Every word of God is tested;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him, (30:5).

Tested: “6884. צָרַף ṣārap̱: A verb meaning to refine, to test. This word describes the purifying process of a refiner, who heats metal, takes away the dross, and is left with a pure substance,” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

Some versions translate this verse as, “Every word of God proves true,” or “Every word of God is pure.” God’s Word is Tested, proven true and pure through and through. Because all that God speaks, flows from His pure and unshakeable truth, tried and proven in His unshakably blameless Nature and Character. He is God and our Rock; and it is in His Tested Word, that He will prove Himself to be our unshakeable shield and refuge.

As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
³¹ For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God, (Psalm 18:30-31).

Consider His Tested Word

There is much to consider today; so let’s pray and dig in.

Father, please open our eyes today that we may consider and behold the wonderful things You have for us in Your Tested Word.

Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law, (Psalm 119:18).

• His Tested Word will never fail.
  • Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant, (1 Kings 8:56).

• His Tested Word will come to pass.
  • Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass, (Joshua 21:45).

• His Tested Word will accomplish everything He desires.
  • So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
    It will not return to Me empty,
    Without accomplishing what I desire,
    And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it, (Isaiah 55:11).

• His Tested Word is accomplished at His command.
  • The Lord has done what He purposed;
    He has accomplished His word
    Which He commanded from days of old… (Lamentations 2:17).

• His Tested Word is proven, just as He said.
  • The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said…” (Matthew 28:5-6).

And apart from His Tested Word, we will remain in the stupidity and misunderstanding of our flesh, without wisdom or true knowledge of the Holy One.

Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And I do not have the understanding of a man.
³ Neither have I learned wisdom,
Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One, (30:2-3).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it, (John 1:1-5).

Jesus Christ is the Word Who became flesh, Who ascended and descended, the Creator of the universe, the Son of God; and He has revealed Himself as His Tested Word.

Who has ascended into heaven and descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has wrapped the waters in His garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name or His son’s name?
Surely you know! (30:5).

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth, (John 1:14).

He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things, (Ephesians 4:10).

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him, (Colossians 1:16).

After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, ¹⁷ and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased,” (Matthew 3:16-17).

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him, (John 1:16-18).

How do we respond to His Tested Word?

It is the fool who relies on self and rejects His Tested Word; for doubt breeds dissatisfaction, and dissatisfaction will breed irritation, and irritation will breed impatience; until ultimately, we actually get mad at God. And, as sure as churning milk produces butter, and getting smacked in the nose brings forth blood, we can be sure that when we refuse His counsel and quarrel against His Tested Word, we will be riddled with strife and conflict.

If you have been foolish in exalting yourself
Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.
³³ For the churning of milk produces butter,
And pressing the nose brings forth blood;
So the churning of anger produces strife, (30:32-33).

If we are opposing His Truth, let us put our hand to our mouth, that we may turn away from pride and come to Him in humility to receive His Truth from His Tested Word.

• While we know there are those things that will never be satisfied, let us find our satisfaction in Jesus as we daily come in faith to be filled by Him through His Tested Word.
  • The leech has two daughters,
    “Give,” “Give.”
    There are three things that will not be satisfied,
    Four that will not say, “Enough”: (30:15).
    • “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst,” (John 6:35).

• While some things are too wonderful and beyond our ability to comprehend, let us listen to His Holy Spirit Who will guide us into the truth of His Tested Word.
  • There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
    Four which I do not understand: (30:18).
    • But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you,” (John 16:13-15).

• Oh, how unbearable it will be to us, to others, and most importantly to God, when we succumb to the pride that breeds dissatisfaction with His good gifts. Let us depend on His sufficient grace that we would walk in humility and contentment, as we believe and agree with His Tested Word.
  • Under three things the earth quakes,
    And under four, it cannot bear up: (30:21).
    • Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! ⁸ Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. ⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness,” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

• There are things that are small, but exceedingly wise. Oh, that we would continue in the things we have learned and have become confident in, the things He has revealed through His Tested Word, that we will humbly walk in the exceeding wisdom of His salvation in Christ.
  • Four things are small on the earth,
    But they are exceedingly wise: (30:24).
    • You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus, (2 Timothy 3:14-15).

• And if we will surrender our lives in faith and dependence upon His Holy Spirit, we too will be stately as we walk in the Truth of His Tested Word.
  • There are three things which are stately in their march,
    Even four which are stately when they walk: (30:29).
    • But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh… ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, (Galatians 5:16, 22-23).

The truth is, He calls us to believe His Tested Word by faith, for we know His thoughts and ways are so very high above our own and cannot be discerned by our natural mind.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts,” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised, (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Whether or not we fully understand, whether or not we can explain it, He has commanded that we do not add or take away from His Tested Word, but rather in faith do what His Tested Word commands.

Do not add to His words
Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar, (30:6).

“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it,” (Deuteronomy 12:32).

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV).

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book, (Revelation 22:18-19).

We can have full confidence in His Tested Word as we trust His good work in us to provide all that we need and all that we don’t. Oh, that our lives would honor Him until He perfects His Tested Work in us on the day of Christ Jesus.

Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die:
⁸ Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
⁹ That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God, (30:7-9).

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus, (Philippians 1:6).

Let’s Grow Together!