Jesus Tempted by the Devil
Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Matthew 4:1-11. In this Scripture, Jesus was led by the Spirit to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and nights, and then He was hungry. Wouldn’t you be hungry if you fasted forty days and nights? Of course you would.
The devil knew Jesus was hungry and tried to tempt Him to turn the rocks into bread, saying, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Jesus answers him by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, saying, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” This was a physical temptation. This is the same temptation Satan used against Eve in the garden.
Then in Matthew 4:5 the devil takes Jesus to the holy city, and sets him on a pinnacle of the temple and tells him to cast himself down. Jesus quotes Psalm 91:11-12, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in (their) hands, lest thy dash thy foot against a stone.” This is a spiritual temptation for the pride of life.
In Matthew 4:8 the devil takes Jesus to a high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world. Then he tells Jesus he’ll give Him all this if He worships him. Again, Jesus answers him with Scripture. This is a psychological temptation. This time Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:13 and Deuteronomy 10:20. Jesus tells Satan, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Here we see Jesus basically tells him to get away and leave Him alone. Sometimes we need to do that as well.
Notice every time the devil tempts Jesus, He quotes Scripture. This is why we need to read and study the Bible, so when temptation comes our way we can say this is what the Word of God says. We see also the same ways the enemy tempted Jesus are the ways he tries to tempt us. So, we need to be ready with our armor of Scripture to defend ourselves.
After the devil leaves Jesus, the angels came and ministered to Him. We can also use the Scripture to minister to ourselves and to give us comfort when we have a bout with the enemy.
Daily Bible Reading:
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Things to think about:
- Have you ever fasted? If so, for how long?
- Can you imagine how hungry Jesus must have been after fasting for forty days and nights?
- Have you ever tried quoting Scripture when the enemy tempted you?
- I challenge you to use the Scripture when temptation comes.
Prayer of the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for this example in Your Word of how we are to handle temptation. When we are tempted help us to recall the Scripture to respond to our tempter. Help us to not let anything come before You. We love you, LORD. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Daily Bible Verse:
– This is an excerpt from The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ
Christian Music Video: “Lord I Need You” – Matt Maher
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Featured Book:
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ
by Deborah H. Bateman
About the book:
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman, which takes you through the life of Jesus Christ. The book of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament of the Bible. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and His birth.
The Book of Matthew also goes into Jesus’ ministry on earth, including the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ parables, and Jesus’ final days, including His death, burial, and resurrection. The book concludes with the great commission.
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ includes fifty-seven daily devotionals which contain a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions to think about, and a prayer of the day. It is a great book for individual daily devotions or a group Bible study.
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