Who’s Looking Out For You

Because the palace has been abandoned, the populated city forsaken.  Hill and watch-tower have become caves forever. Isaiah 32:14

Watch-tower – Yesterday we looked at the Hebrew word for “test” (bachan).   Today we can see the same word, bachan, with a different meaning – watchtower.  Now we can understand the idea of testing even more clearly.  Tests are the way God watches out for you.

In our cultural obsession with examinations, we usually have a negative reaction to the idea of tests.  We think of the competitive nature of an exam, with its numerical assessment of winners and losers.  We imagine that God’s tests are like tests in school, designed to see if we are acceptable or not.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  This perspective is based in the Greek metaphysics of a universe viewed as mathematical.  The mathematical universe ranks relative worth by numerical assessment.  Even the Greek translation of the Old Testament rests on this metaphysics when it translates bachan with Greek words that mean “to examine” or “to judge.”

This is not the Hebrew idea of the world.  From a Hebrew perspective, the world is relational, not numerical.  So, a test is a fence that protects you, in exactly the same way that a watchtower is supposed to protect the inhabitants of the city from enemies.  Isaiah’s use of this word shows us that God is looking out for you in every encounter that requires trusting Him.  Unless God acts as your watchtower, you are vulnerable to all kinds of attack.  Like an early warning system, God’s tests prepare you for attack so that when it comes, you will have a long, established  history of trusting Him.

There are a few more things we need to learn about this word.  It seems that bachan is used almost exclusively in connection with people, not things.  It almost always has a religious connotation.  Finally, in more than half of its occurrences, this word seems to suggest knowledge that is purely intuitive and intellectual as opposed to knowledge that results from actions.  So, while we think of tests as behavioral demonstrations, God may actually think of tests in terms of attitudes and motivations.   God discerns our intentions, attitudes and motives through bachan (test) in the same way that a guard in the watchtower discerns the intentions and motives of those approaching the city.

The next time a trial comes your way, look up.  Raise your eyes to the height of the watchtower and see your Lord and Master discerning your attitudes and intentions.  Pay attention to His call for you to come inside the protective walls of the city.  See His concern about your safety.  He’s watching out for you.

Topical Index:  Safety