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Gen 22
22:1  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (KJV)

While in the, Authorized KJV, ESB, the word translated "tempt" is translated "test" ;
which reads;  God did test Abraham

(while the NKJV and NIV uses "tested")

The JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh reads;

Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test

Strongs concordance does not even list the words test, tempt, nor tested. YET, there is no doubt God did trie(test) Abrahm's faith.

This is confirmed in the letter to the Hebrews at;

Heb 11
17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.
18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

The Greek word tried translated  peirazo#3985, pi-rad'-so to; assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (-er), try

At Gen 15:6, aproximately 17 years earlier (before the birth of Issac), Gods declares Abraham righteous;

he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Rom 4:21-22, tells us his rigthteousness was an imputed righteousness, and it was not imputed because, of the
act of offering up Isaac, but because he was;

So, one can rightly conclude that Abraham believing God, performed the works of God, in the doing; the Work being;

that he believed in Him who He hath sent(Jhn 6:29)

He believed

21  .............fully persuaded that, what He  (GOD) had promised (him), He was able also to perform.  (my emphasis)

Notice what the rest of the passage says in Rom 4;

23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Abrahams works which justified him before God, was that he simply believed God, but there is more to it...
 

At (Gen 22:1[/b]Abraham is tried (tested) of God), and we read at Hebrews11,  that he obeyed God, and both passages confirm his faith was justified by his obedience to the command.

Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Rahab, and the men of faith listed in Hebrews 11, were tested of God, also.

I have three questions......

Does God test believers today??

If He does, what is He looking for??

The answer is obviously obedience, but what do you believe motivates those who believe to obey??

It is clear that what motivated them, is what justified them.

Blessings,

Petro

         
          Frist question...  My personal belive is that at times yes GOD does test us

Revelation 2
10   Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
James 5
11   Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Hebrews 11
17   By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
James 1
2   My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3   Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4   But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
12   Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.


       The answer to your second question you hint to is faith

GAL 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
GAL 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
GAL 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.
GAL 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham
 

  Remember God's testing of Job? God's motive was to prove that some honor, obey, and glorify Him. That is to the praise of the glory of His grace; and Job proved faithful.
  ! Peter 1:6,7 refers to the testing which we are faced with today.
  Paul said in Romans 8 that ALL things work together for good to them that love God. The outcome of testing is, of course, included among those things.
  The apostle said, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy of being compared with the glory that will be revealed in us.
  Always remember that God's first purpose for the outcome of His work in us in this life is that we be conformed to the image of His Son. Even our failings work together for good in this regard because after failure, there is chastening and the result to that is that it "yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness." Therefore, while those who oppose God
rejoice because they saw our foot slip, their laughter will be turned to shame, because the result of chastening is stronger resolve on our part to be obedient.
  Always remember that God is immutable. That means that those things seen of Him in the OT still are marks of His works today. I believe we should view every day as a test of our faithfulness. Every moment contains the opportunity to live it to the greatrest advantage for God's glory, which is to us a test to do that which most glorifies Him.

Abraham's Trial

The sacrifice will take place on mount Moriah, and the word Moriah in the Hebrew tongue means "chosen by God".

Our test today by God, is our action in caring out what He expects of us -- through His holy Word.

It is on Mount Moriah that Solomon will build God's temple, and it is also the future sight that city of Jerusalem will be built. It is the chosen place on earth that is special to God.

Jerusalem is made up of several hills, "the mount of olives", "mount Zion", "Calvary", well known, and others, and they all make up what is called "Moriah".

The "wind of Moriah" is the Spirit of God.  :D :)

It is believed by most that the hill of Moriah that Isaac was given for sacrificed by Abraham, was Calvary, for 1890 years later, our Lord Jesus Christ would be sacrificed on the same hill of Calvary.

This chapter will present some very deep things, for God wants you to know and understand His emotions and feeling that He has for you, that He would sacrifice His son for you, to free you from the bondage and seal of death that is place on all sinners, that each of us can come back in fellowship with in, through the blood of His son, Jesus Christ.

Though Abraham was willing to make the sacrifice, God was not willing that it be carried out through Isaac.

Genesis 22:1 "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, "Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am."

God is going to test and prove Abraham -- God does not interfere in the lives of all, but if you are chosen for a task by Him, He will prove you also.

When the test come upon you, are you going to run like a rabbit when it comes, or make a stand?

God has His plan, if you are chosen to be an important part of that plan He will see how you stand up against adversity.

So years after God had given to Abraham, Isaac and the love bond had grown between father and son, Then the test came, and God called out to Abraham. Abraham heard God and was ready to answer.

Genesis 22:2 "And He said, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

God means, thy only son by Sarah, of his people. This Moriah again has four peaks, and is the place where Jerusalem is located today. Calvary is the highest, and the place of Christ's crucifixion on the cross, and is where this takes place [Matthew 27:33].

Genesis 22:3 "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him."

The wood that would be used to fire the altar, would be the wood from the grove that Abraham planted at Beer-sheba, where the well of the living waters were located.

It is the well of the oath of seven, and would have part even in Jesus day, when He taught the woman at the well, and she brought the whole city out to hear the good news of the gospel.

Genesis 22:4 "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off."

[5] "And Abraham said unto his young men, "Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you."

Abraham had the faith to know that even if he sacrificed the son, Isaac, he knew that the son would come back with him -- Whether in the resurrected body, or through the intercession by God, he knew Isaac would not be taken from him, for Abraham had faith in God's promises that He made to Abraham.

[6] "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together."

Isaac is going to carry the wood that the sacrifice will be made on, and the father and the son is a "antitype", both together becoming part of the sacrifice -- This is a type of what will happen years later when Jesus carries His cross up Calvary hill.

It is Isaac that is caring his wood [cross] up Calvary's hill, at Moriah, and they will go forth together [Isaac and Abraham].

[7] "And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, my father: and he said, "Here am I my son"." and he said, "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

[8] "And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering:" so they went both of them together."

Isaac is about the age of twenty two, and he is now putting the whole thing together; and so he asks Abraham; "Where is the Lamb for the burnt offering?"

He doesn't know, for Abraham hasn't told him yet :):)

Now is the time to tell Isaac, so Abraham responded, "God will provide a lamb for a burnt offering." They then continued up the mount.

[9] "And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood."

Isaac is also beginning to get the picture, but he also loves and trust his father Abraham, and Yahveh.

[10] "And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son."

[11] "And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham," and he said, "Here am I"."

God allowed Abraham to continue through the sacrifice to the point that the commitment had been made, yet, the life of Isaac had been spared -- then Yahveh God called out to Abraham, and Abraham heard God.

[12] "And He said, "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me."

Neither would God withhold His only son from the sacrifice that would be made.

Though God has many children, there is only one "begotten" of the Father, His name is Immanuel (God with us), the Messiah (God in flesh), the "Prince of peace" Jesus the Christ.

The prophet Isaiah foretold the suffering that Jesus willingly had gone through for the sake of each of our sins personally, in Isaiah the fifty third chapter.

Just as Isaiah prophesied, Jesus willingly went to that cross, only He knew that the Heavenly Father would not stop the sacrifice then, until it was completed; and the "lamb" [Jesus Christ] had been sacrificed, and the blood shed.

The loss of Isaac's life would not have paid that price for any sin, and thus the shedding of his blood would not happen, but Abraham had passed the test of complete faith and commitment to Yahveh, our Heavenly Father.

[13] "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son."

The ram is a mature male sheep. This is the same as God Almighty offering up His own son, instead of you and I paying the price for our sins.

Our Father offered His own Son for you and in your place -- God provided the sacrifice, and you must accept it for you. You must accept that sacrifice [Jesus Christ] for it to be in forgiveness for your sins.

[14] "And Abraham called the name of that place Yahveh-jireh: as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen."

It is difficult to put the words of the Hebrew text in English, However, "Yahveh-jireh" means "God will provide" -- Do you believe that, or does doubt control your mind.

God will provide, and you can count on that. When we enter times of great stress, and problems, and common sense tells us that we have done all that can humanly be done to stop it; that is the time to understand that testing you to see how well you trust Him, and believe that "God will provide" for you. So don't worry.

We are not worthy to even pretend that we could be a sacrifice, but Jesus Christ was worthy to be offered for once and all, for the sins of all who will believe upon His name, and call upon Him.

We do not serve a dead God, but a living risen Savior :D :)

God bless

Peace