Admin
|
Resistance
Posted : 11 May, 2014 02:19 AM
In what way can God�s jealousy lead Him to anger? (Deuteronomy 6:14-16)
Along with Moses� admonition for the Israelites to fear God was a warning not to follow the false gods of the Canaanites living around them (Deuteronomy 6:14) When reverence for the Lord diminishes, the allurement to follow after pagan deities increases. For the Israelites to actually follow other gods would arouse the Lord�s anger. Moses reminded the Israelites that their Redeemer was a jealous God, and that His anger would destroy them if they were unfaithful to Him (v. 15). The Lord demands exclusive devotion from those who have a covenant with Him�much in the same way a husband or wife expects total fidelity from his or her spouse in their marital covenant. In either relationship, jealousy will natural reaction of the one whose love is betrayed.
What Do You Think?
What are some of "the gods of the people" that challenge our loyalty to the one true God? How can we better resist these challenges?
The First Temptation (Matthew 4:4)
What made Jesus especially vulnerable to Satan�s first temptation? (Matthew 4:4)
The �devil� (Matt. 4:1; see Luke 4:2) was the entity who harassed Jesus. �Devil� (Matt. 4:1) renders a Greek adjective that means �slanderer� or �false accuser.� Mark 1:13 refers to Jesus� nemesis as �Satan.� Both names are the same. The devil wanted to draw away the Son from obeying the Father�s will. The devil �tempted� (Matt. 4:1) Jesus to sin throughout and toward the end of His wilderness sojourn. As the perfect representative for sinful humanity, Jesus had to endure real temptation and triumph over it.
Verse 2 states that during Jesus� time in the wilderness, He fasted �forty days and forty nights,� which in turn left Him famished. In Satan�s first attempt to entice Jesus to sin, the �tempter� (4:3) said that since Jesus is the �Son of God,� He should turn some of the stones that were lying about into bread.
The devil was probably attempting to get the Son to show distrust in His Father�s provision. The Father had designed the fast for His Son and would provide for Him at the proper time. Satan, however, wanted the Son to rebel by taking matters into His own hands. Rather than yield to the tempter�s suggestion, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 �Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.� This verse teaches that people live not only by consuming food. They also need to take in God�s Word for spiritual nourishment (Matt 4:4). The relationship between temptations and testing is very close. The section of Deuteronomy 8 that Jesus quoted to Satan deals with the Israelites and the test that the Lord put them through in the wilderness. Like the Israelites, Jesus faced the temptations in the wilderness, but unlike those who refused to enter the promised land (see Num. 13-14), the Son passed His test and remained faithful to the Father.
The Second Temptation (Matthew 4:5-7)
Why is it important for us to examine Scripture according to the will of God for our lives (Matthew 4:5-7)?
The devil next escorted Jesus to Jerusalem and positioned Him on the �pinnacle (highest point) of the temple� (Matthew 4:5). The tempter invited Jesus to prove in a spectacular way that He was God the Son. Supposedly, He could throw Himself down from the apex of the sanctuary and trust the Father to protect Him (v. 6).
Jesus has previously resisted the tempter by quoting Scripture (v. 4), so the devil adapts his strategy along that line. Since Jesus wants His messiahship to be shaped by �God's Word,� the devil now fortifies his temptation by quoting from God's Word�specifically Psalm 91:11, 12, stating: �If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.� This psalm, as a whole, discusses God's protection for those who seek refuge in Him alone.
The devil cleverly misquoted Psalm 91:11-12 by claiming that the Father would protect the Son as He plummeted to the ground. But since such a stunt would not be within the will of God, the promise of divine protection would not apply.
Rather than yield to the devil�s suggestion, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16, saying, It is also written, �Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God� (Matt 4:7; see Luke 4:9-12). We humans cannot dictate the terms of divine intervention by arranging situations of need. This would be a foolish presumption, an attempt to deny the mutual accountability and responsibility woven into our personal relationship with God. Yet, He freely grants what we need in order to grow in Him.
The Third Temptation (Matthew 4:8-10)
How was Satan�s third temptation of Jesus less subtle, but more presumptuous than the first two? (Matthew 4:8-10)
In the third and final temptation, Satan transported Jesus to a �exceeding high mountain� (Matthew 4:8). In a moment of time, the devil paraded before the Son all the nations of the world and their glory, promising them to Him �All these things will I give thee, If thou wilt fall down and worship me� (v. 9). There was now no appeal to Jesus� divine sonship, no pious pretense of quoting Scripture. Satan threw off his mask, appeared as the archrival to God, and issued a naked bribe: worldwide dominion in exchange for �worship.�
Through the Messiah�s death and resurrection, the Father intended to free the world from the oppressive control of Satan (see Hebrews 2:14-15) and give the Son the nations throughout the earth as His rightful inheritance (Psalm 2:8). Therefore, rather than oblige His tempter, Jesus commanded, �Get thee hence, Satan� (�Away from me, Satan!�) (Matt. 4:10). There was good reason for this command. It stands written in Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20 that worship and service are to be given only to God. In the midst of temptation, Jesus showed an unwavering commitment to do the will of the Father (see Luke 4:5-8).
Standing on God�s Word Leads to Victory! (Matthew 4:11)
POINT TO PONDER
Satan had tempted Jesus in all the ways he had tempted Adam and Eve in Eden (Gen. 3:1-6). He had appealed to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (cf. 1John 2:16); but he had found nothing in Jesus that could be seduced. In each case, Jesus had countered with scriptural principles that kept Him focused on God�s will.
Sword of the Spirit
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our struggle is �not against flesh and blood, but against ... the rulers of the darkness of this world.� The equipment that Paul urges us to wear in this struggle is largely defensive in nature (vs. 13-16). The only offensive weapon we possess is �the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God� (v. 17).
Jesus used that weapon effectively to counterattack in the face of temptation. We must do the same. But to be able to use it, we have to know it. The Spirit will guide us to use God's Word at the appropriate time, but we must take the time to learn it first. Sunday school is a good place to accomplish this, but it is not the only place or even the best place. Personal study is crucial in order that one might be �approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth� (2 Timothy 2:15).
To know God�s Word, we must read it, meditate on it, and internalize it. Then when we need it most, it will be there for us.
PRAYER
Lord God, we confess that You alone offer the words of life and that You alone know what is in our best interest. Protect us from the devil�s lies. Keep us alert to shortcuts that lead only to our destruction. Help us seek Your kingdom, Your way, in the manner of Your Son, Jesus. In His name we pray, amen.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
God's Word triumphs over the lies of this world.
Post Reply
|
