TEMPTING GOD
Matthew 4:6b-7
" 'For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over you," and "In your hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." ' Jesus said to him, 'It is written again, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God." ' "
Satan used Scripture, and Jesus answered Scripture with Scripture. All Scripture must be interpreted in the light of the total Biblical revelation. What does it mean to tempt or test the Lord God? Jesus quoted a Scripture that referred to the incident in Israel's history when they were in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt, and they came to a place where there was no water. So they complained to Moses, saying, "Is God among us?" (See Deuteronomy 6:16 and Exodus 17:1-7). God had already proven that He was with them and would take care of their needs, but still they did not believe and demanded more proof. So they tested God by demanding water. When Satan tested Jesus, there was already ample evidence that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh -- Emmanuel, God with us -- and Satan did not need more proof. In essence he was testing God because Jesus is God. If Jesus has succumbed to Satan's taunt and jumped off the pinnacle, it would have been an unnecessary and foolish thing. For my part, I think a part of testing God is doing something stupid just to prove something, and then expecting God to cover my own folly. Trusting God does not mean I can play games with Him, treating Him like some kind of Genie in a bottle that will jump at my command. He is not a puppet on a string that I can manipulate for my own pleasure. I need to be careful not to presume on God's grace.
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: We tempt God when we presume on His grace.
[end]
Have an "unpresuming" day. Love you.
Matthew 4:6b-7
" 'For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over you," and "In your hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." ' Jesus said to him, 'It is written again, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God." ' "
Satan used Scripture, and Jesus answered Scripture with Scripture. All Scripture must be interpreted in the light of the total Biblical revelation. What does it mean to tempt or test the Lord God? Jesus quoted a Scripture that referred to the incident in Israel's history when they were in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt, and they came to a place where there was no water. So they complained to Moses, saying, "Is God among us?" (See Deuteronomy 6:16 and Exodus 17:1-7). God had already proven that He was with them and would take care of their needs, but still they did not believe and demanded more proof. So they tested God by demanding water. When Satan tested Jesus, there was already ample evidence that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh -- Emmanuel, God with us -- and Satan did not need more proof. In essence he was testing God because Jesus is God. If Jesus has succumbed to Satan's taunt and jumped off the pinnacle, it would have been an unnecessary and foolish thing. For my part, I think a part of testing God is doing something stupid just to prove something, and then expecting God to cover my own folly. Trusting God does not mean I can play games with Him, treating Him like some kind of Genie in a bottle that will jump at my command. He is not a puppet on a string that I can manipulate for my own pleasure. I need to be careful not to presume on God's grace.
TODAY'S PRINCIPLE: We tempt God when we presume on His grace.
[end]
Have an "unpresuming" day. Love you.
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