Matthew shared how Jesus was “baptized” and he wrote, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Then the devil took him up into the holy city, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, And said unto him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning you: and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Again, the devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And said unto him, All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me”, and in chapter four and verse nine of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus told “Satan”, “you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only” where we read:
Then
said Jesus unto him, Get you hence, Satan: for it is written,
You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.
The verse reads, “Then said Jesus unto him, Get you hence, Satan: for it is written, ...” Matthew began with the words, “then said Jesus” which means “at that moment and time uttered, declared and proclaimed Jesus whose name means Jehovah is Salvation” “unto him” or “to the devil”, “get you hence” which means “withdraw yourself and depart”, “Satan” which means “prince of evil spirits, the inveterate adversary of God and Christ whose name means adversary or one who opposes another in purpose or act”: “for it is written” or “because, since and on account that it is delineated or formed in letters on a tablet, parchment, paper or other material”. Matthew recorded how Jesus told “Satan” to leave Him and then referred to the scriptures again.
The verse goes on to say, “... You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” Matthew continued with the words, “your shall worship” which means “a person shall reverence, kneel to do homage or make obeisance to” “the Lord” or “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah” “your God” which refers to “the person who believes' Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “and him only” or “and God solely and alone” “shall you serve” which means “shall a person minister to, give homage, perform sacred services to and offer gifts”. Jesus referred to Deuteronomy chapter six and verses thirteen and fourteen and Deuteronomy chapter ten and verse twenty as He declared that “God” is the only person to be “worshiped” and “served”.
When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus resisted “the devil's” temptation by applying the scriptures once again. Jesus did not submit to “sin”, and though “Satan” attempted to try Him in the area of “the flesh”, “the pride of life” and “the lust of the eyes”, He did not fail to keep God's law. This was because Jesus came to offer “salvation” to every person, and because He was pure and without sin, He was the perfect “sacrifice” for the “sin” of the world. The apostle John wrote, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16), and Jesus was tempted in all these areas. This has been “Satan's” ploy from the very beginning as we see in Genesis 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” “The woman saw the tree was good for food” - “the lust of the flesh”, “it was pleasant to the eyes” - “the lust of the eyes”, and it was “a tree to be desired to make one wise” - “the pride of life”. Though Adam and Eve failed at these temptations, Jesus did not, and He, therefore, became the “Savior” of the world. May all who read these words realize the power of the “word of God” and Jesus Christ who kept it completely.
Next time Matthew shares how, “the devil left” Jesus 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.
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