Lead Us Not Into Temptation

James seems crazy when he instructs the brothers to "consider it pure joy [...] when [they] face trials of many kinds" (1:2).

There are plenty of examples throughout the Bible of people who didn't pass the tests and then faced extreme consequences. Throughout Israel's forty years in the desert, God "tested [them] in order to know what was in [their] heart, whether or not they would keep His commands" (Deuteronomy 8:2), and they repeatedly disobeyed, were punished, repented, as no one who left Egypt but the faithful Caleb entered the Promised Land. God refused to drive out the nations Joshua left when he died and instead "[used] them to test Israel and see whether they [would] keep the way of the Lord" (Judges 2:22), and the same disobedient cycle eventually became cause for their exile. A more specific example is in 2 Chronicles 32 and 2 Kings 20 where Hezekiah is tested when envoys from Babylon visit, and his prideful showcase of the riches of Israel leads to Isaiah's prophecy that "everything in [his] palace, and all that [his] fathers [had] stored up until this day, [would] be carried off to Babylon (2 Kings 20:16).

Troubling about these trials beyond the liklihood of failure is their occasional apparent arbitrariness. Abraham's test eventually ended better, but why would God try a person by commanding him to kill his own son? Job's trial also ended well, but doesn't it seem strange to temporarily ruin someone's life to see how faithful they can be? Like the fruit in the Garden of Eden, it's about submitting to God as God even when it doesn't make sense, but that makes it all the more difficult.

And the consequences are worse than we can bear. I clearly remember a talk given by the Dean of Residence Life at my college during my freshmen orientation that indicated all behavior is acceptable as long as you're willing to face the consequences: "You're on your own and have freedom to make your own decisions. But know that there's a price to pay if you get caught." The bottom-line is that we can't fully pay the consequences for sin. Reading through Isaiah and God's extreme punishment of sinful nations including Israel leads one to the conclusion that the cost for sin stretches beyond ourselves to our communities and our descendents.

Then who in their right mind would take joy in being tried? Those who truly have hope in the Lord. Those who trust God to provide whatever is necessary to get through the trials. Those who trust that God works all things for good and uses tests to make His people "mature and complete, not lacking anything" (1:4). Those who take to heart that "blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him" (1:12).

Serious, scary, confusing, painful, good.