Matthew 4

Matthew 4 

A bible study for all of us. 

Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

But he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and afterwards HE WAS HUNGRY.

(The Ark was forty days and forty nights as God cleansed the Earth) 

 Now when the Tempter came to Him, He said: If You Are The Son of God, command that these stones become bread'

Oh wait a minute. Satan knows God's power, knows He can turn stone to bread, but He is not convinced that this is the SON of GOD. He does not know who Jesus is, he is doubting, why don't we find this interesting. Jesus is tired and hungry, He knows exactly whom He is talking to and says "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (For the Word is God and the Word was God) 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ... children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

At this point Satan is perplexed, how can this be the son of God as a man, a mere man, surely this is some sort of a joke, nowhere in this chapter does it tell us Satan knew the identity of Jesus, but he found out. 

So Satan takes Him up into the holy city and set him on a pinnacle of the temple. 

See Satan would want glorification, he wants to be on the pinnacle, he demands worship and he believes that is this is the son of God. He says: If You Are The Son Of God throw yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you. and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone."

There's some mocking going on here, taunting and mocking, but Satan still does not know who he is talking too, but he quotes scripture, a test perhaps, this is a fascinating exchange between Jesus and Satan. 

Jesus is tired, exhausted, hungry and hungry men are not calm. He dug in deep, and replied

"It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God." 

This must have sent Satan in a spin, mind blown and now furious filled with confusion, anger and determined to discover the truth, how could this be God in the flesh before his eyes. 

Again Satan takes him up on exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdom of the world and their glory. 

And he said to Jesus: All these things I shall give to you, if you will fall down and worship me." 

At this point Jesus must have been close to exhaustion, dehydrated, and still He stood there and listened to the biggest lie ever spoken to His face. For nothing on this world belongs to satan, God created the world as Jesus pointed out when He first said 

"man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

God spoke this world into being! 

Then Jesus said to him: Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord Your God and Him only you shall serve." 

Satan left and angels came to minister to Jesus. 

So Satan left confused and bewildered. He was faced with a man in the flesh claiming to be God refusing to be tempted, someone strong and determined, a mere human who dared to defy him, God of this world, jealousy, anger and just what was going through the darkness who knew not light, perhaps blinded by the light, but definitely not the light of the world, for him to have stolen this from the true light which is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, truth, the way, our savior, our Jesus, all of our days may we sing Your praise, 

                                                                          Jesus pour out Your protection and love 

This is such a dynamic confrontation. 

Jesus after 40 days of fasting, Satan finds Jesus in the wilderness. John said, I am the voice crying out in the wilderness, sometimes our hearts feel barren, a wilderness and Jesus comes and finds us there. Jesus tells us that our bodies are the temple of God and He spent 40 days fasting, He was hungry, tired, exhausted, dehydrated, and yet the control He calmly displays, He faces the father of lies and the wolf who comes to steal, kill and destroy and here they come face to face and the disdain, anger and whatever emotions rushed within Him, He teaches us how to handle our enemy. 

We are quick to display our temper, quick to jump to conclusions, quick, too quick to act, think about the behavior and conduct of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Yeshua. 

Satan demands flashy exhibits, wants dramatic flare, Jesus is calm, controlled, determined and unflinching and close your eyes and think what would you do faced with the same situation? WE must learn self control.