This corresponds to the appeal to Eve "pleasant to the eyes"—the price of life. It was a challenge to God to de- liver Him from a peril into which He has cast Himself—not in the service of men but for His own display; to put Himself into Satan's hands in the field of lying wonders (2 Thess. 2:9). To trust God is to abide in His will: To tempt God is to have your own way, yet claim God's protection. Jesus im- mediately met Satan with another thrust of the sword (Deut. 6:16), " Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God." The Third Test—From a high moun- tain he gives Him a vision of the earth's kingdoms and proffers them for his wor- ship. An appeal to the Kingship of Jesus. The world kingdoms are Satan's, otherwise there is no test here. Jesus so recognizes them. This comports with Eve's last temptation—the lust of the eye. This is the most searching of all— all is Satan's—all may be His—if He wills to bow to him. If He refuses He must set Himself against all the' powers of these kingdoms and their head— begin a line of warfare and die an ig- nominous death—but the Lord Jesus proves His real Kingship by spurning the offer. "Get thee hence" and gives the final thrust from the Scriptures (Deut. 10:20; James 4:7), says, "Sub- mit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you," and this tells the story of our Lord's wonderful victory and points plainly to the path of victorious living for us. POINTS PRACTICAL. (1) Through prayer the heavens were pierced and the presence of God mani- fested and the Spirit poured out. (2) We see Christ in His humiliation, in His consecration and in His. commen- dation. (3) There is a threefold testimony to Christ's Deity in preparation for the threefold testing of the Devil. - (4) Satan seeks by subtlety to snare the Son of God. Deliverance is by de- light in the will of God. ( 5 ) ' It is not harmful to be hungry, but it is wrong to bake bread from the Devil's dough. (6) Pride will bring the Prince of this world to the bottomless pit. Hu- mility will give power to the Prince of Life in the highest heaven. (7) The kingdom shall be wrested from Satan and subdued, and King David's son shall have universal sway. (8) Meet every test with unhesitat- ing obedience to the will of God and unswerving loyalty to the Word of God.
Grod has sent into this world. He walks u p and down over the earth, his king- dom (Job 1:7.). He stands in the pres- ence of God (Zeeh. 3:1). He binds on earth (Luke 13:16). Exercises power over man (Acts 26:18). ' Works with silgns and lying wonders (2 Thess 2:9). * Dleceives the whole world .(Rev. 12:9). Humanity is in his grip. He lords it 4 oyer the children of men. He drives like a taskmaster. With the forces of air and earth, with demons and fallen angels and wicked men and women under his sway, to do his bidding. A st ranger to mercy—giving no quarter— h«i is indeed a hard, harsh, cruel tyrant, ti e unchangeable foe of God and man. The First Test—Satan appeared prob- ably in the role of an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), his most subtle manifesta- ti on. Satisfy your hunger. Your desire .for bread is natural and legitimate— show your power as the Son of God. Make bread of stones. This is the test off His Deity, " I f thou be the Son of Gjod." This parallels the first attack uvion Eve. The appeal is to the lust of tllie flesh. Assert yourself. Use your power. He was hungry, the power was His. Jesus answers him with the Word off God. He could have answered him f3r Himself, but He answers as a man, the representative man, using the sword oi the Spirit and a message pregnant with meaning (Deut. 8:3). "Humbled tttee, suffered thee to hunger —fed thee •Jith manna—that He might make thee Miow that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceed- elh out of the mouth of God." How iriarvelously the Word was applied. Humbled, hungry, He waited upon God fair food. He is the servant of Jehovah a i d the servant does not command, but oiieys. He will not take Himself out off Jhe will of God. He has power but will not use it. He multiplies loaves aiid fishes but will work no selfish mira- cle. He has conquered with the un- answerable Word of God. The Second Test —Conveyed to a. pin- nacle of the Temple. Again the tempter says " I f thou be the Son of God." The appeal now is to His Messiahship. Satan qliotes Scripture (Psa. 91:11-12), for he learned in all the wisdom of the aijicients and modern. He omits the words ' ' to keep tlliee in all thy ways," wresting t f e Scripture to his own hurt, as j many others (2 Pet. 3:16). The t< st is—prove your power as the Mes- ah; claim the adherence of the people; ake them marvel at your miracle.
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