In the Old Testament, Israel, the son of God (Exodus 4:22) passed through the Red Sea and into the wilderness where they wandered for forty years before entering Canaan to reestablish God’s kingdom. Why the wandering? Because the nation’s faith in God wavered (Judges 2:11-15) and demons, whose domain existed in the wilderness, seduced them (Deuteronomy 32:15-20).

Jesus and Israel Faced the Same Test

God parted the Red Sea enabling the Israelites to pass through on their way to freedom. A freedom they squandered resulting in forty years of wandering. Another Son of God, Jesus, was tested in preparation for entering His divine calling. God parted the sky after Jesus’ baptism and the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. There Jesus faced the same tests the Jewish people faced. His rebuttal of the devil’s temptations assured the bond with His Father would survive the conflicts that awaited Him and the new Exodus would succeed (R.T. France The Gospel of Matthew).

The First Temptation

What’s unknown to many Bible students is that the three temptations Jesus faced corresponded to the three tests Israel faced in the wilderness. In the first temptation, Satan enticed Jesus into satisfying His hunger by turning stones into bread–a test Israel faced and failed. Jesus responded to Satan’s by quoting part of Deuteronomy 8:3, “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Unlike Israel,  Jesus proved His loyalty to God. He demonstrated He would obey God and no other. He would trust God alone to meet His physical needs.

The Second Temptation

In the second temptation Satan challenged Jesus to jump from the pinnacle of the temple so angels would rescue Him, proving He was the Son of God. This time Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16-17, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. ¹⁷ You should diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies and His statutes which He has commanded you.” 

The Greatest Temptation

The final, and greatest temptation addressed His ultimate mission to reclaim Yahweh’s nations. Jesus responded this way, “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; ⁹ and he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.’”

Jesus Made No Deal With The Devil

Satan offered Jesus the nations that had been disinherited by God at Babel. As the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), Satan gave Jesus a legitimate offer. He possessed authority over all rebels and their domains. The Lord’s answer made it clear He would take back the nations in the way and time of the Father’s choosing. Jesus rejected the devil’s deal and proved His loyalty to His Father. The Lord knew reclaiming the nations was linked with salvation and redemption from the affects of the fall in Eden. Accepting Satan’s offer would have undermined the necessity of the atonement and the Cross (The Unseen Realm by Michael S. Heiser).

Did you know this about Jesus?

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