In the Wilderness with the Devil

January 21, 2021 Georgia Tanner

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” 1 John 4:1-4 NLT

It is cold and raining outside my window this dreary morning. The view matches the condition of my heart. All I want to think about is running away to sunny Florida – but that is not in my immediate future. God reminds me of a little adventure the man Jesus took. It wasn’t to blue skies and soft sand with warm water lapping against his toes. It was to a harsh place called the wilderness.

When I read the story in Matthew (4:1-11), the first thing I notice is that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. This immediately dismantles the naïve assumption that if you are obedient in following God, he will lead you down a rosy path. Apparently not. And it wasn’t just an outward bound, get away from it all for a little alone time with God kind of retreat. No. Jesus’ camping companion was the devil. Satan. The Tempter. And this enemy of God had plans of his own. His plans were to stop God’s plans. This doesn’t sound good.

We are told Jesus went to fast and pray. I never like the idea of fasting. Seriously, what is the morning without coffee, eggs, and bacon? Maybe a little warm toast with butter? Forty days, forty nights, no food.

And then Satan shows up for a little companionship. His first temptation would be so easy to fall for it would be child’s play; “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

The first part of the challenge is an accusation: “God’s Son? So you claim to be God’s Son? The God who created heaven and earth? The God who rained down manna for the Israelites for forty years? Then this will be easy for you…” The stinging word here is the word ‘if’. Every challenge will have this little accusing word at its center. “If you are who you say you are, then you certainly have the power to do these little tricks. If you are who you say you are, you can do anything you want… Show me. Prove it, Son of God. If you really are…”

Turn stone into bread. Jesus was surrounded by stones. To turn stone into bread was to go from hunger and want to fulfillment and abundance. The devil's first attack was on physical need. The weakness of the fleshly body influences our thoughts and our feelings. Jesus' response was that the physical provision of God didn't compare to the spiritual provision of God. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Deuteronomy 8:3

If you read this verse in context, it is a beautiful reminder coming from Moses to the Israelites who are preparing to enter into the Promised Land; a good land flowing with abundant streams, rich with wheat and barley, fig trees, and pomegranates. It is a land where they will lack nothing. It is a reminder that God has been with them the whole way as they traveled through hardship and wilderness for forty years. God had humbled them to test what was in their hearts. He had humbled them, allowing them to hunger that He might teach them that the words of the Lord are more valuable than bread. (Deuteronomy 8:1-10)

How very perfect that Jesus would refer to the encouragement from Moses and this specific time of God’s faithfulness in the wilderness. Jesus didn’t need bread to sustain him; Jesus needed the bread of life – God’s own words. The temptation was physical provision. Jesus knew God’s spiritual provision was more important.

“Oh, you want to play that game,” the devil muses. “Okay, I can quote scripture, too.” And so he does:

“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."

Psalm 91:11,12

The devil's challenge to Jesus, from the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem, was, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down." In other words, "Jump. God will protect you, right?"

This 91st Psalm of David is one of the most beautiful songs of God’s protection that has ever been written. David was a warrior king and he knew well the terror of facing the enemy. He describes God as a refuge and a fortress; His faithfulness, a shield. He is a God of rescue, protection, deliverance, salvation.

“If you are the Son of God, do you believe this?” the devil was asking. “Do you trust your God to save you? Prove it.” The temptation here was physical protection. Could his God protect him from all harm?

Again, Jesus quotes Moses from Deuteronomy 6:16, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test…” but the rest of the passage is unspoken. It continues, “…as you did at Massah.” Well, you may ask, what happened there?

Remember those grumbling Israelites, who God had rescued from slavery in Egypt? Well, God was leading them to a new land, but along the way, they must learn to trust Him. They had been on the road for a while and we catch up with them in Exodus 17. Right before they camp for the night in Massah (which wasn’t named Massah, yet), they had been concerned because they had no bread. God had provided bread from heaven, called manna – but they were to only collect enough for each day's needs. If they tried to hoard it, it rotted and bred worms overnight. They were to collect double on the day before the Sabbath because God was resting on that Holy Day and they all needed to do the same. Some of the people went out to collect manna on the Sabbath and were surprised to not find any. Trust. God was teaching them trust.

So, not too long after the manna trust lesson, they have set up camp in this new place that doesn’t appear to have water. Immediately forgetting God’s provision of manna, they begin quarreling with Moses, asking, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

God instructed Moses to gather the people, He would stand before Moses there at the rock of Horeb and Moses was to strike the rock with his staff. Water flowed out to quench the thirst of those complaining, untrusting Israelites and their children and their livestock. Moses named that land Massah, meaning testing, and Meribah, meaning quarreling, because the people had doubted the Lord asking, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Jesus referenced this story as he called to mind that God was indeed with him, protecting him with an angelic guard lest he fall. Jesus trusted God. No need for tests for God to prove Himself trustworthy.

But the devil isn’t through with Jesus. Let’s try another one. One that has a powerful allure for every human: wealth and power. Listen to the devil’s description of what he is offering from Luke; “I will give you all the world’s authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.” All you need to do is bow down and worship me.

I think this is true. The devil holds in his hand the power of the earthly governments and the illusion of wealth. Our earthly kingdoms are glittering and appear to be made of gold. Somewhere in my heart, I know that underneath it all, there is emptiness and the rot of death.

What Satan offers as a great prize is a great lie. Jesus didn’t fall for it. He knew who owned the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10) His Father had no deficiencies. All in creation was already His. God the Father was immeasurably rich in mercy, rich in love, rich in grace, rich in kindness. (Ephesians 2:4-8). What could the devil possibly offer beyond what God could freely give?

This is always the test, the temptation, the trick: Satan desires to be worshipped and be placed above God the good Father - but all he can offer is smoke and mirrors. He is the original Wizard of Oz instructing Dorothy to “…pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.”

Jesus again turned to the instructions of Moses as he sent God’s children into the Promised Land. Jesus stated it simply as “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” But the original passage has quite a wallop of power behind it:

“Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.” Deuteronomy 6:13-15

Wow. We don’t think of God this way anymore. Fear God. He is a jealous God. His anger will burn against you and He will destroy you. This was coming from Moses. Moses, who had met with God face to face on the mountain top where God spoke from the midst of the fire. Moses had seen this Holy God. We think Jesus had, too. He would not be deceived. He would not bargain with the devil. He knew his Father was jealous for us. He knew his Father demanded an exclusive relationship. There was no room for the devil and his lies.

The only thing left to say was, “Get away from me, Satan!”

This is the only thing we need to say; “Get away from me, Satan!” There is no discussion worth having. There is no bargain to be made. His ultimate purpose is this; He desires to be worshipped by you. And he will stop at nothing to steal your heart.

Jesus will teach that the devil was a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies. There is no truth in him. He is the prowling lion waiting patiently for weakness. His favorite approach is to make you doubt the goodness of God. And then he pounces. Jesus knew his enemy. “Get away from me, Satan!”

Satan left him. The angels attended him. Jesus would emerge from the wilderness filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. He would begin teaching in the synagogues. Truth would begin to spread throughout a barren land. The Lamb of God had come.

This is where I need to live in these barren days; I must acknowledge I am living in a wilderness. And I am not alone – there is a lion prowling, whispering lies and doubt. But, like Jesus in the wilderness, I have the power of the Holy Spirit living within me. To guide me and strengthen me and show me truth. I will stand here.

“Delightfully loved friends, don’t trust every spirit, but carefully examine what they say to determine if they are of God, because many false prophets have mingled into the world. Here’s the test for those with the genuine Spirit of God: they will confess Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh. Everyone who does not acknowledge that Jesus is from God has the spirit of antichrist, which you heard was coming and is already active in the world.

Little children, you can be certain that you belong to God and have conquered them, for the One who is living in you is far greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:1-4 (TPT)

These Hard Times Need to Breathe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LGsxpzyvFA

Songwriters: Nathaniel Rinehart / William Rinehart

The story of Jesus in the Wilderness: Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-15, Mark 1:12-13

Scripture is from NIV unless otherwise noted.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.