"It is written"

After being baptized by John son of Zacharias, Matthew records that "the Spirit led Yeshua into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." This temptation is one of the critical moments in the earthly ministry of God the Son. Here we find a confrontation like no other, the devil himself going after God, trying to trip Him up. Thankfully, Yeshua did not use His divinity to over come Satan, but the divine authority of Scripture so that believers might have hope of withstanding temptation. Indeed, this narrative is often used rightly to exhort believers to memorize Scripture. However, it is an unfortunate teaching that has circulated that only looks at the direct quotes that Yeshua makes in this confrontation, implying that He was proof texting or just using isolated passages. However, assuming the He followed the pattern and customs of the rabbis of His day, the potency and/or message of the quote is not necessarily within the quoted verse itself, but in the surrounding context. Consider the examples from the temptation:


And the tempter came and said to [Yeshua], "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But [Yeshua] said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:3-4)

A simple reading of this passage that only uses Yeshua's quote usually comes to the conclusion that God's word sustains us and keeps us going, not merely food; therefore, we must memorize Scripture. I am not disagreeing with this conclusion by any means. Memorize Scripture! Let it be your sustenance for life, and dwell on it and take of it as much as you do food! However, there is a deeper spring than this in Deuteronomy 8, where the quoted passage is taken from; there it is written, starting from verse 1,

All the commandments that I [Y--H] am commanding you today you shall be careful to do. . . You shall remember all the way which Y--H your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Y--H. (Deut. 8:1-3)

I hope you see how profound this response has become. Matthew even taps into this passage when he writes that the Spirit led Yeshua into the wilderness to be tempted. What does this mean then? 1) When in the wilderness of life it is often because God is working on His child so that the child learns to obey Him in the hardest times. He is developing that total dependance and trust on Him that you need to survive. 2) And this might be wrong, but I trust you to check my work, when you see an easy way out or an easy way to alleviate your suffering, trust God's provision and His faithfulness to sustain you instead of what would be naturally filling. When you have been working hard in a company and the debts are overwhelming, don't embezzle money, even if you intend to put the money back. When you are exhausted and stressed, don't turn to gambling, drugs, food, liquor, sex, porn, etc. for relief. Don't fall into the notion that "nothing is inconsistent which is expedient" (Thucydides 6.85). Take the harder road, relying on God's daily provision and trust in His faithfulness and love. It is not easy, it lacks the gratification that the expedient way offers, but it will take you away from God's way, no matter how small and unseen of an act it is. Who would have known any different if Yeshua had turned the stones to bread? And he had been without food and drink for forty days.


And [he] said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command His angels concerning you'; and 'on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Yeshua said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put Y--H your God to the test.'" (Matt. 4:6-7)

It is important to note that the devil himself is quoting Psalm 91, a Psalm of God's protection of those who are His, and he does not seem to be twisting it at all (though omitting the clause "to guard you in all your ways.").  So what is Yeshua's response to Satan's temptation, rationalized by Scripture (and don't we often rationalize our sins with biblical truths)? Some might say that this is where Yeshua is pulling "the God card" or else that he is saying that it is wrong to put God to His promises. However, how does the latter reconcile its conclusion with Isaiah 7 where Ahaz is rebuked for refusing to "test Y--H" (7:12)? Again, a closer look at the quote provides insight.

Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. (Deut. 6:10-16)




A couple of important notes must be made here. 1) Massah is the place where the events of Exodus 17 took place. It was there that the people tested Y--H (see v.2 and v.7) by complaining about the lack of water (for more insights, see post "Is the Lord among us or not?"). 2) this passage follows shortly after the great shema, which is called by Yeshua "the greatest commandment" (Mark 12:29-30). So what is being said here? Again, it is a command to faithfully follow God's commands and His plan. It was not the Father's plan for the Son to come to earth and instantly establish the kingdom. The Servant first had to suffer and die on behalf of the wicked before being exalted (Isaiah 53). But there is also an interesting connotation in this command. Unlike the passage quoted above from Deuteronomy 8 where the command to obey was in the context of suffering and hardship, the command to obey from Deuteronomy 6 was to be carried out in the context of abundance. Therefore, when life is going well and you are at ease, do not slack off or let down your guard; be as diligent and faithful and dependent on God in your abundance as you need to be in your wilderness.


And [Satan] said to Him, "All these things [all of the kingdoms of the world and their glory] I will give you, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, " Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship Y--H your God, and serve him only.'" (Matt. 4:9-10)

This passage is again from Deuteronomy 6 and tied with the shema. However, this is also found in Deuteronomy 10 where it says,

Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. (Deut. 10:14-17)

This passage is loaded, so I shall pull out a couple of main points and leave the others for another time or greater authorities. First is the blatant declaration that no matter what anyone says, be that "God is dead. We have killed him and must justify ourselves by becoming god" (Nietzsche, The Gay Science. Section 125 "The Madman") or the coming voice of the antichrist "I am god", Y--H is the Master of all things and all things belong to Him, no one can claim rights to anything other than the Creator of all things Himself. Secondly, no matter how dark things become, no matter how unjust or how great Satan's influence appears to be, Y--H is still the Almighty, Y--H of armies/war and He will judge (see Deut. 10:17 and following). So what is our response to these? Cut the pride and arrogance, you are not "the captain of your ship, the master of your fate," humble yourself and worship and serve God alone, not yourself, not the powers that be in life, or even the unseen powers and forces of this dark world.



What is the end application from all of this? Memorize Scripture, but not just individual verses. Devote yourself to the study of the entire Bible. Let it be your life, as vital as food, if not more so. And most importantly, live it out daily in every aspect of your life. As the shema says: "Hear Israel! He-who-is our God, He-who-is is one. You shall love He-who-is your God with all of your heart (which to the Jew includes the mind) and with all of your beingness and all of your strength." (Deut. 6:4) ("He-who-is" being a careful and reverent translation of Y--H, commonly translated "the LORD")




Note: all passages from the New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995) with only minor editing by the author (i.e. "the LORD" to "Y--H" or "He-who-is", "soul" to "beingness", and "Jesus" to "Yeshua")

Overcoming By Grace

It is often perceived and understood that we are saved by grace. This much is clear from Romans 3-5, Galatians 3, Ephesians 2:5-9, and other passages. However, we often leave grace here and start living on the power of Christian teachings, prayer, and , primarily, our redeemed will-power; if not in our expressed beliefs we do so practically in our lives. We, believers everywhere in this universe, still struggle with sin, knowing that it ought not be in our lives and that we often combat it with our "new creation" (II Corinthians 5:17) will. We read the Bible and pray for the sin to be removed - though, more often than not, after committing the sin - but in the heat of battle of temptation we charge in our own will power and determination, only to fall flat on our faces. The problem is that our own will, the one supplying our charge, is the very source and head quarters of the temptation we are trying to overthrow (James 1:14-15).
No one is more personal and transparent about  this war in the New Testament than the apostle Paul. In Romans 7:13-8:30 we find him lamenting his inability to live as he desires, holy and acceptable to God; yet he concludes by rejoicing in Christ's work that defeats death and provides the Holy Spirit to overcome sin. Again, in II Corinthians 12:7-10 we find Paul humbled by a "thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan."1 We sense his agony and weariness of struggle as he "implores the Lord" to remove it; but the passage crescendos in verse 9 where God says "My grace is sufficient for you, My power is made perfect in weakness." Thus Paul is comforted and content with his limits.
Notice this, in each circumstance Paul appeals to God's grace. If we remain with our understanding of grace as only within the context of salvation we are left with a mere assurance of the security of our salvation (something we are given in Ephesians 1) at best and a license to sin at worst (which is in direct conflict with Romans 6:1ff).
Therefore we must broaden our understanding of grace. Turning back to Galatians 3 we find the Spirit and grace as the means of our salvation and the means of our sanctification. Building upon Romans 7, it is seen that even a redeemed will is incapable of overcoming sin on its own.2 It is only by the Holy Spirit we can overcome. Grace is our daily means of sanctification, our spiritual manna.
Back to our starting scenario. We struggle, we pray, we read, we may even fast, but God does not instantly remove the sin - though sometimes He does - or give the automatic, painless, and effortless will to overcome the sin. Often times He seems to respond with "My grace is sufficient." Not giving us a license to sin or a mere assurance of salvation, but a promise that every day, every moment, every temptation He has and gives enough grace for us to overcome the sin; though we shall do it panting, sweating, bruised, and exhausted in our strength, but victorious and rejoicing in His strength. God is removing the sin, but not by the effortless and instantaneous work of Christ we experienced at salvation and often expect sanctification and/or grace to be, but by the gradual, grueling, and seemingly mundane work of the Holy Spirit. This, I believe, is the comfort and hope that Paul was given in II Corinthians 12; he was spent (II Cor. 1), but God assured him of the daily supply to live a disciplined and godly life. In the end it is by grace you are saved and sanctified, not by your redeemed will and power.
Perhaps this image might be helpful: It is through the cuts, bruises, scorch marks, piercings, lacerations, broken bones, stinging eyes, and pulled hair of our total war, our no-holes barred brawl with sin that our sinfulness is hacked and torn away, leaving only the image of Christ.
May you grow and take every step mundane and momentous that God directs in overcoming, ever looking to the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, setting your mind on things above and not on earthly things.


Notes:
1. There are many views as to who/what this was in Paul's life, but that is not important to this discussion and I leave the reader to come to his or her own conclusion on the matter. I will take a moment to denounce the notion that it was poor eyesight as based on Galatians 6:11. This view completely disregards the rest of the entire letter which was written in a righteous rage. The very next verse itself is an angry denouncement of the false teachers in Galatia.
2. This is assuming that Paul is using a normal sense of the present tense and thereby writing about his condition even after salvation; but this is a disputed matter.