Jesus tempted
Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, fasting and praying. He was prepared for Satan's attacks. Am I? Do I know that I would reply to the attacks of the devil with Words of God? I know that as long as I study Gods Word, meditate on them, and pray I will be able to do that. Let's read what Jesus did in that account of His life.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written, 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God", he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus answered him, "It is also written; ' Do not put the Lord your God to the test."' Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give You, "he said, "if You will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from Me, Satan! For it is written; 'worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.
This tempting of Jesus, which was divinely intended, has as its primary background
Deut.8:1-5 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during the these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so theLord your God disciplines you.
Here at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus is subjected to a similar test and shows Himself to be the true Israelite who lives "on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." And whereas Adam failed the great test and plunged the whole race into sin, Jesus was faithful and thus demonstrated His qualification to become the Saviour of all who receive Him. It was, moreover, important that Jesus be tested/tempted as Israel and we are, so that He could become our "merciful and faihthful High Priest'.
Heb.2:17 For this reason He had to be made like His Father in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
Also Heb.4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Finally as the one who remained faithful in temptation He became the model for all believers when we are tempted. God surely tests His people, but it is the devil who surely tempts to evil.
Gen.22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
1John 3:8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinnning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
Let us stay in the Word so that we will be always be ready to reply with the Word of God to fight off Satan, or to minister to others in need of Hope, Grace and Mercy.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written, 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God", he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus answered him, "It is also written; ' Do not put the Lord your God to the test."' Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give You, "he said, "if You will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from Me, Satan! For it is written; 'worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.
This tempting of Jesus, which was divinely intended, has as its primary background
Deut.8:1-5 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during the these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so theLord your God disciplines you.
Here at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus is subjected to a similar test and shows Himself to be the true Israelite who lives "on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." And whereas Adam failed the great test and plunged the whole race into sin, Jesus was faithful and thus demonstrated His qualification to become the Saviour of all who receive Him. It was, moreover, important that Jesus be tested/tempted as Israel and we are, so that He could become our "merciful and faihthful High Priest'.
Heb.2:17 For this reason He had to be made like His Father in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
Also Heb.4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Finally as the one who remained faithful in temptation He became the model for all believers when we are tempted. God surely tests His people, but it is the devil who surely tempts to evil.
Gen.22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
1John 3:8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinnning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
Let us stay in the Word so that we will be always be ready to reply with the Word of God to fight off Satan, or to minister to others in need of Hope, Grace and Mercy.
posted by Michael A. Redwine at Sunday, February 13, 2005
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