"It is Written"

Luke 4:2-12

Have you ever been foolish enough to try to place yourself in the place of God, the Creator of all that is?  Have you ever played the mind game of if I was God, I would do such and such, I have and I’m willing to bet the farm you have also?  But there is a big problem with our thinking and it comes from no other source than God Himself when He states through the lips of Isaiah the prophet; “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

I have often heard people who go by the name Christian say foolish things about God, as if they had understanding of His thoughts, His ways, and it is not a new thing for God spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about His chosen people the house of Israel.  Beginning in Jeremiah 18:5-6, “The word of the LORD came to me: House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?” – this is the LORD’S declaration.  “Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel.”   Now go back and read verses 1-4, and you will see the jar the potter was working on was flawed, you and I should identify with that example, for each of us is flawed by sin and need a God who is compassionate.   A God who understands we are formed out of dust, but that He our Creator has breathed life into us, and sin is keeping us from a relationship with a holy loving forgiving God.  If you have any doubt go back to Isaiah 55:6-7, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

If you are wondering how does any of this tie into Luke 4:2-12, in this way it does, our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and our ways are not close to His ways.  You nor I would not have had any compassion on a world who has turned its back on you, and it would have never entered our thinking to send our only son to take the punishment for their sins, and redeem them by dying on a cross.  You or I would not have allowed our son to be exposed to that old serpent, the one God calls the devil and Satan, why because our thoughts are lower than His and our ways are lower than His.

But oh what a message we find in these verses, for our LORD who was totally man and totally God, never depended on being God, but looked to the Father for all His needs, had this to say to His tempter; “It is written” and in that Jesus was the author of Scripture He knew what was written, but you and I whose ways and thoughts are much lower than His, need to read and study what is written and apply it to our lives.  Now verse 12 in Luke is profound; “And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.”

As a follower of Christ, we should be aware that the tempter is looking for an opportune time to attack, how often I forget that the one Jesus calls the thief who comes only to kill, steal, and destroy is setting me up to look to my rights, my best, and not to allow the Son to be glorified in me.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice