of Moses.
We are tested so that we can grow and learn to be righteous before our G-D. I personally have been working on this more than 50 years and I am not good enough to wash Abraham's feet yet. One other thing that I have noticed in my readings, when G-D speaks whether to someone in particular(Exodus 32) or to seemingly no one(Exodus 13:17), every phrase or word matters today as much as when they were spoken.
Read the Torah(the Writings of Moses) and the Tanach, truly seek to understand for yourself that which the Lord Our G-D wants from you.
Shalom, Shalom
Yaakov
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