Day 4,
Matthew 4 
It is interesting that
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness specifically to be tempted by
the devil (4:1). It was God's plan. Had Jesus faced no temptation, it could not
be truly said that He was sinless, and as I mentioned yesterday, He had to be
sinless to atone for our sins.
God does not tempt
anyone (see Jas. 1:14), but He tests everyone (see Ps. 11:5; Prov. 17:3). One way He tests
us is by watching what we do when Satan tempts us, just as He did with Jesus.
Thankfully, God limits the degree that Satan may tempt us. Scripture
promises, "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of
escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13). Good to remember!
Jesus was tempted
in every way that we are (see Heb. 4:15), so His wilderness temptation was not
His only or final temptation. In fact, Luke wrote in his Gospel that after this
incident Satan "departed from Him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13).
Satan looks for opportunities to tempt us when we are vulnerable, which is why
we are admonished in the New Testament to "be on the alert," knowing
that our "adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). We should, however, "resist him,
firm in [our] faith" (1 Pet. 5:9). Faith in God's Word is our primary
defense against Satan, because he is the father of lies (see John
8:44), and he would have us doubt the truth. That was his strategy against
Jesus, but Jesus overcame him by faith, quoting scriptures that contradicted
Satan's lies. We should follow His example.
Notice that Satan
quoted God's Word in his second temptation. He quoted it, however, out of its
biblical context, trying to make it mean something that it really didn't. God
promised protection in Psalm 91 (a verse from which Satan quoted to Jesus), but
not when we intentionally do something foolish, like jumping from a roof!
This is why it is so
important to study the entire Bible,
so that we can interpret every scripture in the light of every other scripture.
The most common error in Bible interpretation is ignoring context. The Bible
can be made to say just about anything by isolating scriptures. This is
the chief reason people embrace false teaching and are lulled into cults. They
don't know enough of the Bible, and so they are easily deceived by those who
can quote a few verses.
Does Satan actually
have, as he claimed, dominion over “all the kingdoms of the world and their
glory” (4:8), and can he "give it to whomever" he wishes (Luke 4:6)?
Only in one sense. From reading other scriptures, we know that Satan is the
chief ruler over the kingdom of darkness. He only rules those who are submitted
to him, being "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). He was offering Jesus
the number two position over his evil realm, an opportunity to rule over every
rank of evil spirit and every rebel human, which would have required that He
commit treason against His Father.
Some, who ignore the
biblical context of Satan's claims, ascribe Satan much more authority than
he actually has, and make God less than all-powerful. Remember, the Bible
affirms that God “is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on
whomever He wishes” (Dan 4:25, 32). Jesus and Paul both referred to God as
“Lord of heaven and earth” (Luke 10:21; Acts 17:24).
The very first word of
Jesus' very first sermon was “Repent!” It is through repentance that people
escape Satan's dominion (see Acts 26:17-18). The call to repentance is part of
the gospel (see Luke 24:47), and God confirmed Jesus' message with miracles of
healing and deliverance. Doubtless one reason we see so few genuine and
convincing miracles through today's evangelists is because God will not confirm
a "gospel" that omits the call to repentance.
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