MATT 4:1 Then the Spirit led YAHUSHA out into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. 2 YAHUSHA ate nothing for 40 days and nights, and after this, He was incredibly hungry. 3 So the Devil came to tempt Him and said, “If You’re really the Son of Alahim, then You can do whatever You want, so tell these rocks here to become bread for You to eat.” 4 But YAHUSHA said to him, “It has been written, ‘Man will not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of Alahim” (DEUTERONOMY 8).
EVEN THOUGH HE WANTS TO BE, SATAN IS NOT EQUAL TO HIS CREATOR. THE SCRIPTURE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT SATAN IS THE SOURCE OF ALL EVIL, ALL DEPRAVITY, AND THUS THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF ALL SIN. THOSE WHO SAY THERE IS NO ALAHIM, AND THAT AS HUMANS THEY ARE THE SUPERIOR BEINGS OF THIS PLANET (IF NOT UNIVERSE) ARE OPERATING IN THIS SAME IMAGE OF THE ADVERSARY, OPPOSING THE CREATOR, SEEING THEMSELVES AS EQUAL TO HIM, AND DESIRE TO TAKE HIS PLACE. SO THAT'S ALL WELL AND GOOD, BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO KNOW YAHUSHA'S NAME YET REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE IS ALAHIM SEATED ON THE THRONE OF HEAVEN ... WHO'S SPIRIT AND IMAGE ARE THEY SERVING ... YAHUSHA OR SATAN ?
5 Then the Devil led YAHUSHA to the Set-Apart City of Jerusalem and put Him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area, 6 saying to Him, “If You are really the Son of Alahim, then jump off, because it’s been written, ‘Alahim will command His Angels to help You, and their hands will catch You, so that You don’t hit Your foot on a rock.’”(PS 91) 7 But YAHUSHA answered, “Yeah? It’s also been written that ‘You must not test YAHUAH your Alahim.’” (DEUTERONOMY 6).
8 Then the Devil led YAHUSHA to the top of a very high mountain and showed Him all the Kingdoms of the world and all the wonderful things in them, 9 saying, “If You will bow down and worship me, I will give You all these things.” 10 And YAHUSHA said to him, “GO SATAN! For it’s been written ‘You must worship YAHUAH your Alahim and serve only Him!'" (DEUTERONOMY 6)
11 So the Devil left Him and some Angels came to YAHUSHA and helped Him.
HAVING PASSED THROUGH THE WATERS OF A NEW EXODUS AT HIS BAPTISM, YAHUSHA NOW ENTERS THE DESERT TO SUFFER A TIME OF TESTING, HIS 40 DAYS OF FASTING SHADOWED BY ISRAEL'S 40 YEARS OF WANDERING. AND LIKE ISRAEL, YAHUSHA IS TESTED BY HUNGER. AND LIKE ISRAEL, YAHUSHA IS TEMPTED TO IDOLATRY. YAHUAH LED THE FLEEING ISRAELITES THROUGH THE DESERT - HE DID SO INTENTIONALLY IN A WAY TO ACHIEVE A SPECIFIC PURPOSE: TO TEACH THEM, THROUGH TESTING AND HUMBLING, THAT EVERYTHING HIDDEN IN THE DEEPEST RECESSES OF THEIR HEARTS WOULD POUR OUT IN RESPONSE TO THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES (BEHAVIOUR).
NOTICE THAT OF THE 3 TEMPTATIONS THE DEVIL OFFERS YAHUSHA, HE REBUKES THEM ALL BY USING THE WORD. THE SCRIPTURE HE QUOTES IS FROM THE TORAH (DEUT 6 AND 8). ONE OF THE REASONS THESE PARTICULAR PASSAGES ARE APPROPRIATE IS BECAUSE YAHUSHA IS BEING DEPICTED AS A SECOND MOSES, AND THUS YAHUSHA IS ECHOING ISRAEL'S EXPERIENCE IN THE WILDERNESS (THE EXODUS).
ONE OF THOSE HUMBLING EXPERIENCES THEY FACED WAS THAT THEY BECAME HUNGRY, AND YAHUAH'S PURPOSE FOR THEM ENDURING THIS WAS TO TEACH THEM THAT HIS PEOPLE DON'T LIVE ON FOOD ALONE, BUT RATHER ON WHAT POURS FORTH FROM HIS MOUTH…..THAT IS, HIS WORD, HIS TRUTH, HIS LAWS AND COMMANDS. YAHUSHA, AS A SECOND MOSES IMAGE, WOULD NOW FACE SIMILAR TRIALS, AND SO WILL ALL THOSE WHO GENUINELY FOLLOW HIM TO DELIVERANCE AND ETERNITY!
OUT IN THE DESERT YAHUSHA WENT WITHOUT FOOD FOR 40 DAYS AND NIGHTS, AND OF COURSE HE BECAME HUNGRY (A HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT!). FOR THE JEWS, THE DESERT WAS NOT JUST A DANGEROUS PLACE IT WAS ALSO A SCARY PLACE. ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT, ONE OF THE RITUALS INVOLVED THE OLD
SCAPEGOAT, WHERE ONE OF THE GOATS WAS KILLED, AND THE OTHER WAS SET FREE TO WANDER IN THE DESERT AND FACE EVIL.
LEVITICUS 16:8-10 ”THEN AARON IS TO CAST LOTS FOR THE TWO GOATS, ONE LOT FOR ALAHIM AND THE OTHER FOR AZAZEL. AARON IS TO PRESENT THE GOAT WHOSE LOT FELL TO ALAHIM AND OFFER IT AS A PURIFYING SIN-OFFERING. BUT THE GOAT WHOSE LOT FELL TO AZAZEL IS TO BE PRESENTED ALIVE TO ALAHIM TO BE USED FOR MAKING ATONEMENT OVER IT BY SENDING IT AWAY INTO THE DESERT FOR AZAZEL”.
MOST JEWS BELIEVED THAT 'AZ'AZEL WAS A POWERFUL SATAN-LIKE DEMON WHOSE EARTHLY REALM WAS THE JUDEAN DESERT. NOTICE IN LEVITICUS HOW ONE GOAT GOES TO ALAHIM, THE AUTHOR OF GOOD, AND THE OTHER GOES TO A SATAN, THE AUTHOR OF EVIL. AND SURE ENOUGH, OUT IN THE LONELY DESERT, THE STARVING YAHUSHA (THE ONE DESIGNATED TO BECOME OUR SIN-OFFERING) ENCOUNTERS THE EVIL ONE. AND WHAT DOES SATAN DO? HE TEMPTS YAHUSHA, JUST AS HE DOES US! YES AT OUR WEAKEST AND MOST UNEXPECTED MOMENTS HE TEMPTS US TO GO AGAINST ALAHIM. BUT YAHUSHA GAVE US THE FORMULA FOR RESISTING THE EVIL ONE : THROW THE WORD BACK IN HIS FACE, RESIST HIM AND IGNORE HIM!
YAHUSHA WAS BEYOND FAMISHED AFTER 40 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF NOT EATING AND MATTHEW SAYS THE FASTING LASTED FOR 40 DAYS AND NIGHTS (NOT JUST 40 DAYS) BECAUSE ADDING IN THE "AND NIGHTS" IS NOT USUAL WHEN SPEAKING OF PERIODS OF TIME IN THE SCRIPTURE. MOSES SAID THAT HE'D GONE UP THE MOUNTAIN TO RECEIVE THE STONE TABLETS AND STAYED THERE FOR FORTY DAYS AND NIGHTS WITHOUT EATING FOOD OR DRINKING WATER. SO THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MOSES AND YAHUSHA, AND THE IDEA THAT MESSIAH IS RELIVING ALL THE SHADOW EXPERIENCES OF ISRAEL IS QUITE OBVIOUS HERE.
JONAH 2:1 “ALAHIM PREPARED A HUGE FISH TO SWALLOW JONAH; AND JONAH WAS IN THE BELLY OF THE FISH FOR THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS. FROM THE BELLY OF THE FISH JONAH PRAYED TO YAHUAH HIS ALAHIM”.
EVERYONE IN ANCIENT TIMES UNDERSTOOD THAT A DAY MEANT ONE ENTIRE MOON AND SUN APPEARANCE; NIGHTTIME AND DAYTIME IN SEQUENCE. SO THE ADDITION OF THE PHRASE "AND NIGHTS" IS NOT A USUAL HEBREW EXPRESSION AND RATHER RARE.
AND WHEN SOMETHING IS RARE IN THE SCRIPTURE, WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION. LATER IN HIS MINISTRY YAHUSHA WILL MAKE USE OF THIS RARE PHRASE AND IT'S PROPHETIC CONNECTIONS:
MATTHEW12:38-40 “AT THIS SOME OF THE TORAH-TEACHERS SAID, "RABBI, WE WANT TO SEE A MIRACULOUS SIGN FROM YOU." YAHUSHA REPLIED, "A WICKED AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION ASKS FOR A SIGN? BUT NO! NONE WILL BE GIVEN TO IT BUT THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH. FOR JUST AS JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE FISH, SO WILL THE SON OF MAN BE THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH”.
IT IS THE ADDITION OF THE PHRASE "AND NIGHTS" THAT IS THE CONNECTING TISSUE THAT PULLS ALL OF THIS TOGETHER. HUNGER IS PAINFUL. THE DEVIL, HOWEVER, HAS AN EASY SOLUTION FOR YAHUSHA, TELLING HIM THAT IF HE IS REALLY THE SON OF ALAHIM, THEN TURN THE STONES THAT ARE LAYING ALL AROUND HIM INTO BREAD. THE DEVIL OF COURSE IS TRYING TO SOW SELF-DOUBT INTO YAHUSHA. IF!!...WHAT A BIG WORD ‘IF’ IS; IT IS A WORD MEANT TO DESCRIBE UNCERTAINTY(UNBELIEF). HAVE WE ALL NOT HEARD DEEP WITHIN OUR MINDS: "IF YOU ARE REALLY DELIVERED, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THAT BAD THOUGHT OR DONE THAT
BAD THING". "IF YOU WERE REALLY CHOSEN YOU’D BE ABLE TO OVERCOME QUICK AND EASILY". SO AT THE SAME TIME, THIS TEMPTATION OF ‘IF’ HAPPENS EARLY IN YAHUSHA’S MINISTRY TO TRY AND THROW HIM OFF COURSE! AND YAHUSHA RESPONDED TO THIS ATTACK BY USING SCRIPTURE: A WORD SPOKEN 1400 YEARS EARLIER BY MOSES. BECAUSE EVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCE WAS EVEN SIMILAR:
DEUTERONOMY 8:3 “HE HUMBLED YOU, ALLOWING YOU TO BECOME HUNGRY, AND THEN FED YOU WITH MANNA, WHICH NEITHER YOU NOR YOUR ANCESTORS HAD EVER KNOWN, TO MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT A PERSON DOES NOT LIVE ON FOOD ALONE BUT ON EVERYTHING THAT COMES FROM ALAHIM'S MOUTH”.
YAHUAH PROVIDED STARVING ISRAEL (WHO HE CALLED HIS SON) WITH MANNA, BUT THEY GRUMBLED AND COMPLAINED ABOUT IT ENDLESSLY. THEY WERE THANKFUL ONLY FOR A MOMENT. WOULD YAHUSHA (IN THE IMAGE OF THE SON) BEHAVE AS ISRAEL DID IN THE WILDERNESS? OR WOULD HE BE FAITHFUL? AS THE SECOND MOSES, HE USES MOSES’ WORDS AND PASSES THE TEST. AND SO FAR YAHUSHA IS, INDEED, AN IDEAL NEW CREATION ISRAELITE-PATTERN OF BEHAVIOUR AND NOTHING LIKE THE OLD UNFAITHFUL WHORISH ONE.
NEXT THE ADVERSARY TAKES YAHUSHA TO JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE. NOTE THAT IT WAS THE SPIRIT WHO TOOK YAHUSHA TO THE DESERT FOR TESTING (JUST AS ALAHIM TOOK THE ISRAELITE REFUGEES TO THE DESERT FOR TESTING), BUT THIS TIME IT IS THE DEVIL THAT TAKES YAHUSHA TO THE CITY OF JERUSALEM FOR TESTING. HE TAKES HIM TO THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE AND ONCE AGAIN TRIES TO SOW SEEDS OF DOUBT. HE SAYS "IF YOU ARE THE SON OF ALAHIM THEN JUMP." WILL YAHUSHA HAVE THE BELIEF TO DO THE MOST FEARFUL THING ONE CAN IMAGINE? WILL HE JUMP AND TRUST TO BE MIRACULOUSLY CAUGHT? WOULDN'T THAT BE
THE RESULT IF HE WAS ACTUALLY THE SON OF ALAHIM? SATAN GOES SO FAR AS TO QUOTE SCRIPTURE TO YAHUSHA IN ORDER TO CONVINCE HIM TO TAKE THE LEAP. (DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN HIS PEOPLE QUOTE SCRIPTURE AT YOU!!!) BUT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO PROVE HIMSELF OR PROVE ALAHIM BY THROWING HIMSELF OFF THIS HIGH PLACE, YAHUSHA AGAIN USES THE WORD AGAINST THE DEVIL IN RESPONSE TO THE DEVIL USING PSALM 91 TO MAKE HIS POINT:
PSALM 91:11-12 “FOR HE WILL ORDER HIS ANGELS TO CARE FOR YOU AND GUARD YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. THEY WILL CARRY YOU IN THEIR HANDS, SO THAT YOU WON'T TRIP ON A STONE”.
THIS IS LEGITIMATE SCRIPTURE SATAN IS USING. EVEN THE CONTEXT FOR IT (WHICH IS ABOUT ALAHIM CARING FOR HIS OWN) SEEMS CORRECT. BUT YAHUSHA'S RESPONSE IS MORE THAN JUST APPROPRIATE, IT IS A CAUTION TO US AS HIS FOLLOWERS. MANY OF US ARE VERY GOOD AT REMEMBERING SCRIPTURE PASSAGES, AND SOMETIMES WHEN WE ENCOUNTER A DIFFICULT OR STRESSFUL SITUATION OR A TOUGH DECISION, WE CAN FIND OURSELVES HEARING ONE OF THOSE SCRIPTURAL PASSAGES IN OUR MINDS TELLING US TO DO SOMETHING CHALLENGING OR EVEN FRIGHTENING. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO REMEMBER A PRINCIPLE THAT YAHUSHA TEACHES RIGHT HERE:
DEUTERONOMY 6:16 “YOU DO NOT PUT YAHUAH YOUR ALAHIM TO THE TEST, AS YOU TESTED HIM AT MASSAH [TESTING]”.
WHAT THIS PASSAGE IN DEUTERONOMY IS MEANING IS TO NOT PUT ALAHIM ON TRIAL, AS ISRAEL TRIED TO PUT ALAHIM ON TRIAL AT MASSAH, THE PLACE OF TESTING. ALAHIM TOOK ISRAEL TO A PLACE TO TEMPT THEM, THUS PUTTING THEIR BELIEF ON TRIAL. BUT ISRAEL TRIED TO TURN IT AROUND AND PUT ALAHIM ON TRIAL. WE ARE NEVER TO PUT YAHUSHA ON TRIAL - WE ARE NEVER TO JUDGE HIM. AND JUMPING OFF OF A TALL BUILDING TRYING TO PROVE TO SOMEONE (PERHAPS EVEN TO YOURSELF) THAT YOU HAVE BELIEF IN YAHUSHA (BECAUSE ALAHIM IS CERTAINLY ABLE TO CATCH YOU IF HE WANTS TO) IS TO PUT ALAHIM ON TRIAL AND THAT IS ALWAYS WRONG. SO YAHUSHA REBUKES THIS TEST OF SATAN BY RECALLING THE MASSAH INCIDENT DURING ISRAEL'S EXODUS FROM EGYPT…. ONCE AGAIN PROVIDING CONNECTION BETWEEN HE AND MOSES.
YAHUSHA'S WAY IS TO TEST THE VALIDITY OF OUR OBEDIENT BELIEF THROUGH SPIRIT & FIRE, YET WE TRY AND DIG OUR HEALS IN AND TRY TO FLICK IT BACK ONTO HIM & TEST HIM .... A BIG NO NO !!!
THE DEVIL PUT YAHUSHA ON THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE, AS IF TOWERING OVER THE LAWS AND THE PROPHETS, WHICH BY DEFINITION MEANS HE WAS TRYING TO PUT ALAHIM ON TRIAL, (SINCE YAHUSHA IS ALAHIM). WHEN WE THINK THAT WE (MERE CREATED BEINGS) CAN SET ASIDE OUR CREATOR'S LAWS AND COMMANDS BY MANUFACTURING NEW DOCTRINES AND COMMANDS THAT PLEASE US BETTER, WE ARE ACTUALLY PUTTING YAHUSHA ON TRIAL. WE ARE PUTTING OURSELVES TOWERING ABOVE ALAHIM, TOWERING OVER HIS LAWS AND COMMANDS, THUS BEHAVING EXACTLY AS THE DEVIL DID IN THIS SECOND TEMPTATION OF YAHUSHA.
THIS TIME THE DEVIL LEADS YAHUSHA TO A HIGHER PLACE, IN ORDER TO GAIN A WIDE VANTAGE POINT TO DRAMATICALLY MAKE HIS OFFER. SO WE GO FROM A LOW PLACE, TO A HIGH PLACE, TO THE HIGHEST PLACE….. A MOUNTAINTOP. ALL WITH THE ASCENDING GEOGRAPHY IS THE ASCENDING TEMPTATIONS.
THE DEVIL MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HE HAS THE ABILITY TO GIVE YAHUSHA ALL THE WORLD'S KINGDOMS FOR HIM TO RULE. THE PRICE? BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP HIM. THE POINT IS NOT HARD TO SEE IS IT?
IT IS SATAN'S ATTEMPT TO REPLACE ALAHIM. BUT THE WORLD BELONGS TO YAHUSHA BECAUSE HE IS THE CREATOR OF IT. SO IT IS HIS AND HIS ALONE TO RULE OVER, OR TO ASSIGN THE RULE TO ANOTHER. INTERESTINGLY THE DEVIL'S OFFER OF YAHUSHA WORSHIPPING HIM IN EXCHANGE FOR WORLD-RULE USES THE SAME WORD THAT THE MAGI USED WHEN WORSHIPPING YAHUSHA (TRANSLATED AS HOMAGE). THAT IS, JUST AS THE MAGI PAID HOMAGE (IN THE POLITICAL SENSE) TO THE MESSIAH CHILD (WHO THE MAGI SAW AS A KING), SO IS THE DEVIL TELLING YAHUSHA TO PAY HOMAGE IN THE POLITICAL SENSE BECAUSE THE DEVIL SEES HIMSELF AS THE RULER (KING) OF THE WORLD. SATAN IS PROPOSING A ROLE-REVERSAL SINCE WE KNOW THAT ALAHIM HAS TRANSFORMED AND ARRIVED AS YAHUSHA TO BE THE RULER OF THE WORLD, WITH SATAN BOWING DOWN TO HIM.
YAHUSHA REBUKES SATAN:
DEUT 6:13 “YOU ARE TO FEAR YAHUAH YOUR ALAHIM, SERVE HIM AND SWEAR BY HIS NAME”.
AT THAT MOMENT THE DEVIL'S HOPES WERE CRUSHED AND THE TESTING WAS OVER - HE HAD FAILED TO SHAKE THE BELIEF OR AUTHORITY OR OBEDIENCE OF OUR MESSIAH AND ALAHIM. THEN IN THE VERY NEXT CHAPTER YAHUSHA MAKES SURE THAT HIS FOLLOWERS UNDERSTAND:
MATT 5:17-19 "DON'T THINK THAT I HAVE COME TO ABOLISH THE TORAH OR THE PROPHETS. I HAVE COME
NOT TO ABOLISH BUT TO COMPLETE.
SO EVEN YAHUSHA DID NOT PUT HIMSELF ABOVE HIS OWN LAWS AND COMMANDS SUCH THAT HE COULD ADD OR SUBTRACT FROM THEM ... BUT HE DID FULFIL AND COMPLETE THEM ALL IN HIMSELF!
YAHUSHA PUT AN END TO THE DEVIL'S TEMPTING WHEN HE SAID 'GET BEHIND ME SATAN!. THE DEVIL COULD PROGRESS NO FURTHER WITH HIS TEMPTATION. SO WE MUST CONSTANTLY SAY “NO” TO THE DEVIL’S TEMPTATIONS AND HE WILL FLEE, BUT WE MUST ALSO SAY “NO” TO THE SPIRIT THAT’S IN OUR FLESH UNTIL YAHUSHA REMOVES IT FROM US, WHICH HAPPENS AS WE CHOOSE TO CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOUR AND PUT ON THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. AFTER SATAN WITHDREW AND LEFT YAHUSHA ALONE, ANGELS MINISTERED TO HIM. LET'S NOT OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT YAHUSHA HIMSELF (DESPITE BEING ALAHIM HIMSELF), WAS ALSO A MAN.
SINCE ALAHIM HAS NO NEEDS, THEN IN THIS CASE IT CAN ONLY BE THAT YAHUSHA, THE HUMAN BEING, NEEDED STRENGTHENING, THEREFORE THE ANGELS CAME TO GIVE YAHUSHA REST IN A WAY THAT CAN ONLY COME FROM HEAVEN’S DIMENSION.