Matthew
4:1-11
When I was a kid, Vacation Bible
School opened like regular school, but with a different twist. Throughout the year it was the same thing
every morning. First came the Pledge of
Allegiance, then “My Country, ’Tis of Thee”.
We sat down, there were a few announcements, and the day began. At Bible School, we found our groups in the
church hall, and when it was time, we did the regular Pledge of Allegiance,
with an added Pledge of Allegiance to the Christian flag, and then this:
“I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy
Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide
its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.”
After that, we all sang “The B-I-B-L-E” and headed
off to make ashtrays out of macaroni and straws.
It
sounds corny, I know, and there aren’t many places where you would run things
that way anymore, but it really and truly does help to impress not only
children but also adults that it may be a good idea not only to read the B-I-B-L-E
but even to memorize parts of it, or at least to become so familiar with it
that the words really do sink into your heart so that we might not sin against
God.
That
is not to see the Bible merely as a rule book.
It kind of irks me when I hear that old chestnut that B-I-B-L-E stands
for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”.
I don’t mean to imply that the scriptures do not include some very clear
rules. They do. I can think of ten very big ones right off
the top of my head. (See? Right off the top of your head, too, I
hope.) How the rules are applied
matters, though, and they are handled very differently at different times in
the scriptures themselves, which becomes apparent if you read the scriptures
and bump up against things like Malachi [2:16] declaring that “‘I hate
divorce,’ says the Lord” while Ezra 10:18-44 gives a long list of men who
were to be cut off from Israel along with their children because they refused
to divorce the foreign women they had married.
When
someone is in an extreme position, though, and there are difficult choices to
be made, the way does not always look clear.
That is when the scriptures become especially important as a light to
the right path, like a flashlight shining across a dark room with slippery
floortiles. If there is any doubt about
that, look to Jesus’ example.
Jesus
did not go through life without all the trials that every human being
faces. It was not just as he approached
Jerusalem and the cross began to cast its shadow more sharply across him that Jesus
needed to find strength to go on. From
the very start of his life, there were experiences that tested him. As a pre-teen or teenager, there was an
incident where he chose to stay in the Temple, debating scripture with the
teachers. Nothing wrong with that, but
he neglected to tell Mary and Joseph. It
was a tense moment, and they worked through it, but it turns out that he would
have far more intense choices ahead of him and the early study and learning of
the scriptures provided wisdom that he would need. (Here’s a parenting tip:
“Train up a child in the way that he should go,
and when he is older, he
shall not depart therefrom.”
[Proverbs 22:6]
See, even the language that we learn these
verses stays with us decades later.)
All
of us are tempted by sin, but Jesus would face temptations more intense that
most of us ever do, as only someone with power can be tempted to misuse
it. The gospels record many direct
confrontations between Jesus and the powers of evil. He faces them down in human form in his
confrontations with Herod and with Pilate.
He faces them down in demonic forms when they have taken people over and
destroyed their lives. However, from the
very start of his ministry he faces off against the devil himself, who tries to
get Jesus to do what he does in a self-centered way instead of in obedience to
God. The way Jesus fights that off is by
recalling the scriptures that he has learned and calls on from memory.
Jesus
had fasted for forty days and nights.
Later on, he would feed five thousand people with five loaves of bread
and two fish. At this point, though, the
tempter tried to get him to use that same ability to separate himself from
everyone else, to treat himself as privileged.
“The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, command
these stones to become loaves of bread.’
But he answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by
bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the
mouth of God.”’” [Matthew 4:3-4]
He was quoting Deuteronomy.
He
was tempted to use his abilities to show off, and maybe even have a little bit
of fun doing it. He could do miracles
just for the razzle-dazzle value.
“Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle
of the temple, saying 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
dash your foot against a stone.”’” [Matthew 4:5-6]
Here’s the example of what is meant when you
hear that the devil can quote scripture to his own ends. You have to let the whole flow of it sink
into your heart, and not simply take a verse or two out of context. Jesus quotes scripture back at him, from
Deuteronomy again.
“Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God
to the test.”’” [Matthew
4:7]
Then
there follows the big temptation, to take the easy way out. It’s a temptation to make a deal with the
devil: do wrong in order to bring about good.
Set aside what is right for a higher purpose. The end justifies the means.
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all
the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, ‘All these I
will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for
it is written,
“Worship the Lord your
God,
and serve only him.”’” [Matthew 4:8-10]
That’s from Deuteronomy as well.
Maybe
each of us could, as part of this year’s observance of Lent, pick one verse from
the Bible, just one that speaks to our own weaknesses and repeat it over
whenever a temptation comes along. I
cannot tell you what that verse would need to be for you, since only you and
God know what happens in your own heart, but make it something that will make a
real change. Maybe your family is
getting on your nerves and you need to tell yourself,
“Honor your father and mother, that your life may be long in the land.” [Exodus 20:12]
Maybe you stay up too late, playing video games
or watching TV.
“He gives sleep to his beloved.” [Psalm 127:2]
Maybe it’s something profound as doubt about your
importance to God.
“Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to
which you were called and for which you were made.” [I Timothy 6:17]
Maybe it’s about priorities.
“Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these
things shall be given unto you.” [Matthew 6:33]
There will be great value in just looking over
the riches that are throughout the scriptures as you look to find that one
jewel God holds out to you now, and other gems to go back for as well. But whenever you find what you need to find,
hide those words in your heart, that you might not sin against God.
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