Testing God: a national pastime?

Two mishnayot in Avot (5:4 and 5:6) deal with tests. In 5:4, we learn about God testing Abraham; in 5:6 it is we who test God.  But why did we keep on testing God in the desert -- and why do we test God at all? The following may be a partial explanation, though it cannot claim to be a complete answer.

The generation of the wilderness was far from unique in testing God, complaining both to Him and about Him. The practice is indeed so deeply ingrained in Jewish culture even today and, from our words and our conduct, it is clear that many of us now assume that He is no longer bothered about being tested. We should however bear in mind that not just every complaint we make but every request we lodge in our prayers has the capacity to be taken as a criticism of the lot which God has apportioned to us and it is best practice to make sure that, whatever one asks for, one always takes care to be grateful for that which one already has.

Why exactly do we test God? Since this is something we have always done and continue to do, the reason may be connected to our psychological and emotional make-up and may even have a positive side to it.  Testing God and trying His patience is not something that anyone would trouble to do unless they believe in God in the first place, since it makes no sense for an atheist to test or provoke an entity which, he holds, does not exist.  Therefore we can see that testing God is, at base, an affirmation of our faith in Him.

Drawing on our own human experiences (we have all been children and many of us will also be parents), we should be able to recall without difficulty those occasions on which a small child, despite every warning, has defied a teacher’s or parent’s threat. Even the most normally obedient child will probably have crossed, on one or more occasion, a red line such as “If you poke your little sister with that stick once more, you’ll have to sit on the naughty step” or “The next person to call out in class without putting their hand up will be sent straight to the Head Teacher”.  Sometimes, as often happens at school, the transgression is the product of unrestrained enthusiasm. Sometimes, as frequently transpires in the home scenario, it is simply because the child craves a reaction—any reaction—because it is a source of personal attention.

We are created in the image of God, possessing feeble and finite versions of His qualities. What God does in capital letters, as it were, we do in small print.  God tests us because He wants our response. We test Him because we desire His.