Mat 4: 5-7: Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
The second temptation is the deception used by Satan to cause a believer to sidestep and avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing their duties after they have known the Lord closely and been faithful to Him and therefore been promoted to a place of authority and blessing in the Lord. He or she may have a great following because the Lord has given it to them.
When they have attained these godly blessings, Satan comes to them and tempts them saying, “God has placed a hedge around you. You have been so successful by the hand of the Lord. He has favored you greatly. Now take your life at ease and relax. You need some rest and enjoyment for you have earned it and you deserve to enjoy your blessings.”
This is the ideal deception for a believer who has waited a long while and been disciplined intensely. So this temptation seems like good advice and feels right because one feels one has been stretched so much that a little rest and a little lowering of one’s standards of service to God can’t be a breach of moral conduct or character.
An ideal example is David’s sin with Bethsheba. He had been made king of Judah and he was resting in his chamber. This was the time when Israel was at war (see 2 Sam 11) but instead of leading the armies against the Ammonites, he abstained from his duty and stayed in the palace. It appears his heart was not fully devoted to God which is the reason he was deluded into sinning against God. Was he even conscious of his sin? No. So this is a very subtle deception that is hard to perceive because of the nature of it. It looks like a reward but it is nothing but Satan maneuvering against the believer trying to dethrone him from his high place.
This could happen under pressure or due to not being alert to a prior weakness. Throwing oneself down is an act of one’s will. So it is a deliberate act of disobedience or a thoughtless act of weakness. In Moses’ case, it was the latter. He had been delivered from his anger but in a critical moment in his ministry (after he had seen the glory of God), he failed to uphold God’s holiness and honor God in the sight of the people. He loses focus and strikes the rock twice.
Numbers 20:7-13…7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” 9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” 13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.
We are not to test the Lord as the Israelites did by showing contempt and disregard to God’s amazing love and providence. While God provides angelic assistance and protection and does forgive offenses as when David and his men ate the consecrated bread that was unlawful for them to eat, it was only permissible to the extent provided within God’s covenant. Once the covenant was broken, offenders had to be punished—as was the case with Achan’s sin and David’s sin of numbering his men and so on.
God was greatly displeased also in the case the people desecrated their leaders. In the Old Testament, we are given many examples of the consequences of rebellion against God’s anointed — Moses and Aaron. If anyone tried to desecrate them by insulting them, they would have to be eradicated from the face of the earth. There was an instance when Moses and Aaron were spoken against and Korah, Dothan and Abiram attempted to offer incense to God (Numbers 16). The earth opened and took them and their families in. There is no forgiveness for the sin of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. Moses and Aaron were God’s servants and had been appointed by God. Any disregard to them was dealt with severely.
The Third Temptation
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Just as desecrating oneself is not taken lightly, avarice and worldly love is also lethal. Naaman’s leprosy clung to Gehazi after he ran after worldly wealth. Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord for thirty silver coins. He ended his life as a result. Bowing down to Satan has grievous consequences also in the new covenant of grace (Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 lied to the Holy Spirit over the money they received from selling their land, and they were taken out dead). These instances are offered to teach us about the consequences of breaking covenant and being unfaithful in following all the commands of the Lord. God has promised to provide and take care of our needs. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8) But when we get into partnership with Satan to attain positions, wealth and honor, God’s anger is kindled. He desires our entire heart. We must love and worship Him alone.
The Rewards for Staying Faithful
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
The churches which are successful against these three temptations and stay faithful till the end will be greatly rewarded.(See Rev 3:7-13) On this earth, the believer is rewarded with peace of mind and tranquility of heart. They can rejoice and be glad because the Lord has granted you freedom from your enemy (but you must continue to maintain your freedom). The enemy has been rendered null and void until a later time which we know ofcourse is when he will be released for a short time. Your ministry will flourish under the presence of angels and they will be available to assist and grow your work in the Lord. You will be successful at everything you do. Wow! What a wonderful blessing indeed! Amen.
Additional Scriptures:
Heb 13:5-6…5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
1 Tim 6:6-7… 6Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it.…
Exodus 23:20-23…20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.