Continuing in the story of the temptation of Christ we see the second lesson is that the devil knows exactly when to attack. He sees our weaknesses and will use them against us. Have you ever felt like the devil just knows what buttons to push on us? That's because he does! Listen, the enemy will use whatever we are willing to give him. He doesn't get that creative because we give him no reason to. How often do we find ourselves circling the same mountain year after year? Just cannot seem to get victory over that one area. Over that one sin. Each day the button gets pushed and we react. Here in this story we see that the devil waits until Jesus is in a weakened position. Forty days and nights without eating. Yes Jesus was God but He was also 100% man and the Scripture here even says that He was hungry. The devil will know when you are hungry too:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. -- 1Peter 5: 8 (NLT)
The devil is on the prowl, constantly. Looking for someone he may devour. Someone's life he may ruin. He was on the rooftop with David when he saw Bathsheba bathing. He was standing next to Judas when the 30 pieces of silver were offered. Don't think for a second he is not going to come against you at your greatest moment of need and exploit it! We need to implement the Nehemiah strategy:
The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, "They will come from all directions and attack us!" So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. -- Nehemiah 4: 12-13 (NLT)
As Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." -- Matthew 4: 3 (NIV)
The devil attacks our physical needs. Jesus is fasting and the devil would like nothing more than to break that fast up before it was supposed to end. The enemy loves to get us to fulfill a legitimate need in an illegitimate manner. There is nothing wrong with Jesus' hunger. There is nothing wrong with wanting to satisfy it. But using his power to turn stones into bread to break a fast before it was time? That would have been very wrong. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get ahead at work but not if you have to lie or cheat to do so. There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn more money but not at the cost of your integrity. That is really what this is here. It is a temptation to compromise our integrity. We see this going on in churches across this country as pastors are presented with quick and dirty short cuts to increase attendance by compromising the Gospel. On an individual level it could be at work, home, ministry or any area we might be vulnerable in. For King David, the devil attacked him at a legitimate point of need -- sex. He presented him however with an illegitimate means to satisfy that desire -- a married woman. Thus David fell. A kingdom lost and two dead children later and he realized how he let the enemy nearly ruin his life. Back to Jesus:
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" -- Matthew 4: 5-6 (NIV)
