Thursday, January 24, 2013
Matthew 4:2-3 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
SATAN UNWITTINGLY TESTIFIES
Five hundred years before Christ was born, a Chinese general by the name of Sun Tzu wrote a book called "The Art of War". It became know as the definitive treatise concerning the subject. Much of what Sun Tzu relates boils down to this: set your priorities carefully and use common sense. For example, if a city poses no real threat, and will be of no great help if taken, Sun Tzu would counsel the wise general to march by that city and take the whole province instead.
As crafty and elusive as the Devil is, when he tempted Jesus out in the wilderness, he revealed his hand. He revealed that Jesus truly IS the Son of God, and the Savior that God had sent to rescue sinners from hell.
Why do I say this? Because Satan is a wise general. He doesn't waste his time paying special attention to those who pose no threat to him. He attacks with a purpose. If Jesus had been a faker, Satan would have happily let Him continue on without any resistance. But Satan knew better.
So Satan tried to use the truth against Jesus. Satan said, "Go ahead and prove that you are the Son of God," and then Satan offered different ways for Jesus to prove this truth. But here's the catch, the "proving deeds" that Satan suggested were sinful actions in one way or another. In this way, Satan wished to trick Jesus into sinning. ONE SIN would make it impossible for Jesus to offer Himself for us. Only a sinless sacrifice could be accepted by God.
Satan had to take this chance. But in doing so, he actually ended up testifying to the truth of Jesus' claim to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
