A test is meant to give some
kind of assurance, proof, or certitude to him who administers it. Ehud does not
ask the Israelites of Ephraim to follow him and believe that the LORD has
delivered their enemy into their hands (3:28) until he has successfully
assassinated Eglon. Barak is not willing to obey Yahweh’s command until he has
the surety of Deborah’s company at Mount Tabor (4:8). Gideon wants a sign to
know who it is who is speaking to him (6:17). He twice has to give God a wooly
test (6:36-40) and then he has to hear his enemy interpret a dream in his favor
(7:9-15) before he can believe with confidence that Yahweh’ has given Midian
into his hands. Even Yahweh (7:1-8) is depicted as using winnowing water
test to assure that the Israelites will attribute their coming victory to him
rather than to themselves. (Robert Polzin, Moses and the Deuteronomist:
A Literary Study of the Deuteronomic History [New York: The Seabury Press,
1980], 193, emphasis on bold added)
To Support this Blog:
Email for Amazon Gift card: ScripturalMormonism@gmail.com
Email for Logos.com Gift Card: IrishLDS87@gmail.com
