Matthew 4 Devotional

Tested and Found Faithful

“But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””Matthew 4:4 (BSB)

Right after the Father calls Jesus his beloved Son, the Spirit leads him into the wilderness to face the devil (4:1). After forty days without food he is hungry, and the tempter goes straight at his identity: if he really is God's Son, let him prove it (4:2-3, 4:6). Each temptation offers a shortcut. Turn stones into bread. Force God to show his care. Take every kingdom of the world in exchange for one act of worship (4:8-9).

Jesus answers every time from Deuteronomy, the book that reminded Israel of its forty years of testing in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). Where Israel faltered, God's Son trusts and obeys. Hebrews says he faced every kind of temptation we face and never sinned, so he understands our weakness (Hebrews 4:15). Then he goes to Galilee, where a light dawns on people sitting in darkness (4:16). When temptation presses on you, you do not face it alone. You can lean on the one who stood firm, and on the word he trusted.

To think about: What temptation keeps returning to you, and what word from God could you hold on to the next time it comes?