Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

In the book of James chapter one we are to count it as joy as we encounter various trials as testing of our faith produces endurance, if we persevere under trial. As we do, we are approved by God, and we will receive the crown of life! As the trials come, so will the temptations. But as (James 1:13) says, God will not tempt anyone, but when lust is conceived from within, we can be carried away. We must also remember that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13) .

So, to find our answer to our question, we turn to Genesis chapter twenty-two where God tells Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, in sacrifice on a mountain chosen by God. Abraham split's the wood and he, his son, some servants and donkeys pack up and go in the direction pointed by God. After a time, Abraham tells the others to stay behind as he and Isaac go on alone. After a time, Isaac asks the pointed question, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham said, God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering my son. …" (Genesis 22:7-8). After they build the alter and Abraham binds Isaac and lays him on the alter, and then stretches out his arm, knife in hand, ready to slay his son, when an angel's voice speaks out to say:

Genesis 22:11-14 But an angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!"

and he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him;

for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." Then

Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns

And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son;

Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of

the Lord it will be provided."

Because Abraham was willing to offer his only son because the Lord asked him to do it, he would be greatly blessed and his seed would be greatly multiplied as the stars of the heavens and also, "In your seed all nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." (Genesis 22:18)

Galatians 3:16 And now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed, He does not say, "And to

seeds" as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.

So, the answer to our question is 'yes, God does test us!' We may wonder how Abraham could have so great a faith as to offer his only son of Sarah, a son of promise and after having a son at one hundred years of age in sacrifice. But we need just to turn to the book of Hebrews chapter eleven to find our answer:

Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the

promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants

Shall be called." He considered that God is able to raise people from the dead, from which he also

received Him back as a type.

So Abraham thought that God would raise him from the dead to fulfill His promise! What about our faith? Could we endure such a test? This work of faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness:

James 2:19-24 You believe that God is one? You do well, the demons believe and shudder. But are you

Willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father

Justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the alter? You see that faith was working with his

Works, and as a result of his works, faith was perfected; and the scripture was fulfilled which say, "And

Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called a friend of God.

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

May our works of faith be as pleasing to God as we are a doer of His word!