Bible Verse of the Day Monday March 8th 2021

Matthew 4:5-6 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "’He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ "

Jesus endured three temptations from Satan during His forty days in the wilderness. These two verses contain the second of the three temptations. The word “then” is an indication of a sequence in the lures of Satan. The “holy city” mentioned here is Jerusalem (Nehemiah 11:1; Isaiah 48:2; Daniel 9:24; Matthew 4:5; Matthew 27:53), and the highest point of the Temple is atop “Solomon’s Colonnade” or as it is known sometimes as “Solomon’s Porch.” This point of the Temple towered over the Kidron Valley some three hundred feet. 

Just like in the first temptation, Satan again granted that Jesus was the true Son of God. Also, again just as in the first temptation, he loosely used the Word of God, misquoting Psalms 91:11-12: For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Satan left out “they will guard you in all your ways.” It is common for people who want to use certain Bible verses out of context to add or leave out certain parts of God’s Word. Satan has used this pattern from the beginning of humanity on the earth, and will continue that same method as long as day and night continue.  

Satan tempted Jesus to show His faith in God in some spectacular fashion by intentionally throwing Himself down over 300 feet. Satan wanted Jesus to challenge God’s Faithfulness. Psalm 91 read in its entirety will clearly show that this is speaking of anyone who trusts God, and that would most certainly include Jesus. Over the long history of the Children of Israel God had shown Himself at the Temple in Jerusalem. There could be no worthier place for the Son of God to prove His confidence in His Fathers Promise. 

Jesus refused Satan’s vain and futile attempt because the Word of God said not to put God to the test (Matthew 4:7). Jesus refused not because He did not trust that God would protect Him, but Satan was trying to get Jesus to go against the Word of God by putting God to the test. The Children of Israel had faced this test and failed miserably (Exodus 17:2-7). We should never demand that God might prove the faithfulness of the great and wonderful promises we have in His Holy Word by affording us the things He has promised, on our terms. We should live our lives by simply trusting God will supply all our needs when we need them. These temptations of Jesus warn us against demanding God show Himself to us in some spectacular fashion. God has already given us the ultimate expression of His Love on the Hill of Calvary (Romans 5:8); there could never be anything more “spectacular” than that.

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