The Testing of God's Sons

By Gregory S. Smith

There exists a general lack of biblical understanding for the idea of “testing” that emerges in the Old Testament as a significant theological theme. The faithful from both Old Testament and New Testament times are tested for their faith. This kind of experience often involves enduring hardship and difficult times. While often confused with the biblical idea of “temptation,” the biblical idea of testing stems from a metallurgical background and carries a unique covenantal function. Testing will be at the center of how God responds to the rebellion of his people and reveals God’s primary concern for the faith of his saints.

Our study will first focus on the language of testing and explore the semantic range for the idea of testing that draws from both the biblical context, as well as the world of the ancient Near East. This study will then focus on the often overlooked Joseph narrative and its unique contribution to the theology of testing that is presented by the rest of the Pentateuch. Finally, the remainder of the biblical texts will be investigated on the theme of testing. The last chapter will appreciate the fact that God tests His sons—Adam, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Job, Israel and even Christ. 

It is through the experience of God’s tested sons that believers are invited to more fully and deeply understand their own experience of testing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BH Publishing Group
• Release date: May 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781433683640

Book preview

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AB Anchor Bible

AHw W. von Soden, Akkadisches Handwörterbuch, 3 vols., Wiesbaden, 1959–81

AnBib Analecta Biblica

ANE Ancient Near East

ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, ed. J. B. Prichard, Princeton, 1969

BASOR Bulletin for the American Schools of Oriental Research

BDB Brown, F., S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago, 1961.

Bib Biblica

BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

CAD The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, 1956–

CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly

CBQMS Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series

COS The Context of Scripture, ed. William H. Hallo, 3 vols., Leiden, 2003

DCH Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, ed. D. J. A. Clines, Sheffield, 1993–

DOTP Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, InterVarsity, 2003

DISO C.-F. Jean and J. Hoftijzer, Dictionary des inscriptions sémitiques de l’ouest, Leiden, 1965

DNWSI J. Hoftijzer and K. Jongeling, Dictionary of the North-West Semitic Inscriptions, 2 vols., Leiden, 1995

EA The Armarna Letters, ed. and trans. William Moran. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.

HALOT The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, ed. and trans. M. E. J. Richardson. New York: Brill, 1994–

Int Interpretation

JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society

JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

JBL Journal of Biblical Literature

JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies

JPS Jewish Publication Society

JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series

KAI H. Donner and W. Röllig, Kanaanäische und aramäische Inschriften, 3 vols., Wiesbaden, 1967–1969

KTU Die keilalphabetischen Texte aus Ugarit, I, ed. M. Dietrich, O. Loretz, and J. Sanmartín, AOAT 24, Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1976

NICOT New International Commentary on the Old Testament

NAC New American Commentary

NIDNTT The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. C. Brown, 4 vols., Grand Rapids, 1975–1978 (ET of Theologisches Begrifslexicon zum NT, ed. L. Coenen et al., 4 vols., Wuppertal, 1965–1971)

NIDOTTE The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, ed. Willem A. VanGemeren, 6 vols., Grand Rapids, 1997

OBT Overtures to Biblical Theology

OrAnt Oriens antiquus

OTL Old Testament Library

PRU Le Palais royal d’Ugarit, ed. C. F.-A. Schaeffer and J. Nougayrol, Paris, 1956–

SVT Supplements to Vetus Testamentum

TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, tr. and ed. G. W. Bromiley, 10 vols., Grand Rapids, 1964–1976 (ET of Theologisches Wörterbuch zum NT, 10 vols., Stuttgart, 1933–1979)

TDOT Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. G. J. Botterweck, H. Ringgren, and H.-J. Fabry, tr. J. T. Willis, Grand Rapids, 1974– (ET of TWAT)

TLOT Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, ed. Jenni Ernst and Claus Westermann, 3 vols., Peabody: Hendrickson, 1997.

UF Ugarit-Forschungen

VT Vetus Testamentum

WTJ Westminster Theological Journal

WBC Word Biblical Commentary

ZAW Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

ZDMG Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft

foreword

As a pastor, I deal with people who are hurting on an almost daily basis. In a fallen world, suffering is the common experience for most everyone with whom I cross paths. Thus, helping those people who are hurting is a huge ministry for the local church. For a church as large as Walnut Ridge, I have had to bring together a variety of specialists who help me and the rest of the pastoral team meet the needs of those who are hurting. More and more, the church needs technicians who have both the biblical knowledge and the life experience to help people who are asking very specific questions about the suffering they experience. This is a book that helps the technicians. 

Greg’s book The Testing of God’s Sons: The Refining of Faith as a Biblical Theme defines testing and traces this theme through the entire Old and New Testaments. Pretty quickly, one discovers that God, as a Father, is very interested in the faith development of those in His family. What we fail to recall is that God uses testing as the primary means of refining faith. As a parent myself, I understand how we can assist in the faith development of our own children. God is no different. Greg explains how testing involves a range of intensities and is built on the basic metallurgical idea of the refinement of precious metals. Thus, the pain and suffering we encounter in life can also be the very means by which God accomplishes the necessary faith development in our lives. This basic concept offers some explanatory power for those who are in the work of helping hurting people. Does God allow pain in our lives in order to gain the attention of our faith? Absolutely! Does this sometimes involve the refinement of faith that is already present in the life of the believer? Yes! Testing is the biblical conversation that focuses on God’s covenant obligations to a somewhat wayward and rebellious group of people. Their story is one that involves wilderness experiences, continuous harassment from opposing nations, and even exile from their land. In Israel, we are invited to see ourselves.

Randy Weeaks

Pastor, Walnut Ridge Baptist Church

Mansfield, Texas

PREFACE

The concept of testing has occupied a great deal of my thinking over the last few years. In researching and writing this volume I was surprised to find significant connections of testing with the much broader question of suffering, even amid a few of my personal experiences. We often say in contexts of suffering that God tests faith. I am absolutely confident that this is true. The difficulty, as we will see, is that testing often involves the experience of suffering. In conflict with this is a world that desperately seeks to avoid, and even eliminate, all pain and suffering. A good God would not allow such things to happen—or would he? More than ever, a biblically correct understanding of the idea of testing serves both to encourage and inform the believer who experiences suffering and equips those seeking to help others. It offers necessary perspective for one who is trying to make sense of it all. The Bible is not shy in presenting its heroes as they experience the refinement of their faith through suffering and trial. In fact, the Bible invites us to see ourselves in their stories. So in this volume we hope to present not just the facts about biblical testing but offer a practical and pastoral side for the theology of testing as well.

In the pages ahead the theme of testing will be explored as a theological theme that stretches across the pages of Scripture. Our investigation will include concepts from the ancient world that assist our understanding of the biblical concept. Our investigation of testing as a pentateuchal theme will begin with Joseph. It is our contention that Joseph’s testing, in combination with the testing of his brothers, contributes a necessary theological link between the patriarchal history and Israel’s history that follows. The relevance of this theme for Israel then, as well as for the modern believer today, will be appreciated. The biblical fact is that God tests his sons; Adam, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Job, Israel, and even Christ were all tested. Through the experience of God’s tested sons we are invited to understand more fully and deeply our own experience of testing.

Greg Smith

March 2013

Fort Worth, Texas

Introduction

At a pivotal moment in the Joseph narrative, Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies and challenges them with a test. In Genesis 42:15, he declares, By this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here! After putting his brothers in three days of solitary confinement, Joseph further declares, Do this and live, for I fear God (v. 18b). Joseph’s words and actions at this critical juncture share a variety of interpretations among scholars, 1 who see him as both villain and hero in his dealings with the brothers. For some he is acting in kind. For others he is acting as a selfish brat out for revenge. The study ahead will focus on Joseph’s significant role as both one tested and as a tester of others. Joseph’s declared fear of God signals the climax of a testing cycle that began for him in Egypt. As we will see, Joseph also plays a pivotal role in the testing of the brothers.

For many, the basic idea of testing remains an often overlooked and somewhat clouded theological theme. For example, pastors, laymen, and students who locate the word test in biblical resources, such as dictionaries, are often redirected to the entries tempt or temptation. From this one may come to the conclusion that testing and tempting are the same biblical concept.2 As a means of clarification, this study will bring emphasis to the primary Hebrew testing terms, נסה, בחן, and צרף, and the unique nuances that each term holds.3 It will show that the nuance temptation does not translate well in those contexts where testing occurs in the Old Testament.4 Against this notion testing will be recognized as the divine means by which God cultivates and establishes the faith and fidelity of his own people. Testing shares a strong covenantal and relational idea in the Old Testament that includes the testing of both individuals and groups.

After a look into the language and concepts of testing, our investigation of the biblical idea will begin with the Joseph narrative, which is often overlooked in the scholarly conversation. The Joseph narrative, however, has a significant and necessary contribution to make to this theme. It illustrates the role of testing in God’s divine concern for the quality of faith and fidelity of his people. Moreover, Joseph demonstrates how the faithful respond amid the difficulties, trials, and sufferings of life. In fact, on a foundation of understanding from the Pentateuch’s own presentation of testing, I will extend this theme across the entire biblical context. By doing so, I hope to offer greater clarity on a subject that churches today need to hear. Those in ministry or who are preparing for ministry often receive the why? question from those under their care. Thus, the theme of suffering emerges as a significant pastoral topic. Practically, biblical testing shares some common ground with the much broader theme of Christian suffering. Understood biblically, testing addresses some of the why? behind Christian suffering. As will be seen, both Moses and Paul addressed audiences who were asking essentially the same question. What was true for the wilderness generation and their experience of hunger, thirst, and hardship was also true for the persecuted church in Paul’s day. In a fallen world hardship, exile, and suffering all work to produce the faith that a relationship with a loving Father requires—in a fallen world adopted sons must always be tested sons.

Thus, my hope is that a proper understanding of testing will assist the modern pastors, laymen, counselors, and teachers charged with the task of helping those who struggle to make sense of the suffering they experience. A proper understanding of testing offers a theological basis for encouragement and hope to anyone who is in the family of God. James exhorts us to consider it all joy when we encounter testing, and there are strong biblical reasons to think he is right!

The Way Ahead

As a means of gaining greater clarity, this study will first explore the language and concepts for testing from both the biblical context and texts from the ancient world. We will seek to define the meaning of testing by exploring the nuances of the primary Hebrew testing terms נסה, בחן, and צרף.5 We will then explore biblical contexts where testing occurs either explicitly (with the primary terms) or implicitly (without the terms but with the primary concepts). Our biblical investigation will begin with the Joseph narrative and argue for its significant (and necessary) contribution to the theology of testing the Pentateuch presents. We will then examine the Pentateuch as a whole for the theme of testing. Finally, we will explore the theology of testing in the rest of the biblical context, including several key New Testament texts. The title for chapter 4, The Testing of God’s Sons, parallels the title of this work and demonstrates that God is concerned for the establishment, cultivation, and even refinement of the faith of his sons (and daughters) at any age.6 The biblical consensus on the idea of testing offers both understanding and hope to the faithful who struggle—even suffer—in their demonstration of fidelity both to God and to others in the community of faith.

The Language of Testing

This chapter seeks to establish a working semantic field for the main Hebrew testing terms נסה , בחן , and צרף , drawing primarily from biblical contexts and secondarily from the broader context of the ancient world. 7 Biblical authors did not write their inspired texts in a vacuum and often employed terms and concepts available from the world around them. Thus, the work of establishing meaning for biblical terms can be a tricky business, as James Barr rightly cautions, Etymology is not, and does not profess to be, a guide to the semantic value of words in their current usage, and such value has to be determined from the current usage and not from the derivation. 8 Barr indicates that an understanding of a particular Hebrew root must be grounded in a semantic field established with other terms of the same historical period. 9 Thus, the work of establishing meaning must include sensitivity to the historical development of a term’s meaning in both biblical and nonbiblical contexts.

The Biblical Language of Testing

The Root נסה

While נסה is the most frequent term for testing in the biblical context, the etymological origin for this root lacks consensus among scholars.10 Of the theories proposed, its origins as a military term have received the most attention.11 H. J. Helfmeyer argues for a link between נסה and a similar Hebrew term, נס, which means standard, flag.12 The military connection suggests that this word refers to the training of a soldier that validates the skills necessary for a battle. Helfmeyer extends the proposal of Otto Eissfeldt and supports his position on those biblical contexts where the root נסה occurs in military contexts (cf. Judg 3:1; 1 Sam 17:39).13 Moshe Greenberg applies this military idea in his translation of נסה in Exodus 20:20 and associates נסה with other Hebrew terms for seeing, knowing, and learning.14

In other biblical contexts the root נסה occurs most frequently in texts that refer to the testing of individuals (e.g., Abraham). Deuteronomy employs a high usage of this term in its theological evaluation of Israel’s wilderness experience.15 Deuteronomy 8:2 offers the purpose of Israel’s wilderness experience as testing and states,

You shall remember all the way which the L

ord

your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not (emphasis added).

In further analysis, it will become evident that God tests loyalty or fidelity because covenant relationship demands loyalty.16 However, in other contexts where God is not the tester, testing occurs merely because of an established relationship between two individuals or groups of people, such as a family. These examples serve to illustrate what faithfulness and fidelity should look like in Israel. Yahweh reserves the exclusive role as tester of his own people. In other words, God remains the subject of the verb in many contexts. Contexts where individuals, such as Gideon (Judg 6:39), and the nation Israel (Mal 3:10) test God, demonstrate either lack of faith or a situation where God invites testing because of Israel’s lack of faith and covenant infidelity (Exod 17:2, 7; Num 14:22; Deut 6:16; Pss 78:18, 41; 95:9; 106:14). Biblical authors commonly use נסה in contexts where God’s words are spoken or commanded, with the expectation of obedience (cf. Gen 22:1–2; Exod 15:25–26; 16:4; 20:20;Num 14:22; Deut 6:16–17; 8:2). Thus, God tests the covenant community and those in special relationship to him by means of his spoken word or command.17 The term נסה occurs frequently in combination with the Hebrew term ידע, to know, which suggests a cognitive nuance for the biblical idea of testing (cf. Gen 22:1, 12; Deut 8:2; 13:4[3]; Judg 3:4; 6:37, 39; 2 Chr 32:31). Finally, נסה occurs in parallel with other similar terms, such as בחן, to test, authenticate (Pss 26:2; 95:9), צרף, to refine (Ps 26:2) and ראה, to see (Eccl 2:1). This observation suggests that a semantic range for biblical testing includes subtle nuances of testing derived from its association with other testing terms: נסה, בחן and צרף.18

The Root בחן

Like נסה, the etymology of the root בחן is uncertain. However, some have compared this term to Syriac, baḥen, which means to examine, to scrutinize.19 Further evidence suggests other possible comparisons, such as with Aramaic terms that convey the meaning of to examine.20 Some evidence links the functional idea of examination to the world of metallurgy and the use of the ancient touchstone for the examination of the quality of precious metals such as gold.21

In contrast to נסה, the root בחן occurs with much more frequency in the prophetic and wisdom texts.22 The two occurrences in Genesis will be the primary focus in our discussion of Joseph’s testing of his brothers. It is significant to our development of testing as touchstone that God appears as the primary subject, or active agent, behind testing in these contexts. As previously mentioned, in a few usages of נסה, individuals test God in a context of rebellion or lack of faith.23 For בחן, the heart frequently occurs as the object of testing (Jer 11:20; 17:10; Ps 7:9; Prov 17:3; 1 Chr 29:17). This use of בחן parallels ancient texts that describe the examination of one’s heart and will offer further support for our biblical discussion of testing and the metallurgical idea of touchstone.24

Syntactically, בחן is commonly paired with ידע (to know) and in contexts where deeper or concealed knowledge of an individual is sought. This pairing resonates well with the metallurgical idea of the touchstone, where the removal of the surface of precious metals parallels the same idea of a touchstone used to authenticate the human heart (Gen 42:16; Jer 6:27; 12:3; 17:9–10; Ps 139:23; Job 23:10).25 This idea finds additional support in the pairing of בחן with לב (heart), where the idea of knowing or authenticating the heart is clear (see Jer 11:20; 12:3; 17:10; Pss 7:9; 17:3; Prov 17:3; 1 Chr 29:17).26 These frequent links of בחן with verbs of seeing and knowing highlight the cognitive nuance of the term and support the etymological link of בחן to the touchstone suggested here.

The Root צרף

Unlike the terms נסה and בחן , the etymology of צרף is more certain. In Akkadian texts, verb, noun, and attributive forms all convey the basic meaning to refine metals, to burn, refine.27 The Syriac cognate ṣerap means to torture, to put into a vat, to refine.28 The Aramaic phrase אבן צרף, stone of testing, parallels the Hebrew phrase אבן בחן, testing stone, touchstone, and supports a possible parallel to our proposed meaning of touchstone for בחן.29 Of the occurrences of צרף, all but five are found in the Psalms, wisdom, and prophetic books.30 Almost half of its occurrences are in contexts where a metal is named as the object of the verb צרף.31 This term also serves as the favorite of prophets who compare Israel and Judah’s experience of exile to Israel’s historic wilderness experience.32 While צרף occurs in parallel with בחן and נסה, the term צרף carries the strongest refining nuance that is supported by a clear metallurgical background.33

Conclusion

Our examination of Hebrew expressions for testing suggests that a range of meaning is shared among the primary biblical terms נסה, בחן, and צרף that describe the full concept of testing. This range of meaning includes both common ground and unique nuances of meaning for each term. These unique nuances are evident and supported from both biblical and nonbiblical contexts.34

From our investigation thus far, we can make several helpful observations regarding the nuances for each of the primary biblical testing terms נסה, בחן, and צרף. First, testing includes a range of intensity shared across these terms. Testing ranges from mild, medium, and hot in degree of intensity; and this range of intensity tracks closely with the metallurgical background for testing, especially for the Hebrew terms בחן and צרף (see figure 1 on next page). Thus, while testing may involve the revealing of faith or fidelity (נסה), a divinely assigned quality check, it may also involve the refining (צרף)