Matthew 4:1-11 (KJV)
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, 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.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.4.1-11.NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.4.1-11.NLT
What areas, that are documented here, did the devil temp Jesus Christ?
What areas, that are documented here, did the devil temp Jesus Christ?Let us look at some of these areas:
- Sonship – In verses 3-4 he comes to sow doubt that He is the Son of GOD. For us it is bringing doubt that we are children of GOD.
- Food – hunger, satisfaction of the flesh – In verses 3-4 Jesus Christ was tempted to disobey the Word of God to satisfy His immediate need. It is better for us to obey God’s Word than to satisfy our human desires.
- Authority – In verse 3 the devil also tried to bring doubt of the authority Jesus Christ has by yelling Him to command to change stones to bread. We should not act outside of the Fathers will. Let us not act independently of GOD the Father.
- Force a personal display of power to build fame or popularity. In verses 5-6 Satan hinted that Jesus might be the Messiah daring Him to prove it. This creates doubt and tempts to show GOD’s power bey being saved by angles. Lucifer was reminding Jesus of Malachi’s prophecy “Malachi 3:1 (KJV) Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” https://bible.com/bible/114/mal.3.1.NLT. There was a common belief among the Jews that Messiah would suddenly appear in the sky, coming down to His temple. So Jesus Christ was tempted to do what the people are expecting?
- Tempt GOD to display His power by saving Jesus Christ from falling to death.God’s protection is for things that befall his servants, not an excuse to look for such dangers. This is actually misquoting scripture “Psalms 91:11-12 (KJV) For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. [12] They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”. https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.91.11-12.NLT
Therefore let us be encouraged to stand firm in our faith fully trusting what Jesus Christ says about us who believe and follow Him. Let us seek to obey the LORD in spite of our cravings and not tempt GOD’s by purposefully seeking out danger. Let us be led by the Holy Spirit and His Word in what He wants us to do.