Following after Jesus #25

We are looking at Matthew's account of the temptation of Christ by Satan in the wilderness: 

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

God's Word is full of promises to care for His people.  This promise from Psalm 91 was a favorite of God's people. Satan wanted Jesus, and he wants us, to question God's care, and he makes it into a dare: Make God prove that He loves you. Forget everything He has done for you to this point; look all around you right now and find everything wrong. He wants us to test God instead of trust God, to doubt both His goodness and His greatness. In all of this, Satan's hope is that we will not only forget how much God loves and cares for us, but we will ignore His commandments and disobey them to accept some substitute for Him.  Not only is God Himself good and wanting what is best for us; His commandments are for our good.  Whenever we begin to think or act otherwise, you can be sure the tempter is at work. Just say no.