Part 5 – Tests of Obedience: Tree, Manna, and Festival of Lights The Pattern of Testing

Final part of the series from Sightedmoon.com

From the garden to the wilderness and into the present age, Yehovah has never changed the way He proves the hearts of His people. Each test looks simple on the surface, yet behind it lies a question of covenant faithfulness: Will you trust what He said, or will you invent something that seems better?

The first test was a tree.
The second is bread.
The third, a light.

The Tree of Knowing

In Eden, the Creator planted every tree that was pleasant to the sight and good for food, and in the midst of the garden, two trees—life and knowledge. He told Adam plainly: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it.” — Genesis 2:16-17 (MKJV)

That command was not about fruit; it was about faith. Would Adam trust Yehovah’s definition of good and evil, or would he seize the right to decide for himself? When the woman saw that the tree was “pleasant to the eyes and to be desired to make one wise,” she reached out. The test was passed to all her children: when something looks good, do we still ask whether it was commanded?

Every false light since Eden shines with the same appeal—beautiful, enlightening, and disobedient.

The Manna in the Wilderness

After deliverance from Egypt, Israel faced the same question in a different form. Yehovah sent bread from heaven, saying, “That I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no.” — Exodus 16:4 (MKJV)

The manna fell six days, and none on the seventh. He allowed the people to search in vain so that their hearts would be revealed. Those who gathered on the Sabbath failed the test.

Yehovah’s test was gentle: Do you trust Me enough to rest when I say rest?
To some it seemed small; to Him it was everything. The Sabbath was His sign between Him and His people for all generations (Exodus 31:13). It still is.

The Festival of Lights

Today, another test glimmers across the earth—the festival the world calls the Festival of Lights. It arrives in the dark of winter, promising warmth, family, and devotion. Its lights are beautiful, its songs sweet, and yet it was never commanded.

Whether it is celebrated as Divali, Hanukkah, Christmas, or any other light feast, it asks the same question: Will we add to the Torah?

Deuteronomy warns: “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” — Deuteronomy 12:32 (MKJV)

The story of the Maccabees may record a moment of courage, but the annual celebration built around it became another opportunity for man to sanctify what Yehovah never required. The light may look pure, but it is still a test.

The Nature of the Test

Yehovah’s tests always expose the heart, never confuse it. The fruit looked good, the extra day of gathering seemed reasonable, and the lights appeared innocent. But obedience is measured not by appearance but by command.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Yehovah.” — Deuteronomy 8:3 (MKJV)

When we celebrate what He did not appoint, we feed on bread that has no word behind it. When we sanctify our own times, we repeat the first rebellion—deciding for ourselves what is good and what is holy.

The Fire that Proves

Every generation must face its own fire. In ours, it is the fire of convenience and tradition. The test is not whether we recognize it but whether we obey in spite of it.

The prophet Malachi saw this when he wrote: “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi.” — Malachi 3:3 (MKJV)

The refiner’s fire separates true light from false glow. It burns away sentiment, leaving obedience.

The Reward of Faithfulness

To those who overcome these tests, Yehovah promises the same reward He offered from the beginning: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” — Revelation 2:7 (MKJV)

The Tree of Life is offered again to those who refused the tree of their own choosing. The eternal bread is given to those who kept the Sabbath rest. The true Light of the world shines for those who refused the counterfeit flame.

The Call to Return

Brethren, these stories are not distant history; they are the pattern of our testing. Each commandment reveals who we serve. Each festival we choose declares whose calendar we keep. The Tree, the Manna, and the Lights all ask the same question: Will you trust Yehovah’s Word, or your own eyes?

Let us choose the Light that was at creation, the Bread that came down from heaven, the Law that never changes. Let us keep His Sabbaths, His Feasts, His Torah—nothing more, nothing less.

Footnotes – Part 5

1. Genesis 2:16-17; Exodus 16:4; Deuteronomy 12:32; Deuteronomy 8:3; Malachi 3:3; Revelation 2:7 (MKJV).