Ep. 220. Matthew 4 | The Temptation
EPISODE 220
THE TEMPTATION: MATTHEW 4, LUKE 4
I can't tell you how many times someone has told me, "Even the Devil knows the Bible." They point to this text in Matthew and Satan's use of the Scripture to try to get Jesus to "test the Lord." Of course, Jesus doesn't fall for the trick and quotes another text, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." So then my teachers taught me, rightly, I might add, to know the Bible well.
I have already stated numerous times along this journey that there is a dearth of Biblical knowledge among those of us who call ourselves Christians. We think that since we know the stories of Noah, Abraham, and Isaac, or Jesus and Lazarus, we must know the Bible well. But sadly, we often miss the context and, therefore, the intent and application.
Let me pose a question for our consideration: If one of the best defenses we have against the temptations of the enemy is Scripture, do we think it matters that we understand the Bible correctly? And one more question: If we don't understand the Bible and God correctly, are we more susceptible to the temptations of the enemy?
In other words, how can we know if the enemy is using Scripture against us if we don't know what the Bible actually teaches? How can we be on guard against what is false if we don't take the time and effort to know what is true?
I do find it encouraging that Jesus faced all temptation as we have yet without sin. I find this encouraging because I know that we who have the Spirit of God in us have now been given everything we need for life and godliness. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now at work in us. We can know God well, the Scripture well, and we can live lives that bring him glory.
ADDITIONAL READING: Deuteronomy 8:3; Psalm 50; Psalm 91:11-12; Deuteronomy 6:16; Hebrews 4:15; Deuteronomy 6:13; Isaiah 8:23-9:2; 2 Peter 1:3-4; Romans 8:11