You
shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
Deuteronomy 6:16
Deuteronomy 6 [10.] It shall be, when Yahweh your God brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities, which you didn’t build, and houses full of all good things, which you didn’t fill, and cisterns dug out, which you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive trees, which you didn’t plant, and you shall eat and be full; then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall fear Yahweh your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name. You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you;
Deuteronomy 6 [15.] for Yahweh your God among you is a jealous God; lest the anger of Yahweh your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth. You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you. You shall do that which is right and good in Yahweh’s sight; that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as Yahweh has spoken.
Deuteronomy 6 [20.] When your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh our God has commanded you mean?” then you shall tell your son, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and Yahweh showed great and awesome signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes; and he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he swore to our fathers. Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are today. It shall be righteousness to us, if we observe to do all this commandment before Yahweh our God, as he has commanded us.”
Meaning:
Deuteronomy 6 contains the great command to love God, introduced by the words “Hear, Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Moses then warns Israel about life in the promised land. When they enjoy cities they did not build and vineyards they did not plant, they must not forget Yahweh (Deuteronomy 6:13). This verse adds a further warning, drawn from their own history in the wilderness.
- “You shall not tempt Yahweh your God”
To tempt God here means to test him, to put him on trial, and to demand that he prove himself on our terms. It is the opposite of trust. A person who tests God in this way doubts his goodness and his presence unless he performs on demand.
- “as you tempted him in Massah”
Massah means “testing.” Soon after the exodus, Israel camped at Rephidim and found no water. The people quarreled with Moses and demanded water (Exodus 17:2). Moses “called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, ‘Is Yahweh among us, or not?’” (Exodus 17:7). God had just divided the sea and fed them with manna, yet they questioned whether he was with them at all. The psalmist later warned, “Don’t harden your heart, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, tested me, and saw my work” (Psalm 95:8-9).
- Jesus quotes this verse
When the devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and urged him to throw himself down, quoting the promise of angelic protection, Jesus answered, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” (Luke 4:12; Matthew 4:7). Jesus trusted his Father completely and therefore refused to force a demonstration of his care. Where Israel failed in the wilderness, Jesus stood firm.
The Significance of Deuteronomy 6:16
- Trust without demanding proof
Paul applied the lesson to the church: “Let us not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents” (1 Corinthians 10:9). Believers may bring every need to God in prayer, but they must not make their faith depend on God doing what they dictate.
- Obedience as the alternative
The very next words point the way: “You shall diligently keep the commandments of Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 6:17). Instead of testing God, his people listen to him and obey.
Cross-References:
Exodus 17:7: “Is Yahweh among us, or not?” The testing at Massah.
Luke 4:12: “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Jesus answers the devil.
Psalm 95:8-9: “when your fathers tempted me, tested me, and saw my work.” A warning to later generations.
1 Corinthians 10:9: “Let us not test Christ, as some of them tested.” The lesson for the church.
Conclusion: Moses warned Israel not to test God as they had at Massah, when they doubted his presence because they were thirsty. Jesus quoted this verse to reject the devil’s challenge, showing that true faith trusts God without demanding that he prove himself.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible