Hebrews 3:9

Your fathers tempted me. Or, “your fathers tested me,” or, “your fathers put me to the test.” By incessant complaining and acts of rebellion Israel tested God’s patience to the uttermost. His infinite patience with ancient Israel can be a source of hope for those who may have wandered far astray in our time, though never an excuse for imposing upon God’s mercy and long-suffering (see Rom. 6:1, 15). “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed” (Lam. 3:22; cf. Ex. 34:6, 7).

The repeated instances of rebellion against the authority and leadership of the Lord were the inevitable product of Israel’s “evil heart” of “unbelief” (see on Heb. 3:12, 19). By the plagues in Egypt, by the crossing of the Red Sea, by the manna, by water from the rock, by deliverance from the fiery serpents, and in many other ways God demonstrated to His people His mighty wisdom and power. Again and again God had permitted circumstances that would teach His people to trust in Him and to follow His instructions. But Israel proved to be “a stiffnecked people” (Ex. 32:9), slow to learn. This perverse spirit continued almost to the very close of the 40 years of wilderness wandering (see Num. 20:5).

It is not for us to condemn the Hebrew people for their many mistakes. Rather we should learn from the sad experiences they went through because of their perversity of heart, and avoid making the same mistakes they made (1 Cor. 10:5-12).

Proved me. Or, “tested [or “tried”] me.”

Saw my works. That is, witnessed manifold instances of divine providence, which should have been sufficient to lead them into an experience of perfect confidence in God’s wisdom and power. There were repeated occasions when, in justice, God could have abandoned them to follow their own perverse ways. But, in mercy, He continued patiently to bear with them.

Forty years. Exactly 40 years elapsed between the Passover celebrated at the time of the exodus from Egypt and the Passover celebrated a few days after the crossing of the Jordan (see Vol. I, p. 187).