Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:5-7 – A Temptation to Test God

Matthew 4:5-7 – A Temptation to Test God

|| Luke 4:9-12

MT4:5 Then the Devil took Jesus along into the Holy City[1] and stationed him on the Temple[2] battlement MT4:6 and the Devil said to him, “If you are a son of The God hurl yourself down, for it has been written [in Psalms],[3] ‘He will give His angels charge regarding you and upon their hands they will lift you so you will never strike your foot[4] upon a stone.’” [Psalm 91:11, 12] MT4:7 Jesus replied to the Devil: “Again it is written,[5] ‘You shall not put YHWH your God to the test.’”[6] [Deuteronomy 6:16]

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Maquete of the Temple in Jerusalem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After being led by the Pneuma to be tempted into the desert [see also (James 1:13,)] Jeshua, the son of God, was taken to  the pinnacle of the temple, to overlook the city of Jerusalem, which has to be the capital of the Kingdom of God. Jesus once again is mislead by the thoughts which promise him that angels on their hands shall bear Jesus up when he jumps from the high wall.

Jesus did not want to test God. He had enough trust in Him and knew everything would happen like God had it in His Plan according His time set. Jesus also did not need a sign to have a proof who he was.  He was well aware that he was a son of David, a son of Abraham and a son of God. He also knew very well that God is the Most Powerful of all beings. He did not have to get a prove of that.  Satan, the adversary of God, also knows it very well that God is the Omniscience, Omnipotent, Absolute Sovereign. Both knew how the Elohim Hashem is the Most High Almighty Who conducts His army of angels like He wants to do it.

Jesus himself had to believe he was a son of God, like we should have to believe that as well likewise that Jesus is the sent one from God and not God Himself.

“”I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24 NIV)

In this world we may find lots of people who want to find out if God really exist or would do this or that for them. We also may find lots of people who have changed their god because when they prayed, asking their god to do a certain thing, when he did not do that, they left him or her. (This happens a lot in South America, where so called Catholics have a pleiade of gods and goddesses.)

In this fragment we do hear again one of the many “ifs” the adversary of God sows in the world.
He brings up to the sent one from God:

1. If thou be the Son of God, turn stones into bread {#Mt 4:3 }
2. If thou be the Son of God, leap from the top of the temple {#Mt 4:6 }

which shall later be repeated

At the Cross, if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross

1. The cry of the rabble {#Mt 27:40 }
2. The cry of the soldiers {#Lu 23:37 }
3. The cry of the thief {#Lu 23:39 }

Today in Christendom we still find lots of people who still not want to believe Jesus is the son of God, but prefer to make him a god son, hoping that he would do more and better things than his heavenly Father the Only One True God. They keep preferring to believe in some one who could be seen instead of trusting the One no man can see and live.

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[1] Holy City: Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is called “the holy city” in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 11:2; 21:2, 10; 22:19).

[2] Temple: The Greek here is HIEROU.

[3] It has been written [in Psalms]: The Devil quotes Scripture. The quotation is Psalm 91:11, 12.

[4] Your foot: Is there a sarcastic allusion to Genesis 3:15?

[5] Written: The quotation is from Deuteronomy 6:16.

[6] Test: Compare 1 Corinthians 10:9.

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Preceding

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:1-4 A Wilderness Temptation

Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:25-35 – Simeon’s Blessing and Warning

Jehovah God Maker of the entire universe served by a well-trained army

Next:

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:8-11 – A Temptation to Gain World Rule

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:12-17 – Galilee Saw A Great Light

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:18-22 – The Calling of the First Disciples

Nazarene Commentary Matthew 4:23-25 – Kingdom Preaching and Healing Draws Crowds

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Additional reading

1. satan or devil
2. First month of the year and predictions
3. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
4. Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God
5. A Start for looking at the unseen and the treasure to look forward to
6. Looking at the seen and going for the unseen
7. Song of Praise for the Elohim Set-Apart
8. God’s wrath and sanctification

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Further reading

1. Daniel Fast
2. April 10, 2016
3. Exodus 17:2 Testing The Lord By Grumbling
4. Judges 6:36 | Fleece Moment
5. The Temptation of Jesus
6. January 7 Matthew 4:1-11
7. SMS 145 Matthew 4:4
8. Nothing to Prove
9. Dubious Authority
10. A journey in the Wilderness
11. Miss Jane Pittman and the Temptation of Christ
12. May 20 @ Luke 3-4
13. The temptation of Jesus (Word among us)
14. Temptation of Christ
15. The Temptation’s of Christ Explained
16. Food, Power, and Minions #1
17. Food, Power, and Minions/ Today Woodstock, Tomorrow the World!
18. Food, Power, and Minions #3
19. Mathew 4: Lessons from the temptation of Jesus
20. Are We Testing God?
21. Christians & Depression IV: The Truth
22. Dead Sea Blues
23. Wilderness, Temptation, & Life…
24. Temptation, and Beauty
25. Here’s an honest admisson, maybe you can identify with me
26. Do You Require Proof?
27. Letting go of the fear of the darkness
28. When we mess up: Jesus was tempted in every way we are
29. Wilderness Jesus: Sermon for Lent 1, 2016
30. The Wilderness of Lent: A Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent, 2016
31. Why Jesus is not Like Evel Knievel
32. Trusting in God Alone
33. Lead me into temptation – just one more time!
34. Getting Testy
35. Are We Testing God?
36. Tribulation: Temple or Tabernacle Tent

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