Gen 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.”
First of all, it sounds like when someone jumps around a corner and tries to scare you to death! But, more importantly, God is trying to reveal something now in Abraham’s character.
The King James version of this verse says that God did tempt Abraham. But James 1:13 says let no man say when he is tempted that he is tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth He any man.
So which is it? Does God tempt or not? But look at James—-God tempting us with evil to see if we are strong enough to withstand or God testing us to show us how strong we are in Him?
Two completely different words. One meaning to draw away to evil, the other to show that we actually have our priorities in place.
Testing is not tempting. Tempting implies there might be failure and it’s our strength that is needed to get us through. Testing is going through material that we have already learned and just need the emboldening of a victory to know He is there.
God would never have asked Abraham what He did if He thought Abraham would fail. He is showing us how far we’ve come in our battle against doubt and our old way of thinking.
Pastor Brent
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).