Never Accept Satan’s Dare, September 5
Never Accept Satan’s Dare, September 5
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Matthew 4:7.
Let all remember how adroitly and cunningly did Satan command Christ to cast Himself from the Temple, quoting scripture to show Him that it was the very thing for Him to do, for in this way He could give evidence to all the people that He was what He claimed to be. “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone” (verse 6).
In quoting the scripture Satan left out a very important point, ... “to keep thee in all thy ways” (Psalm 91:11). In consenting to do Satan’s bidding, Christ would be venturing into Satan’s ways, not in ways that God had devised for His Son. That was a dare, and Satan’s agents are full of presumptuous dares to get a chance to work his will with those who will accept his dare. But Christ would not accept the dare of Satan. Christ would not enter into controversy with the arch deceiver and tempter. He said, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” ...
Angels, as ministering spirits, are in the path where duty calls the heirs of salvation to travel, and God will protect them from all evil. But when Satan marked out a path of his own, ... Christ had no right to walk in that way. He was to keep His feet in the path which the Lord had marked out. Thus Christ in His humanity gave an example of what man should do when tempted by Satan’s suggestions.
We are ... never to accept a dare to prove the truth to men who are inspired by Satan to make proposals that God has not originated; for in this way Satan would lead us to step out of the path of God’s providence and place ourselves in a position where we might be worsted by the enemy, and be overcome to our own hurt and to the injury of the cause of God.
Our only safety every day and every hour is to be on watch. We cannot become indolent and careless. I tell you that God would have His people to be ever on guard. [256]