Temptation, Trials and Tests Matthew 6:13. Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation [tests, trials], but deliver us from evil.

Transcription

1 Temptation, Trials and Tests Matthew 6:13 Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation [tests, trials], but deliver us from evil. In verse 12, we are taught to pray, forgive us our debts or sins; here we are taught to pray, lead us not into temptation or sins. Verse 13 is an expansion on verse 12. We need forgiveness from sin; we also need deliverance from sin. From Adam (Genesis 2:17), to Job (Job 1:12), to Abraham (Genesis 22:1), to the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 8:2), to Jesus (Luke 22:42), testing and trial have been the normal course of life. From day one, it seems that it has been God s intent to test the mettle of his creation by means of trials. So we might ask, why should one pray not to be led into peirasmos [temptation, trial, testing] when it is apparently God s will that we should suffer it, and when benefits become available through it? 1 It is because it is not God s will that we suffer often, in fact for the child of God it is often God s intention that temptation (trails, tests) be limited as much as possible. But although God s intention is that trials be limited in quantity, this does not change the quality of these temptation. So, we see in the great saints of the Old Testament the quality or difficulty of their trials was severe. That is still our lot. But a loving God still seeks to limit them. Trials, test come from God and the temptations are there because God allows them. So, on the one hand, we see here and in other places in the Gospels, Jesus asking people to pray that they may not enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; Luke 22:40, 46)--minimizing temptation appears to be important to Jesus. On the other hand, we learn from Job that it is God, the sovereign of the universe who is the ultimate cause of temptation. Without his permission, it does not happen; but with his permission, it can be limited. temptation [test, trial] 2 One of the first things we might note is that temptation, trial or test, are all possible translations in this word, but in the light of James the only options in this verse are trial or test for he himself tempts no one. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. (James 1:13 14, ESV) When God is the agent, peirasmós [temptation, test, trial] is for the purpose of proving someone, never for the purpose of causing him to fall. If it is the devil who tempts, then it is for the purpose of causing one to fall. 3 It seems that every trial by God is a temptation by Satan. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the 1 The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (electronic edition.; Garland, TX: Galaxie Software, 1998). 2 πειρασμός to make trial of, try, tempt. Trial, temptation, a putting to the test, spoken of persons only. Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers. 3 Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

2 tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. (Matthew 4:1 3, ESV) For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:18, ESV) The Joy of Trials But before we go further, let s look at a comment by James, Jesus half-brother, and a commentator on the Sermon on the Mount. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, (James 1:2, ESV) Having read this, the first question might be, why would one pray that he not be led into testing or trials if in fact the trials were all joy? Of course, I ve somewhat misquoted the passage in James. It actually says, count it all joy not that it is all joy. Count means to consider it to be so; it does not mean that it actually is so; that is an important point. But, let s also look at the phrase all joy. A better translation would be consider it a genuine joy. James does not, then, suggests that Christians facing trials will have no response other than joy, as if we were commanded never to be saddened by difficulties. His point, rather, is that trials should be an occasion for genuine rejoicing. 4 So, we are to consider or reckon the trials to be a cause for genuine rejoicing in the midst of the many other emotions that may also be present. And we do that why? It is not because the testing itself is joyous, but because of the outcome of that testing is joyous. for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:3 4, ESV) So, when it comes, we consider the great benefit it provides, but in the mean time we still pray lead is not into temptation [trials, testing]. This brings us to an interesting point, Jesus allows us to pray that testing might be minimized in our lives but this is a privilege not granted to the lost. Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41, ESV) then the Lord knows how to rescue [deliver] the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, (2 Peter 2:9, ESV) Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:10, ESV) We will not avoid all testing, but as children of God, unlike the world, we can pray that those tests be limited. 4 Ralph E. Bass Jr., The Book of James (Living Hope Press, Greenville, SC, 2011).

3 deliver us 5 Deliver us could mean either, on the one hand, spare us from, preserve us against or, on the other hand, deliver us out of, save us from. 6 We find this word, deliver, in two other interesting verses. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, I am the Son of God. (Matthew 27:43, ESV) Here in Matthew 27 Jesus is mocked because his father does not deliver him from the cross. But it is only because he refused deliverance then that we can ask for deliverance now. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob ; (Romans 11:26, ESV) In Romans 11 Jesus is identified as the Deliverer. So, Jesus refused deliverance at the cross that he might become the Deliverer in our lives. Because he refused deliverance at Calvary, we can pray to him and ask the Deliverer to deliver us from evil. And in fact, he has begun this work of deliverance and will continue it till that day when we finally reach heavens portal. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, (Colossians 1:13, ESV) The Lord will rescue (deliver) me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18, ESV) But in what sense was Paul, the one who wrote these statements, rescued or delivered from every evil deed? In fact, he was murdered by Nero. But, for Paul the key element in rescue is not physical but spiritual and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. For Paul this was deliverance par excellence. You and I will not be delivered from every threat or medical condition, we will be delivered from sin, the flesh and the devil. We will be rescued and brought safely into his heavenly kingdom. from evil 7 [or the evil one 8 ] The gender of this word could be either masculine or neuter. If neuter, then the translation would be the evil thing or the generic sense of 5 ῥύομαι to rescue from danger, with the implication that the danger in question is severe and acute to rescue, to deliver. Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, pp ). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 7 πονηρός labor, sorrow, pain. Evil in a moral or spiritual sense, wicked, malicious, mischievous. Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000). 8 The question has been raised whether at the end of the Lord s prayer in ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ (Mt 6:13) the words ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ are to be understood as referring to «evil» or to a personal «evil one» (the devil). Various reasons in favour of the latter sense are given by J. -B. BAUER in Verb. Dom. 34, 1956, 12 15, and one of them is the use of the preposition ἀπό instead of ἐκ after ῥύεσθαι, which is predominantly used with ἐκ when the reference is to deliverance from non-personal evils, and with ἀπό when the reference is to personal foes. In the NT (leaving out of consideration the text at present in question) ἀπό is twice found with a personal object and once with a non-personal one, while ἐκ is never found with a person but seven times with things. This is confirmed

4 evil. If masculine, then the translation would be evil one. Most scholars favor the neuter with generic evil as the idea. Some prefer the masculine with Satan as the one addressed. The preposition used may be the key to deciding. Deliver us can take either the preposition ek ( from ) or apo ( from ), the former always introducing things from which to be delivered, the latter being used predominantly of persons. 9 In this context, the preparation used is apo and therefore from a person, Satan. In addition, the greater context would support this point as well, the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness by Satan. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. (John 17:15, ESV) But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3, ESV) How Does That Work? Every day people get up in the morning taking drugs or drink in order to face the day. They hate their family, they fight with their children, they despise everyone on the way to work and they are angry at their job and their boss. Their great desire is to serve the flesh in some way to obtain riches, sex, power or acclaim, and they will steal, lie and cheat to get them. From morning to evening they are bombarded with temptation and they rarely pass up on an opportunity to succumb to it. When the natural consequences of such behavior comes pouring into their lives they whine and complain that they can t catch a break. They are led into temptation where they willingly sin and then suffer the consequence of that sin. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply. (Psalm 16:4, ESV) But the believer is instructed to pray lead us not into temptation. But, take careful note of this this sixth petition is a privilege dependent on the first five petitions in this prayer. If those are missed or minimized, one wonders why God would answer the sixth. James, the commentator on the Sermon on the Mount, says, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7, ESV) And that is what the previous five prayer petitions are about, submitting to God. After the Christian has prayed, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. After he has trusted God for his material needs; after he asked for forgiveness and forgives others, after all this he then prays, lead us not into temptation. And God answers that prayer. The believer gets up in the morning in a right standing with God. In his heart he has a smile. He loves his family, he delights in his children, he ask God to help him love his neighbor as he drives to work. He thanks God for his job and tries to honor the Lord in hard, honest work before his boss. He shares the gospel with all he can. He still lives by the usage of the LXX: ἀπό with persons ten times, with things seven times; ἐκ with persons ten times, with things sixty times. This perhaps suggests, so far as this argument is concerned, that Mt 6:13 is to be understood as referring to the devil. Max Zerwick, Biblical Greek Illustrated by Examples (vol. 114, English ed., adapted from the fourth Latin ed.; Scripta Pontificii Instituti Biblici; Rome: Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1963), D. A. Carson, Matthew, in The Expositor s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (ed. Frank E. Gaebelein; vol. 8; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 8174.

5 in this sin cursed world but, you tell me, compared to our last illustration, how many temptations does he face this day? I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8, ESV) We can pray, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil with confidence, knowing that in the first five petitions, we have submitted ourselves to God and have therefore resisted the devil. In doing this, God delivers and Satan flees. The Last Three Petitions In all the strife of mortal life Our feet shall stand securely; Temptation s hour shall lose its power, For thou shalt guard us surely. O God, renew, with heavenly dew, Our body, soul, and spirit, Until we stand at thy right hand, Through Jesus saving merit. 10 Notice how the last three petitions compare with the Exodus experience. 1) There the children of Israel were freed from bondage, which would correspond here with the forgiveness of the bondage of sin. 2) In the wilderness their daily bread, manna, was provided. 3) Their also they were tested by God and tempted by Satan. God released his people from slavery and fed them with manna (Mt 6:11), and they, like Jesus, were tested in the wilderness (v. 13; also see 4:1 2). 11 What we are called to do now is to succeed in where others less faithful failed. do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, (Hebrews 3:8, ESV) We might pray for deliverance from testing, and we may be delivered from many test, but some must come and we must pass those tests. 10 James Montgomery Boice, The Sermon on the Mount: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), Craig S. Keener, Matthew (vol. 1; The IVP New Testament Commentary Series; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Mt 6:9.