MATTHEW 4: 5 - 7 CAST THYSELF DOWN

 CAST THYSELF DOWN

MATTHEW 4:  5 - 7

5) Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, and sat Him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6) And said 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."

COMMENTARY

   This is the second time Satan tempted Jesus in the desert after He had fasted forty days and forty nights.  Jesus' human body was weak.  He sat Jesus on a pinnacle of the temple, which some say is around 300 feet in the air and told Him to jump.  He was saying to try to commit suicide and we'll see if the angels actually come to your rescue.

   The devil knew Jesus was the Son of God.  He knew Him from the time God had created all things, including angels.  He was challenging Jesus to demonstrate His power and royal position.  Satan is well versed at quoting scripture but he alters it to suit his purpose.  If you read the entire scripture, you will see the difference:  

Luke 4:  11) For He shall give His angels charge over Thee, TO KEEP THEE IN ALL THY WAYS.

12) They shall bear Thee up in their hands, lest Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.

   Jesus then answers Satan with Holy Scripture from the first part of Deuteronomy 6:  Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God.  

   We are not to willingly put ourselves in harms way.  We are to obey God's teaching.  Here is the rest of chapter 6 of Deuteronomy:  16b as ye tempted Him in Massah.

17) Ye shall DILIGENTLY keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He has commanded Thee.

18) And thou shalt DO THAT WHICH IS RIGHT AND GOOD IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD:  that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers.

19) To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD has spoken.

20) And when thy son asks thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgements, which the LORD our God has commanded you?

21) Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: 

22) And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:

23) And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers.

24) And the LORD commanded us to DO ALL THESE STATUTES, TO FEAR THE LORD OUR GOD, FOR OUR GOOD ALWAYS, THAT HE MIGHT PRESERVE US ALIVE, AS IT IS AT THIS DAY.

25) And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.  King James Version (KJV) Public Domain (language updated by me).

   Understanding that the Old Testament is the law and we live under grace does not negate the law.  There are rules your own family lives by.  Your rules are there to promote harmony and good health, among other things.  It is the same with the law in the Old Testament.  He says it is "for our good always".

   Are you a child of God?  Have you accepted Jesus, His only begotten Son as your personal LORD and Savior?  You cannot imagine the blessings if you have not taken that step.  Click here to learn more:https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html

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