The Temptations of Christ - Part 3
The three attempts by Satan to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ are covered in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12,13, and Luke 4:13. When He answered Satan’s first test with the words, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus Christ was putting the emphasis on God’s Word as the solution for all of our problems, troubles, and adversities. When He said, “It is written,” our Lord was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. In the context of that passage, the people of Israel were hungry and without food, and God in His grace provided daily manna to eat. The lesson of the daily manna was not the food itself, but rather that God promised to provide for His people, and He did, every day. The humanity of Christ knew that in His soul, and He trusted God for every provision for His life on this earth. He knew God’s Word, and He believed it. The same is true for us.
The manna of God’s Word must be our daily spiritual bread; it must be implanted or embedded daily into our soul. There is nothing more important than spiritual food for spiritual growth. In 2 Peter 3:18, we are commanded to grow spiritually. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). What really comforts, encourages, and provides strength to the believer are the promises of God’s Word, but to be sustaining, they must be firmly rooted in our soul. They must be real to us. We must be taught, we must learn, and we must know the Scripture and we must believe it. We must use it when adversity strikes. You see, it is not about the adverse circumstances or the difficult people that we face. It is about how we deal with them. It is about applying Bible doctrine, which is the very thinking of Christ, and then relaxing knowing that God will keep His promises and He will provide.
When our Lord responded to Satan, He most likely was thinking of Psalm 138:2b, which says, “You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Name can also be translated “person." In Hebrew, names often reveal a person's character.) Ignoring the hunger pains, Jesus Christ instead focused His thinking on the Word of God. He put the emphasis on the priority of God’s Word. In so doing, He was fulfilling Psalm 13:2b. He was magnifying the Word of God above His very own person, above His own personal needs.
Notice in the adversity, Jesus Christ is all alone. He does not have family or friends to help Him through it. He does not have anyone He can reach out to for advice. He relies totally on the support and guidance of God the Holy Spirit and on the power of the Word of God in His soul. He recalls and answers with Scripture. It was His strength in His time of need. Also note that the solution is the Word of God not a miracle. Many times, when we face an adversity, like a debilitating illness, we ask God for a miracle. We want God to do something supernatural to solve it. That is not magnifying God’s Word above our person. If the Word of God was a sure defense for our Lord, how much more so should it be our defense (Psalm 46:1). It is our strength in the face of any circumstances. Circumstances do not matter (Philippians 4:12-13). What matters is the Word of God in your soul.