Luke the physician shared how Jesus, “ full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If you are the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give you, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If you therefore will worship me, all shall be yours. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you: And in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone”, and in chapter four and verse twelve of his book Luke shared how Jesus told the devil, “It is said, you shall not tempt the Lord your God” where we read:
And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, you shall not tempt the Lord your God.
The verse reads, “And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, ...” Luke began with the words, “and Jesus” or “and the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate whose name means Jehovah is Salvation” “answering” which means “responding and beginning to speak” “said unto him” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed to the devil”, “It is said” which means the following words are “uttered, declared and proclaimed”. Luke shared how Jesus began to respond to the devil by also referring to the scripture.
The verse continues, “... you shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Luke added the words, “you shall not tempt” which means “a person should not prove, test or put to proof God's character and power” “the Lord” or “the One to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, and the title to God the Messiah” “your God” which means “a person's Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Luke shared how Jesus refuted the devil with Deuteronomy chapter six and verse sixteen which reads “you shall not tempt the Lord your God”.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn how Jesus responded to “Satan's” temptation toward Jesus concerning “the pride of life”. Though the devil used scripture as a proof that Jesus could “cast Himself off the pinnacle of the temple”, Jesus showed how it is important to compare scripture with scripture. Though what the devil declared was true, Jesus shared how the priority of not “tempting” or “testing” God was superior to the fact that God would send His angels to have “charge” over a person or “keep” them. God's desire is to save people from their sins, and though He is willing and able to “rescue” a person from troubles when they encounter them, they are not to “try and prove” Him by intentionally entering into troublesome situations. God proved His love toward mankind when He sent His Son Jesus to die for their sins and provide them with “eternal life”, and those who are wise will not “tempt” God Almighty, but will simply yield their lives to His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”.
Next time Luke shares how the devil, “departed from him for a season”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment