with the feeling of their infinnities. (Heb. iv. 15.) When they pour out their hearts before the throne of grace, and groan under the burden that daily harasses them, there is One making intercession who knows their sorrows. Let us take courage. The Lord Jesus is not an " austere man.'' He knows what we mean when we complain of temp- tation, and is both able and willing to give us help.
Let us mark thirdly, the exceeding subtlety of our great spirittml enemy, the devil. Three times we see him assaultiQg our Lord, and trjdng to draw Him into sin. Each assault shewed the hand of a master in the art of temptation. Each assault was the work of one acquainted by long experience with every weak point in human nature. Each deserves an attentive study.
Satan's first device was to persuade our Lord to distrust His Father's providential care. He comes to Him, when weak and exhausted with forty days hunger, and suggests to Him to work a miracle, in order to gratify a carnal appetite. Why should He wait any longer? Why should the Son of God sit still and starve ? Why not ** command this stone to become bread?"
Satan's second device was to persuade our Lord to grasp at worldly power by imlawful means. He takes Him to the top of a mountain and shows Him "all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time." All these he promises to give Him, if He will but " fall down and worship him." The concession was small. The promise was large. Why not by a little momentary act, obtain an enormous gain ?
Satan's last device was to persuade our Lord to an act of presumption. He takes Him to a pinnacle of the
LUKE, CHAP. IV. VER. 1 — 13. Ill
temple and suggests to Him to '^cast Himself down.'^ By so doing he would give public proof that He was one sent by God. In so doing He might even depend on being kept from harm. Was there not a text of Scripture, which specially applied to the Son of God, in such a position P Was it not written that "angels should bear HimupP"
On each of these three temptations it would be easy to write much. Let it be sufficient to remind ourselves, that we see in them the three favourite weapons of the devil. Unbelief, worldliness, and presimiption are three grand engines which he is ever working against the soul of man, and by which he is ever enticing him to do what God forbids, and to run into sin. Let us remember this, and be on our guard. The acts that Satan suggests to us to do, are often in appearance . trifling and unimportant. But the principle involved in each of these little acts, we may be sure, is nothing short of rebellion against God. ►Let us not be ignorant of Satan's devices.
Let us mark lastly, the manner in which our Lord resisted Satan's temptations. Three times we see Him foiling and baffling the great enemy who assaulted Him. He does not yield a hair's breadth to him. He does not give him a moment's advantage. Three times we see Him using the same weapon, in reply to his temptations ; — " the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephes. vi. 17.) He who was " fuU of the Holy Ghost," was yet not ashamed to make the Holy Scripture His weapon of defence, and His rule of action.
Let us learn from this single fact, if we learn nothing else from this wondrous history, the high authority of
112 EXPOsrrosT thottohts.
the Bible, and tlie immense yalue of a knowledge of its contents. Let ns read it, search into it, pray over it, diligently, perseveringly, nnweariedly. Let ns strive to be so thoroughly acquainted with its pages, that its texts may abide in our memories, and stand ready at our right hand in the day of need. Let us be able to appeal from every perversion and false interpretation of its meaning, to those thousand plain passages, which are written as it were witii a sunbeam. The Bible is indeed a sword, but we must take heed that we know it well, if we would use it with effect.
Notes. Ltjkb IV. 1 — 13.
1. — [Led by the Spirit.] The word translated "led," is the same that we find in Bom. viii. 14, Gal. v. 18, applied to the infiaence of the Holy Ghost on the hearts of heUevers. Our Lord, he it noted, did not seek conflict with the devil, hut was " led " to it
[the wilderness.'] We are not told where this wilderness was. Some have conjectured that it was the wilderness near Sinai, through which Israel journeyed. Hiere seems no foundation for this idea. It is more prohahle that it was that uninhahited part of JudsBa where John the Baptist's ministry hegan.
2. — [forty days tempted of the devil.] This part of our Lord's temptation, we may suppose, was mental and spiritual. The length of time mentioned is the same as that recorded in the history of the fast of Moses and Elijah.
3. — [The devil said.] It is plain that Satan now appeared to our Lord in a visihle form. In what form we are not told. Some have supposed that he appeared as an angel of light ; some that he came as an aged hermit, or as a Scrihe or Pharisee. All this is mere conjecture. We need not douht that he, who appeared to Eve in the form of a serpent, chose that form, which was most likely to serve his purpose, in appearing to our Lord.
The question has often heen asked, whether the whole temp- tation of our Lord was a real thing or only a vision. That it was a real temptation appears clear from every expression in the history of it. Curious speculations have heen raised as to the manner in which our Lord was taken to "the top of a mountain," and hrought to "the pinnacle of the temple." These are matters which we cannot explain. Let it suffice us to helieve that the circumstances related, reajly, literally, and actually took place.
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