Jesus endured temptation better than we do. We are weak, short-sighted, and sometimes selfish. Sin is fundamentally a lack of faith. At the specific moment in time that we sin, we don’t believe God will provide or we don’t believe God will judge. At the specific moment in time that we sin, we can’t see that Satan can and will use that seemingly-isolated act of sin and create serious repercussions from it.
In the second temptation, Satan quotes Scripture. I want us to focus on that passage that Satan quoted, not as a part of Satan’s quote but in its original context – Psalm 91. This whole psalm is about the protection and defense that God provides. Let’s examine this psalm: “Resting in the Shadow of His Wings.”
BLESSINGS FOR THE ONE WHO TRUSTS – Stanza One (Verses 1-6):
The fact – Strophe One (verses 1-2): In this strophe, the psalmist states as a matter of fact that the “one who dwells [lives, moves] in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (vs 1).
It is also significant that the psalmist refers to God by these designations: “Most High” and “Almighty.” The term “Most High” portrays God as being above and over the entire universe. It portrays Him as able to see all, know all, and provide for all. The term “Almighty” portrays the idea that God is all powerful.
This individual, verse 2, is then able to say to Jehovah God that He is “my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Notice these words that are used to describe God in this psalm: shelter, shadow, refuge, fortress.
Why trust God? In the next couple of strophes, the psalmist gives some reasons why. What God will do: Strophe Two (verses 3-4).
Further explaining why we should trust God, Strophe Three (verses 5-6), explains how we will feel if we trust Him.
GOD DELIVERS FROM ENEMIES – Stanza Two (verses 7-16):
In this Strophe One (verses 7-8), God will deal with the wicked.
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One way that God does provide help and deliverance for His people is through His angelic creation. This is the passage quoted by Satan in the temptations of Jesus: Strophe Three (verses 11-13).
God created angels, who are to glorify and serve Him, by serving God’s human creation (Hebrews 1:14). God has not revealed to us how angels are working on our behalf. My conviction is that God does not want us to know/see what angels are doing for us. He wants us to trust Him; let God take care of the angels.
“My” response to God is in Strophe Four (verses 14-16). In addition to trusting God (vs 2), we are to love God (vs 14) and we need to know His name.
How else do we respond? Verse 15… If we call upon God, that is, if we recognize that God is the only object of our trust and confidence and we do what He says to do, then God will answer us. He will be with us in times of trouble. He will rescue us and He will honor us!
Finally (verse 16), if we: trust, love, know, call upon Him, then He will “satisfy us with a long life and we will see the salvation that God provides.”
This is the “blessed assurance” that the psalmist discusses in Psalm 91. This was the psalm that Satan quoted to Jesus in His temptation. But Jesus quoted Scripture Himself, this time Deuteronomy 6:16: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Yes, God will provide for us; but we can’t put God into a box and expect Him to respond the way we desire when we desire. God doesn’t work that way.
We need to trust, love, know His name, and call on Him. In His faithfulness, He will: deliver, answer, be with us, rescue us, honor us, satisfy us, and cause us to see His salvation.
Rest in the shadow of God’s wings and find refuge from this sinful world.
–Paul Holland
