Tuesday: Stones Into Bread
Read Matthew 4:1-3. What is happening, and why? How do we see the great controversy being played out here?
“When Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, He was led by the Spirit of God. He did not invite temptation. He went to the wilderness to be alone, to contemplate His mission and work.
Image © Jim Work from GoodSalt.com
By fasting and prayer He was to brace Himself for the bloodstained path He must travel. But Satan knew that the Saviour had gone into the wilderness, and he thought this the best time to approach Him.”-Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 114.
There are dramatic parallels between the account of Jesus’ temptations and the experience of the Israelites in their Exodus wanderings. After coming through water, Jesus went into the desert, where He ate nothing and was tested for 40 days. Similarly, the Israelites passed through water (the Red Sea), entered the desert where they had no bread, and stayed there for 40 years. Notice how it is described in Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (NKJV). “‘And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, [and] allowed you to hunger.'”
The gospel account says that after 40 days Jesus was hungry (Matt. 4:2). Then someone appears with “helpful” advice, a bit like Job’s comforters. This was not the first time Satan is depicted as coming to “help” someone in crisis. Zechariah 3:1-10 records the story of the high priest at the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. As he stood before God in vision, someone appeared at his right hand. The one who stood at the right hand was always the most trusted friend, to protect and guard against any would-be attacker. But the trusted right-hand man in Zechariah 3:1-2 was none other than the “accuser,” pretending to be a trusted friend.
The same thing happened to Jesus in the wilderness. The one who came to “help” revealed himself when he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt. 4:3, NKJV). An angel from God would have no doubt about Jesus’ divinity.
Again notice how Jesus’ reply (Matt. 4:4) is a quotation linked to the Exodus. “‘[God] fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD'” (Deut. 8:3, NKJV).
However important not to fall prey to temptation, how much more important is it to make sure that you, even unwittingly, aren’t leading someone else into it?
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Beware, the devil looks for our weakness and our needs and he takes full advantage to destroy us.
Beware of the opportunities that he brings to us to satisfy our needs!!
Commenting on the discussion question above, you will only understand that you were in darkness when you have seen the light. Then you voluntarily make a decision to reproduce the same light to be seen by someone still in darkness. Thats why its the mission of Adventists to evangelize, the only truth we have known. However the devil is not just watching his short time wasting away, he is also shining his false light and managing to deceive even the elect. So we should always be wary of deceit, now that we know the master of it, so that we are not caught blindly and dont lead others astray.
As far as I know if we not filling with the Holy Spirit we could not attack the temptation. We need to be ever ready and much prepare for the journey through the wilderness. Be aware for the one who always at your side acting as your good friend but in reality he has a n opposite agenda.Trust in the Lord with all your Heart, Soul n mind n always make sure your heart fill with Holy Spirit. God is the only Way, Truth and the Life Amen
Satan said,"If you are the son of God,"clearly saying,"I challenge you to prove that you are."
Do we not sometimes say that to God in our sinful prayers? In our desperation,we sometimes ask God to prove Himself by answering our prayers in a positive way, even if it is not according to His will.No wonder most of our prayers seem not to be answered because God does not need to prove anything to His subjects.Doubt is of the devil.May God help our unbelief and remove the spirit of doubt.
Remarkable response and observation brother..
Too often, we use the devil's exact words unwittingly, in an attempt to coerce God to give us a response that we would be seeking.
I think, we should by all means learn to be entirely dependent upon the Almighty the same way our Lord Jesus was in the wilderness, despite His hunger.
Jesus has just come from His baptism, where he has heard the Father's words of approval - "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mk 1:11) For Jesus this was huge!
As with us, great experiences with God are often followed by great temptations. Elijah's experience on Mt. Carmel is perhaps a classic example of this. Elijah had a clear manifestation of Divine approval/victory, but soon afterwards he is threatened, and he panics. Coming down from "the mountain tops", the temptation is quickly upon him to despair. He succumbs to it, and like Jonah, he runs.
Jesus is faced with the same kind of situation. He goes, so to speak, from a mountain top into a low valley.
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As He enters His great "commission", the first temptation Jesus faces is to prove Himself. He is [desperately] in need. It would be a "little" thing to change some of the stones into bread.
And in the old days God had sent an angel to Abraham to stay his hand from offering Isaac. It would seem reasonable now that God would send another angel ("an angel of light") to stay Jesus' hand, and to effectively say, "it is enough... Your ordeal is over, satisfy your hunger". But no.
Jesus had (almost 6 weeks earlier,) heard the words, "You are My beloved Son". Now the angel is saying to Him, "If You be the Son of God". I suggest that there is more here than we often acknowledge. In His state of physical and mental weakness, Jesus hears what is almost an echo of His thoughts, in the same way that [the unfallen] Eve had heard her unspoken thoughts expressed at the tree by the Serpent. (PP 54.) But immediately the thought is dismissed... it is not entertained for a moment. His mind is fortified with the words of God, and the comfort of the Scriptures is His. He verbalizes the words, and the temptation is broken. Still He is starving, but He is satisfied.
So often in our lives, Satan sends people & situations in our lives when we are at our lowest, when we are hungry , tired, & low in spirit. Satan will steal our joy.. He is ever ready to influence us. We are to be careful of some of the people who are in our lives. They can be a great influence for good or bad.We are to be strong & make the decision to break those friendships & pray for those people but we are not to remain in their negative company.When we break the link , these individuals will start looking in themselves & their behaviour.
Perhaps it is better to not give the devil the attention he wants! The better way is Jesus' way! He concentrated on the mission God gave him to do and was in communion with Him so much so that He knew immediately when a false idea was presented to him from any source!! I don't need to be aware of the devil's presence or tactics, as much as I need a vital living and love relationship with my Jesus and savior!
1Peter 5:8-" Be alert and of sober mind.Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a Roaring lion looking for someone to Devour."
Satan had the intention to destroy Christ, so now Christ has fully taken human nature and so thought that he can win Christ now.
One lesson we can draw from the temptation of Christ is that, as ChristIan's when we get baptized Satan becomes envy of us and therefore tries his best to draw us back. And he establish this by tempting us to rebell against God.
And it is up to you to choose whether you will obey God or not.
This is done to test the genuineness of your conversion.
Again, we are to study to show ourselves approve so that our response to temptationas will be "it is written "
Brothers and sisters in Christ is looking unto us to live like Him.
Note this that NO ANGEL OF GOD WILL DOUBT CHRIST DIVINITY.
God bless us all
NOT I BUT CHRIST BE SEEN BE KNOWN BE HEARD.
the evil one was the one who stood in the very presence of God fell , how much we should guard ourselves so that we fail to make distinction between the Holy and the common, thus failing to take heed to the voice of God especially that we live in the sieving time. God bless.
we can only over come satan when we first allow the holy spirit to play his row in our daily living
We need to fill our hearts and minds with the WORD of God and then we will be prepared to meet the temptations.
Shirley, good point. Satan has so many ways to tempt us to sinful activity, that we are no match by ourselves alone. Ephesians 6:12-18 comes to mind when dealing with temptation.
Todays lesson also adds value to our partaking of food. We can now always, as we eat remember Gods goodness by knowing mathew 4:4
What makes sense to my heart is that God is working in us to will and to do according to His good purpose. If I am a vessel of dishonor in the Lord's house, one which fails and falls but is restored by God's mercy and goodness, I am still a vessel in the Lord's house. Purging myself from this is a process which involves many things including where you were born, who your parents were, who their parents were, and your genetic makeup to name a little of life's complications. Some are blessed with better constitution, more advantage or less but the Lord is just and good. By putting self aside I may become a vessel of honor in the Lord's house. Striving won't accomplish it if my striving fails to give glory to God. Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. You who think to save yourself by your good works must think again. God will finish the work he has begun in you, so be strong and of good courage for He is with you wherever you go.
does God tempt people too?
I think God does not tempt but tests.James 1:13 says,"Let no man say when he is tempted,I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil,neither tempteth he any man."
The same question was asked at my church. I say no. We may be tested by God not tempted
However important not to fall prey to temptation, how much more important is it to make sure that you, even unwittingly, aren’t leading someone else into it?
Many spiritual things may not be clear to us and we may not comprehend certain things, we should be careful how we pass our own understanding to the others.
I have never understood issues relating to fate but my prayer is that such lack of knowledge in me will be made clear when we meet with Jesus.