After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:2-4
Satan is a coward. He doesn’t attack when and where we are strong. Instead, Satan hits us where we are weak, where and when we are vulnerable. It’s not that Satan isn’t daring, or unintelligent, or resourceful; he’s all those. But, his fundamental motivations are envy and lies, and these make him a coward. Still, there are so many things at work here, much more than the low-lifeness of the tempter.
40 days and 40 nights. Noah, Moses, Elijah; 40 years in the desert. There’s something God sees as significant in those figures, in 40. Nobody fully understands all of its meaning. Me, I’m simply saying it’s significant, that God wants us to remember it. In today’s verses, it signifies that Jesus spent more than a month alone, in the cold/hot, dry desert, without food (of mind or body) or fellowship. After a month plus ten days, “He was hungry:” perhaps the most understated verse in the whole Bible.
We are always hungry in so many ways. God feeds us. He provides for us, just like He provided for His chosen people in the desert after Egypt. Or Noah. Or Elijah. Whether it’s midnight Whataburger, a liver transplant, or the strength to persevere through another day of depression, God always feeds us when we need it most.
“If.” How can such a small word hold such meaningful power? Just as he twisted God’s words in Eden to manipulate Eve, so, here, Satan uses this little word, attempting to twist hungry Jesus’ understanding of His place as God’s Son; of trusting the Father to provide. He tries to get the physically weakened Jesus to think, “you know, you’ve got a point there.” Instead, Jesus powerfully responds, “Back off, Jack. God is God and you aren’t.” Since cowardly but bold Satan did this to Jesus, who is God, do you think it’s unusual that he’d use “if” on me and you, to manipulate us, who aren’t God?
Jesus quotes Scripture because Satan knows Scripture. Satan tries to twist Jesus’ hungry understanding of Exodus, of remembering that God would feed and provide. Instead of a battle of wits, Jesus battles Satan with His will, quoting Deuteronomy so that Satan would understand that God feeds us in every way. That our hunger of the soul matters so much more than an empty stomach.
Come back tomorrow for more.
For more reading: Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 8:3, 1 Kings 19:8, Mark 3:11, Luke 1:35, Luke 22:70, John 1:34 & 49, John 4:34, John 11:27, John 20:31, Acts 9:20, Romans 1:4, 1 Thessalonians 3:5, 1 John 5:10-13 & 20, Revelation 2:18, Matthew 4:5
Lord God, only You feed and provide for me.
Practical Proverbs 