There are those in scripture who are well known yet allowed doubt in God’s ability to do what he had said to them. Because of the age of Abraham & Sarah, the patriarch doubted that Sarah’s giving birth to a son was possible. (Genesis 17:17) Sarah flat out laughed at the news that she would bear a son at her elevated age. (Genesis 18:12)
Moses doubted God when he was told to return to Egypt to lead the Jewish people in a monumental exodus from slavery in Egypt. (Exodus 3:10-15) Whenever they faced difficulties in the wilderness the Jewish people doubted God ... this spilled over into anger that benefited no one and caused many to lose their lives. (Exodus 16:1-3)
Gideon, in the OT, was told by God that he would be a judge and leader, which Gideon struggled to accept. (Judges 6:14-23) Zechariah was disbelieving when an angel from the Lord told him he & his wife would have a child in their old age. (Luke 1:18) And perhaps the most famous doubter in scripture, Doubting Thomas needed to see and touch Jesus before he would believe that he had risen from the dead. “When he later saw Jesus and believed, he received the gentle rebuke, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Hebrews 11:1 says, ‘Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.’ We can have confidence even in the things we cannot see, because God has proven Himself faithful, true, and able.”
“A working definition of doubt is ‘to lack confidence, to consider unlikely’. The very first expression of doubt in the Bible is in Genesis 3, when Satan tempted Eve. God had given a clear command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and had specified the consequence of disobedience. Satan introduced doubt into Eve’s mind when he asked, ‘Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?’ He wanted her to lack confidence in God’s command. When she affirmed God’s command, including the consequences, Satan replied with a denial, which is a stronger statement of doubt: “You will not surely die.” Doubt is a tool of Satan to make us lack confidence in God’s Word and consider His judgment unlikely.
Lest we think that we can lay all of the blame on Satan, the Bible clearly holds us accountable for our own doubts.
Any time we allow human reason to overshadow faith in God, sinful doubt is the result. No matter how logical our reasons may seem, God has made foolish the wisdom of the world (1 Corinthians 1:20), and His seemingly foolish plans are far wiser than man’s. Faith is trusting God even when His plan goes against human reason or experience.
Once we understand what God has done in the past, what He has promised us for the present, and what we can expect from Him in the future, we are able to act in faith instead of doubt.” Faith and trust are key ingredients in walking with God, without question. Doubters, doubt no more for God is the most reliable source of light, love and hope that exists.
Up next is a Spotlight on Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth and the lesson to be learned from her life. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His name & for His glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.
NOTE: Text in blue is from https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-doubt.html.
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