The devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the
temple and told Him to jump off. Satan quoted from Psalm 91:11-12 about God’s
protection. “If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He
will give His angels charge concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear
You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone’” (Matt. 4:5-6).
Satan
tempted Jesus with Scripture—the very words of God! Who would have
thought that God’s Word, taken out of context, could be used to tempt
someone? The devil wanted Jesus to believe in the ability of God while
ignoring the will of God.
Satan, who was a rebellious, unholy angel,
tried to teach Jesus about the protective responsibilities of the holy
angels! The Father didn’t tell Him to jump off, so if Jesus had jumped, He
would have obeyed Satan and not God. Angels aren’t obligated to catch people
who follow the devil’s instructions.
Many Jews believed the Messiah would be
revealed by suddenly appearing in the temple. Malachi 3:1 says, “And the Lord,
whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple.” If Jesus would jump
off and float safely down, the crowd in the temple courts would see it and He
would receive instant acceptance as the Messiah. It made sense. Quick. Impressive.
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, “It is
written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matt. 4:7). In
other words, Psalm 91 cannot be used to force God to act against His will.
You must not force one verse to contradict another verse.
I’ve seen people impulsively “jump off temples,”
thinking they can make foolish decisions and God will always protect them. Man
shall live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, not selected
words taken out of context.
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BIBLE
STUDY: What
is the correct order of Jesus’ temptations?
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