Galen Mason

Notes on Marriage

Genesis Two – Notes on Marriage

Lots of wedding ceremonies refer back to the story of Adam and Eve, specifically to Genesis 2:24-25. God had previously stated (in 2:18) that “It is not good for the man to be alone,” and spoke of His intention to make a helper for Adam. Then, Adam was given the task of naming the animals, and perhaps in the process of doing that he had been searching for that “helper” that God had mentioned. However, verse 20 states, “… for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.”

The Scripture continues, “So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept …” (a divine anesthetic prior to the world’s first surgery?) “… then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man” (2:21-22).

Adam’s response was remarkable! (Much as is that of a groom when his bride appears at the back of the sanctuary, beautiful in her wedding gown, and escorted in on the arm of her father!) “The man said,

‘This is now bone of my bones,

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.’” (2:23)

Adam was excited, to say the least!

The importance of the words in the next two verses can hardly be questioned! Let’s consider four foundations for marriage contained in those two verses (2:24-25). “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

Let me note that Adam and Eve obviously did not have earthly parents, so these concepts are mentioned here because they became the norm for all succeeding generations.

The first foundation is found in the word “leave”. When a wedding occurs, there is a change in relationship between the ones being married and their parents. The husband is the one addressed here, but obviously both marriage partners will experience the same change. Prior to this, they have lived in the homes of their own parents and family. Now, as they begin a new family, things change! The word used in Scripture is “leave”, “… a man shall leave his father and his mother …”.

Children, throughout childhood, are taught to be under their parents’ authority and to obey them. Now, as they “leave” them, a change of relationship occurs. However, they are still called upon by Scripture to “honor” their parents, but their relationship has changed. In marriage, the primary person in the life of both husband and wife is to be their partner.

The second foundation is found in the next words, “… cleave unto his wife …” (KJV) or “… be united to his wife …” I like the word “cleave” because it means to stick like glue; marriage is to be a permanent relationship! I mentioned in my previous post the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:6 after He quoted these verses from Genesis, “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Which brings up the third foundation, “… they shall become one flesh.” A major characteristic of marriage is to be oneness, unity, or “one flesh”! Let me offer a quote concerning this idea of oneness: “The one flesh in marriage is not just a physical phenomenon, but a uniting of the totality of two personalities. In marriage, we are one flesh by vow, economically by sharing, logistically by adjusting time and agreeing on the disbursement of all life’s resources, experientially by trudging through the dark valleys and standing victoriously on the peaks of success, and sexually by the bonding of our bodies.” [Louis H. Evans, Jr., Hebrews: The Communicator’s Commentary Series (Waco, Tex.: Word Publishing, 1985), p. 243.]

So, the “one flesh” concept is larger than we might first expect. Most of us only grow to understand it as we share our lives together in the living out of our wedding vows! I will come back to this in a moment.

The fourth foundational concept is from Genesis 2:25, “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” There is to be, in the marriage relationship, an openness, a transparency, a “nakedness” that includes but is far more than physical! There is to be a communication that is characterized by unconditional love, respect, and acceptance! This can only be developed over time; it’s not a magical change that occurs on your wedding day! But it’s worth the effort; just wait and see! Let me also say, and emphasize, that “physical” nakedness is only to occur within the marriage relationship!

Before I conclude this article, I want to go back to the “one flesh” idea. Notice that for Adam and Eve, their first connection was with God, the heavenly Father! This is a “spiritual” relationship, and before the possibility of a wedding is even discussed, the man and the woman need to ensure that they are both on the same (or very similar) “spiritual” foundation. Spiritual oneness must always come first!

Then, if there is a spiritual oneness, consider what we might call “soul” oneness (as in the term “soul-mate”)! How do the two of you fit together in your thinking and how well do your personalities connect? Usually opposites attract, so I’m not talking about being alike, but how well do you really like each other? How well do you enjoy this person you are falling in love with? How deep is your love for one another? Are you really “friends”? Keep the order correct; first is “spiritual” oneness, then “soul” oneness. Love God first, then you’ll be able to love your mate!

Again, make sure your “spiritual” beliefs and your relationships to God are in agreement; both of you need to be “Christians” (saved, born again) and in agreement on the church denomination you will attend and raise your children in! Then, make certain that your life styles, your personalities, and your values agree enough, and that you discover you are truly “soul mates”! In addition, make sure you’ve had sufficient time to develop your love for one another! Only then should you consider marriage.

The last part of the “one flesh” relationship, the physical sexual part, should occur only after the wedding! Only then will the “one flesh” relationship be appropriate and blessed by God! Remember to get it right, “spirit, soul, body” – in that order!

Marriage is God’s idea and if we will follow His plan, married life will be wonderful! And, I might add, will grow more wonderful as you share your lives over the course of years!

A Few Notes on Genesis One and Two

Have you ever noticed God’s first recorded words to Adam and Eve, the newly created man and woman? There is, I think, a very important message here! These are not His first spoken words to them but the ones we first encounter as we read through the first two chapters of the Bible. Let’s read them in context.

First of all, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). This is, of course, a summary statement; Genesis chapter two gives more details about their creation as we will see in a moment.

In the very next verse (Genesis 1:28) God speaks directly to them His first recorded words spoken to this man and woman. “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

Don’t miss those first words that God spoke to them! “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth …”! God declared in these words His intention for this man and woman, this first husband and wife, to have a family! They were to “multiply” – to have children who would also develop into families and have children, who would then marry and have children as they became families, and so on – until they filled the earth!

Thus, from God’s very first words to Adam and Eve, He spoke of family; He revealed His perfect plan for humanity to enjoy the blessings of marriage and families!

Then, in the second chapter, beginning in Genesis 2:7, we begin to get more details of God’s creation of this first man, Adam, and then later in the chapter, of His creation of Eve, the first woman! Notice that God did not simply speak Adam into existence; He took more time, being careful in this creation. “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (a living soul).”

There appear in this context words that God spoke to Adam before the creation of Eve (which is why I said earlier that the words in Genesis 1:28 were the first “recorded” words that God spoke to humans). Of course, nearly all of us remember this command, given after God placed him in the Garden of Eden and gave him his job description. Notice Genesis 2:15, “Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” Then, the famous command of Genesis 2:16-17, “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.’” It seems that it would be Adam’s responsibility to pass that command on to Eve after God brought her to him.

However, before He created Eve, God made a profound statement (although it is common sense to most of us now); “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen 2:18)! God then stated His intention to “make him a helper suitable for him.” God helps Adam to also recognize his need for a helper by presenting all the animals to Adam (probably in pairs, male and female; I’m just guessing). God allows Adam to give names to the animals, but the conclusion is clear, “… but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him” (Gen 2:20). Ah, now Adam sees the need as well!

“So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man and brought her to the man” (Gen 2:21-22). The man then makes a poetic declaration,

“This is now bone of my bones,

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.” (Gen. 2:23)

(Adam may have won her heart right there; women love poetry! Just saying.)

Bringing this section of Scripture to a close, the concluding statement of the Scripture writer was certainly inspired by God (as was all other Scripture, of course). “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:24-25).

I find it interesting (and important!) that Jesus quoted these verses when asked about divorce in Matthew 19. He responded with a question, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6).

(Note: The reason for the capital letters in that quote are because the NASB writes Old Testament quotations in the New Testament with capital letters.)

According to the Scripture itself from Genesis and from the words of Jesus, we find that marriage consists of one man and one woman and that when God joins them together in holy matrimony, the two become one flesh! Thus began God’s plan for marriage and family! And I say, “Hooray!”

(I have more to say about that “oneness” but will save it for another blog.)

Genesis One

In the Beginning July 9, 2024

The place to begin is usually “In the beginning.” It’s there that the Bible begins. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). So, there you have it – everything begins with God! The remainder of chapter one relates the process and order of creation.

The entire natural realm came into existence from the decision of God; He simply “created” everything! Well, not “simply” by our idea of simplicity; the created world, in fact the entire universe, is far more complex than scientists, philosophers, and theologians have as yet discovered! But let’s back up and see clearly this one fact, that everything begins with “God”!

Considering everything that the designer and creator has placed within this natural realm, as far as we know only humans have the ability to know, to realize, that there is a Creator who exists in a realm beyond the natural realm. All the rest of the creation simply exists without any thought or knowledge of the creator – this One to whom we owe our very existence! Since we have the capacity to recognize this truth, how are we to respond? That is perhaps the most important question we should attempt to answer today.

The first chapter of the first book of the Bible begins here with this first truth – that God exists and He is the Creator! God creates and His own character is reflected in the creation; we see order and beauty, simplicity and complexity. Also built into the creation is the ability to continue; all that is living, both plant and animal life, has the ability to sustain itself and to reproduce, to continue! Plants have seeds that reproduce “after their kind.” All the various sorts of animal life reproduce and multiply “after their kind” (Genesis 1:11, 21).

Then, standing back and considering the wonder of this natural realm, from the largest and the most distant of the stars, to the smallest of the plants, even to the tiniest of atoms, God evaluates it all as “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

We only learn in the New Testament that Jesus Himself was fully involved in the process of creation. One example of this truth is stated in Hebrews 1:1-3, “God … in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” So, we see clearly that the natural realm was originally created by God with the participation of Jesus Christ, and is still being upheld and sustained by His protective power and care!

It ought to be encouraging to think that of all that the Lord created, only one of His creations is said to have been made “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26-27). Us! Humanity! Mankind! Only one creature was appointed to bear the “image” of God and to apparently be His representative in the natural realm. We have been delegated a limited authority to “rule over” the rest of creation. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them!”

As the narrative continues, these humans are frequently in conversation with God, being spoken to and speaking back to Him! Don’t miss that point! He speaks to us, and we are to hear Him; we speak to Him and He hears us! [Later, we’ll discuss just how it is that He is speaking to us today.]

Just these few simple thoughts should convince us that we have a responsibility to God for how we respond to Him and to His plans for us. As the One who has the ability to simply speak the worlds into existence, the fact that He is concerned about us at all is amazing and intimidating. Think of it this way, “I owe Him my very existence; I am therefore accountable to Him!” What an amazing, wonderful, creative, and joyful God He is! I am newly motivated to learn more of Him and more of His plans for me.

work out your own salvation

The words were right there; I stared at them and read them again. Seemed like they were in bold print, “… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” I felt like God was talking to me!

I was young, maybe ten or eleven years old, when that phrase from the Bible grabbed my attention. I didn’t get the real meaning for a while; I didn’t even see the rest of Philippians chapter two, just that part of verse twelve. I read the words “work out” as a challenge, like a math problem, and thought I needed to figure it out, to work out the real meaning of salvation, to understand it! So, not even realizing the importance of that decision, I started on my own personal life-time journey to figure it out! At that young age, I know now that my attempt was shallow, and my understanding was immature, and I know that I’ve stumbled many times along the way, but that really was the first “big” decision of my spiritual journey. No matter how young you are or how old you are, God will come to you and speak to you on your own level; He will meet you right where you are!

That verse became a rule to guide me as I tried to learn and understand everything I could about God and what it means to be a Christian. Instead of just doing what I was told or believing what someone else told me to believe, I decided that God wanted me to figure things out for myself. I wanted to know for myself what I believed and why I believed it! I wanted to learn for myself what the Bible said and what it really means. I wanted God’s Word to work its way into every part of my life so that I could actually live as a Christian in every part of my life to the very best of my ability. I was very serious when I asked God to help me “work out my own salvation”! And nearly sixty years later, I am still trying, still learning, still attempting to actually work out in real life the things I learn!

Desperate to Know the Ways of God

Great desperation filled his voice as Moses bowed low before God, as he cried out for mercy! So much had happened, yet he knew he was incapable of dealing with what was yet to come. Inside this “tent of meeting” (Ex 33:9) God was speaking, “Depart, go up from here … I will send an angel before you … for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way” (Ex 33:1-3). Afraid to attempt the impossible without God’s presence, Moses cried out for mercy!

Through the series of dreadful miracles (the ten “plagues” that had fallen on Egypt), through the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea on dry ground, through the daily giving of the miracle food “manna” and finally through the hearing of the Voice of God from the mountain top, the nation had come from Egyptian slavery to the barren wilderness! Into the very presence of God Himself, at the base of Mount Sinai.

Having heard the Ten Commands from God Himself, the people had then watched Moses climb upward and disappear into the cloudy heights of God’s Presence. And they had waited for his return. And waited. And after many days he had not returned.

So, without a prophet and without a tangible god that they could see and touch, in fear and disobedience they reverted to the days of Egypt, making for themselves a god, a golden calf, an idol. Even though the Second of the Ten Commands had forbidden idols! “So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play” (Ex 32:6). But there was no peace. Far above, on the mountain top, the Lord saw. “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, ‘Go down at once, for your people … have corrupted themselves’” (Ex 32:7).

What happened next is difficult to know. God was seemingly ready to destroy them all, but Moses cried out, interceded, entreated God, prayed for His mercy, and reminded God of His past promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the ancestors of these disobedient people. And equally hard to explain, “… the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Ex 32:14)! Moses ran down the mountain with the two stone tablets on which God had engraved His Law, the Ten Commands, and “… as soon as Moses came near the camp … he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain,” (Ex 32:19). The Law had already been broken and now the Tablets of the written Law were shattered. Moses ground the golden calf to powder, scattered it on the water and the people were made to drink it. Further judgement came and people died, slaughtered. Finally, an exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed Moses turned back to the Lord. As he desperately prayed for these people, Moses even begged that if God would not forgive their sin, then God should “… blot me out from Your book which You have written!” (Ex 32:32).

And so, God had stated, “… I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way” (Ex 33:4). Then, in desperation, Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me.” Further, Moses reminded the Lord that He had said to Moses, “I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight” (Ex 33:12). Moses is confused, frustrated, and hurt, but he quickly gets to the heart of the issue, “Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You …” (Ex 33:13)!

Ah, there it is, the need of Moses, the nation of Israel, both your need and mine! If Moses, who by this time we think should have known God and His ways better than anyone, this Moses to whom God spoke “… face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex 33:11), if Moses prayed this prayer, then certainly you and I need to pray it unto God! We need to know God! And therefore, as the first and most obvious way to know Him, we must learn His ways! We must pray, “Lord, let me know Your ways that I may know You.”

What is WRONG with people?

I offer here ten possible reasons for what is wrong with our world:

10. Discontented, we look around at what we don’t have – possessions, pleasure, power, stuff of all kinds – and we desire them! Not content with what we have or what we can earn on our own, we start wanting what other people have, or what we imagine that other people have, or what the many forms of advertisements say we need to have. We are discontented.

9. When people don’t respect the very concept of truth, the result will be lies and deception. Unhappy with the way things are, we lie to convince ourselves that things are or that they ought to be the way we want them to be! Or we lie to make others think something is true that isn’t. Unhappy with what is, we deceive.

8. Having no respect for what others possess, our discontent coupled with dishonesty and a lack of respect for others, we become thieves! Why should they have what I don’t?

7. Without respect for marriage or our marriage partner, or the marriage partner of another, we imagine that we aren’t loved and seek the love of another. Due to a lack of love and a lack of respect for ourselves or anyone else, we cheat sexually. People look at others as potential partners who can meet their needs. Needs that we think we have, that our husbands or wives aren’t meeting. And with the sexual boundaries lowered or removed in the society that surrounds us, we give ourselves and others permission to commit adultery, or have sexual relations in many other ways that should be off limits. Once the sexual boundaries have been removed, there will be no limits to which people will not go seeking fulfillment, or love, or simply pleasure.

6. Disrespect for life, our own lives and the lives of others, will result in anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred, and grudges. In turn, these emotions will produce conflict and violence. Then, murder or attempted murder, or random violence and the killing of innocent people, the shedding of innocent blood.

5. Disrespect for the family – not only for parents, but for children, and for the very idea of marriage – will result in broken hearts, broken homes, more anger, rebellion, and more violence.

Note: All of the above listed problems have to do with the way people treat one another. All are motivated ultimately by a lack of love and respect for other people or for ourselves. This lack of love and respect for people is really the result of a lack of love and respect for the One who created us. The next four reasons for the unacceptable situation of our world actually precede those already named.

4. Disrespect for the one day a week that God gave us for rest and for worship, His day, will cause us to treat all days alike and will result in life becoming overly stressed and too full of too many things, too many activities. Such busyness will not allow our bodies the rest they need; our minds and emotions will not rest. Disrespect for the Lord’s day will keep our minds away from any thoughts about God.

3. Disrespect for the reality of God, for the name of God, for God Himself, will result in disrespect for one another. Disrespect for God will also result in crude vocabularies, referring to God in unacceptable ways. There will also be disrespect for the people who claim to be God’s people, much of which is deserved because we have taken the name of God, calling ourselves “Christian” but not living as Christ taught us, many not even trying to live worthy of God!

2. Instead, we make “idols” of many things. We serve ideas, or possessions, or pleasures, or people, or more likely we simply worship and serve ourselves. People become their own gods.

1. Finally, the most basic cause of all that is WRONG in our world today, is simply that people refuse to submit to the God who created the universe that we live in. He has given us guidelines that, if followed, would make life better, would make the world a better place, would create a safer environment for our children, a more enjoyable and fulfilling existence for us all. Acknowledging God and being grateful to Him for all He has given us, including the gift of salvation, is the place to begin.

For background, read Exodus 20:1-17.

Temptation Three

Consider the third temptation of Jesus. (Concerning the first two temptations, I refer you to a couple of my previous posts.) “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:8-9).

Understand that Jesus had come to earth to establish a kingdom! John the Baptist had already begun the work; his message was clear, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). So, it appears that the devil was offering Jesus an easy way to accomplish the mission! Jesus simply had to submit to him, to accept the ways of the world, to follow the plan of Satan, the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). The Kingdom would quickly become a world wide kingdom! Mission accomplished!

Hmmm. Aren’t many churches today giving in to this same temptation? Trying to build God’s church by using the proven and effective methods of the world?!! This “worship” that Satan was asking Jesus to give him was not to sing songs of praise to Satan or to honor him as “god” – NO! All Jesus would have to do was simply “bow the knee” to Satan, to use the methods of the world system! Listen carefully, the temptation was to use the world’s methods to accomplish God’s goals.

Let’s make this personal for a moment. Do you primarily use the world’s system to reach your own goals – personal, financial, business, educational, family? Or do you search the Word of God for His plan, His way, His priorities, His methods for all the areas in your life? Just asking.

Jesus quickly saw through the lie, the deception, and commanded, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY’” (Mt. 4:10). The Kingdom that Jesus came to establish was not an earthly kingdom but a heavenly kingdom! It could never be gained by using the world system, not by a compromise with the devil! Notice the command that Jesus quoted; the words “worship” and “serve” are both included! You will serve that which you worship and worship that which you serve. Perhaps, again, a little personal inventory is appropriate here.

The foundations of the ministry of Jesus were tested and established in those days of fasting, prayer, and temptation. Would His focus be on His personal needs? Would He expect God to protect Him even if He were not obedient to all the ways of God? Would He rely on the spectacular to draw the crowds and the methods of the world system to establish His kingdom? Or would He focus on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, seeking to keep all of His ways in agreement with the ways of God, and trusting God to show Him what to do and when to do it? I encourage you to read those first eleven verses of Matthew four again and put yourself in the place of temptation.

Another quote to consider might be 1 John 2:15-17. “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (NASB)

What if …

What if we lived in a world as God originally intended it to be? What would such a world be like? What would our lives be like? Is it even possible to know? When God completed the original creation, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). What if it had stayed that way? How would God want us to be living our day by day lives in that perfect world?

But even living in the world as it is today, what if we could know how God wants us to be living? In every area of life?

After the Fall, after sin came into this world, since that time, everything God has done seems to have been motivated by His intention to restore us, to restore the original creation, to “redeem” us from the results of sin. He desires to restore us to a right and good relationship to Himself! That’s why He chose Abraham and his descendants, why He gave the nation of Israel the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament Law! That’s why He sent prophets! That’s why He sent Jesus to die on the cross and open the way for us to be restored! For our sins to be forgiven and overcome! To set us free from slavery to sin! That’s why Jesus promised to return! That’s why God sent the Holy Spirit, why He has offered to us the reality of being “born again”!

And at the end of all things as we know it, we are promised a new earth and a new society perfectly in line with God’s original intentions, a society of God’s own making and design, perfect in every way! And what’s more, you and I, all of us, have been provided an opportunity to live there forever! Hip, hip, hooray! And Hallelujah!

But until then, how are we supposed to live? How are we to relate to God, to ourselves, to the people around us, to the world as it is? What are we supposed to be doing? Do we know? Can we know? What if God wanted to tell us, to show us, to help us know the way He intends for us to be living day by day, now, in the world as it is? What if He wanted to tell us the proper way for us to conduct ourselves in every area of life? How would He tell us, show us; how would He go about making us know the way we ought to be living?

I’d suggest there are as least three ways He might do it. First, He could put within our human nature some sort of inclination toward Him, a tendency or inner knowledge of the way He has planned for us to live. Secondly, maybe He could simply come into our world as one of us, to show us personally what He wants us to know and do. He could demonstrate the way; He could actually be the “way” He has designed for us to live. And thirdly, He could have it all written down, so that His words could be read, discussed, studied, and translated into every language! Then everyone could have these words, this book from God. That book could be printed and passed on to each succeeding generation! His words would be applicable to every culture and every society and for every time period until the end of time, until His ultimate and final plan is completed and the new earth and heavens are brought into existence! What if!

Just so you know, God has done all three of those things! We have no real excuse for not living the way He wants us to…

Temptation Two

Temptation # 1 was discussed in the previous post; after forty days of fasting, in a time of physical weakness Jesus was tempted by Satan. “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Mt 4:3). Would He use the power of God in a self-centered way, to meet His own physical needs? (The need was real!) Jesus properly rejected the tempter’s suggestion with a scriptural quote, “MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD” (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3). What about us? Where do we focus when we’re at our weakest point? On ourselves, our needs, or do we turn to God and His Word so that He can meet our real needs and show us His plan?

Temptation # 2: Satan seemed to think that if Jesus could use Scripture, then so could he. So, he took Jesus into the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle (the highest point) of the temple, and then suggested that He throw Himself down. To land safely after such a fall would quickly gain people’s attention! And give Jesus opportunity to declare that the Kingdom of God had come! To support his suggestion Satan reminded Jesus of God’s promise in Psalm 91:11-12; “HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU … ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE” (Matt 4:5-6). Hmmm … makes sense … but, wait!

The problem here is the same one as we find in Genesis 3; the serpent (Satan) is speaking to Eve, questioning the words of God, and even questioning God’s good intention. Pay attention here; Satan will always question, misquote, or twist the meanings of God’s words! Remember? “Indeed, has God said …?” (Gen. 3:1).

Look more closely at Satan’s quotation of Psalm 91:11-12; if you look it up, you’ll notice that between the two promises, he left out a part, “To guard you in all your ways.” May not sound important at first, but God’s promise to send His angels to guard you and to protect you is connected to the phrase “in all your ways.” The condition of all the amazing promises found in Psalm 91 can be found in the first verse, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” So, here’s the question for Jesus, if He leaps from the pinnacle of the Temple will He still be dwelling in the shelter of God and in the shadow of the Almighty? Is this “way” of announcing the Kingdom in agreement with God’s “ways”? It’s a good question for you and me, too. What about our ways? Are all of our ways in agreement with God’s ways?

Consider Psalm 25:4, “Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.” We can’t just pick and choose when or how we want to apply or to claim a promise of God! Only as we know God’s ways and walk according to His paths (to the best of our ability and with the help of the Holy Spirit) can we expect God to keep His promise of protection! He’s not being hard to get along with; He just wants to keep us safe! And will as we walk in His ways!

Back to the temptation, Jesus again recognizes the devil’s faulty reasoning and answers with another quote, reminding Satan that it was also written, “YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST” (Mt 4:7, Deut 6:16). To leap from the roof of the Temple without God’s approval would be to put God to the test, attempting to force God to act! And when we choose to follow our own “ways” (or choose to follow Satan’s “ways”) we will disqualify ourselves from expecting God’s protection! Perhaps a little self-evaluation is needed.

Temptation One

Jesus didn’t begin preaching until after His time of fasting and temptation, but when He did, His message was the same as John the Baptist had proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4:17). The word “kingdom” will become a primary subject all through Matthew’s gospel, in fact, throughout the entire New Testament! The establishment of God’s kingdom on earth was a primary goal of Jesus’ earthly ministry and would certainly have been a part of the prayers of Jesus during the forty days of fasting. The foundation of God’s kingdom would have to be built very strong. The temptations that Jesus faced also indicate the foundations for His ministry – and are applicable for us as well as for Him!

Notice Matthew 4:2, “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.” Let us remember that Jesus, although He was the Son of God, was also entirely human as well; hunger and physical weakness affected Him as much as it does us. As usual, the “tempter” came at this time of weakness. What form Satan took, we aren’t told. He could have appeared as a man or simply put the thought into the mind of Jesus, but the idea is stated in this way, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Mt 4:3). The focus of the temptation was to use the power of God to provide for His own physical need – stones to bread! Perhaps in His weakened state, the stones appeared about the size and shape of the biscuits that Mary often had cooked for breakfast! (Well, maybe!) The question is this, would Jesus focus on His own needs? (I think maybe our temptations often appear in similar form, being offered a way to get our own “needs” met by a method that isn’t approved of by God!)

Jesus quickly saw through the suggestion and declared what was for Him (and should be for us) the number one foundation in dealing with temptations, with life, with physical needs, in fact in dealing with everything! Listen to Jesus, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD’” (Mt. 4:4). The quote is from Deuteronomy 8:3, written by Moses, and also dealt with God-provided bread, called “manna”! (Go back and read it!) The point is this – your need for physical nourishment is not as important as your need for spiritual nourishment! Focus on the things of God, follow His plan – His word – and He will provide for all of your needs! As God provided manna for the nation of Israel for forty years in the wilderness by way of miraculous bread, God would certainly take care of providing Jesus with physical nourishment on that day! And, He will certainly take care of us!

But the question comes to us, are we (you and me) taking nourishment from God’s Word on a daily basis? Are we listening to “every word” that proceeds from Him? (Or are you trying to exist on a Sunday snack once in a while? – Just asking!) Listen, here is the first foundation of a life that pleases God – looking to Him and His Word! Start there! Quit focusing so much on what you “need” and start feeding yourself from the Bible! Most of our problems begin here; we’re not really looking to God, listening for His voice in the words of Scripture! If you’re going to survive spiritually as well as physically, you’ve got to read the Bible and listen for God’s voice, His words! And talk to Him, He can hear you, even your thoughts! Be honest, He knows what you’re thinking and feeling anyway! Then, go to church! Find a Bible believing church, find a church home, become part of a church family! You need God and His people! Together, we’ll live in His kingdom!

Well, what are you waiting for?