Training for Life - Pt 5

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall 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 glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. (Matthew 4:1-11 ESV).

Yesterday we saw Moses make a critical error in judgment: he figured he could take matters into his own hands, and he killed an Egyptian who had been beating a Hebrew slave. Today’s reading contrasts the response of Jesus to the same temptation. Jesus understands that his most powerful weapon is something that lies beyond himself. It is the weapon that his heavenly Father has given to him to use: the Scriptures he has studied since he was very young. He responds to the devil with three verses from Deuteronomy, reveals the devil’s lies, and sends him away. Like Moses, when we come up against something challenging, we often assume that our most important resources are within ourselves. We must not rely on solutions that solely come out of our own wisdom, cleverness, or might. We put them to use and are mystified because we don’t get the results we want. Or, if things go our way, we assume that our own strength and knowledge made it all happen. Our hardened self-reliance will come back to haunt us later. Scripture, prayer, God’s wisdom coming to us in times of silence and meditation, the wisdom of other believers who care about us are the resources that God provides. The truly wise look to such things first and foremost. I often remind myself of my “pay-grade.” I am not nearly high enough up the chain of command to be able to rely on my knowledge, experience, or authority. It is a lesson we learn with difficulty, but essential to our success.