THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
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TUESDAY, Oct. 5. Matt. 4:1-11. The Temptation of Jesus. The story of the temptation must have come from Jesus himself. There were no earthly witnesses to the con flict. It was the Holy Spirit who led Jesus up into the wilderness to under go the great moral trial of his human ity. Such an experience was essential to his perfecting. Heb. 2:10. The pos sibility and necessity of temptation are involved in the incarnation. The temp tation of the Saviour was not a mock battle but a real occurrence. , He met Satan face to face. The trial covered every phase of human susceptibility. The tl^ree-fold temptation was to doubt, treason and presumption. Satan has made no advance in method since the fall of Adam. The lust of the flesh, the lust of thé eye and the pride of life, this includes every form of appeal to man. The second man resisted and con quered where the first man failed and fell. WEDNESDAY, Oct. 6. Jas. 1:12-18. Enduring Temptation. Temptation implies the power of choice and that the one who is temptea should be capable of being solicited to evil. There must also be someone to solicit. Temptation is not sin. Sin is only committed when the person who is tempted yields to the solicitation. Christ bad the power of choice as we have but in the exercise of that power it is inconceivable that he could have made a wrong choice. If one stands firm under temptation the character is strengthened by the trial even as pure gold receives a brighter lustre by pass ing through the furnace fire. Herein is the difference between innocence and holiness. Innocence may be due to in experience. Holiness may be the result of experience. Innocence becomes holi ness when it successully resists tempta tion as in the case of the angels who kept their first estate. THURSDAY, Oct. 7. Heb. 2:9-18. Able to Help. The mere contact with evil must have brought to Christ intense suffering. Familiarity with sin has bred in us not contempt but a measure of insensibility. The purer a being is, the more he would suffer under temptation. Some even seem to enjoy dallying with evil as children play with Are. How a pure woman would suffer if exposed to the ribald jests, and insults of the vile and
obscene! Because Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, he can sym pathize with and help us in all our temptations. Our growth in grace may be measured by our increasing abhor rence of sin. We never get beyond temptation in this world. Indeed the more spiritually minded we become, the more subtle and deadly are the tempta tions that beset us. A saint is tempted in ways that would be impossible to a sinner. FRIDAY, Oct. 8. Eph. 6:10-17. Victory Through th© Word. Jesus repelled every assault of the Tempter by saying “ It is written.’ ’ In the Christians’ armory there are weapons of offense as well as defense. Faith may be a shield, but the Word of God is a sword, double edged to cut both ways. When Satan tried his hand at quoting Scripture and said “ It is written,” the Master replied, “ It is writ ten again.” In order to vanquish Satan by means of the Word, one must know the Word. There is the science and art of spiritual swordsmanship. A novice is helpless in the presence of the foe. A sword must be grasped by the hilt in stead of the blade. There is the cut and thrust as well as the parry. Practice promotes proficiency. David had had some experience with the sword of Go liath and when he needed a weapon, he took it from Abimelech the priest, saying "There is none like that: give it me.” 1 Sam. 21:9. SATURDAY, October 9. Heb. 4:12-16. Tempted and Tried. The battle of Christ with Satan was fought on the ground of His humanity. Satan tried to have it otherwise, say ing: “ If thou be the Son of God.” Jesus answered, “ Man shall not live by bread alone.” If the first man stood for us in Eden, may we not believe that the second man stood for us in the wil derness? May not the victory of the wilderness be ours through faith as the defeat in Paradise is ours in fact? It is a matter of transferring our location from the first Adam to the second Adam. On each of the three points where the first man failed, the second man prevailed, and Satan retired de feated and disappointed. Luke says that he left Him “ for a season.” The relief was only temporary. He dogged the steps of the Saviour through His earthly life until he finally slew Him upon the cross.
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