Matthew 4:1-11  “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…..”

In our weekly men’s Bible Study we are working our way through the book of Job in the Old Testament.  What a horrible series of tests Job was put through by “the tempter” or as we now know him, Satan.  And what an amazing lesson Job left us, with a hint of what Jesus himself would later teach us.

First, Job’s personal wealth and then his children were taken from him in a series of calamities.  Next, his health was taken from him as he was covered with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.  His wife eventually succumbed to the family’s misfortunes and asked Job to “….curse God and die”. (Job 2:9)

His “friends” only increased his suffering by blaming Job’s misfortunes on sins they were sure he had committed, advising him to repent and ask forgiveness when he was really “..blameless and upright..” (Job 9:8) in God’s eyes.  At the same time, his friends called him a liar for pleading his innocence of any wrongdoing.  They falsely accused Job of sins against God.

How much more severely can a man be tested? 

Jesus showed us how much more.  In one instance, Matthew recounts Jesus’ encounter with Satan in Chapter 4 of his book of the Gospels.  Satan waits until Christ is done fasting for 40 days. Matthew says of Jesus, that “…afterward, He was hungry.”  (Matthew 4:2)  (Can you imagine?  40 days of fasting?  Some of us, even with a full stomach, can’t walk past a bowl of chocolate without taking a dive!).  Satan, sensing a weak moment for Jesus and an opportune moment for himself, first offered Jesus food, then tested his pride, then offered him glorification. 

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10-13  “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Job clung to his faith that God would be with him always, would be faithful to him, and had a plan for him. Eventually, Job came to understand God more fully and was blessed even more abundantly than he had been originally.  The strength of Jesus’ responses to Satan’s temptations came from scripture that we all have access to, thanks to the Bible - God’s instructions to all of us for how He would have us lead our lives.

Has Satan been testing you?  Rest assured, God is there for you.  Angels will minister to you if you hold fast to Him.  Depend on God’s words and lessons given to us through the Bible to help you make it through the most difficult tests in your life.