Luke 4:3 And the devil said to him, If you be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. We see it is the devil's endeavour to call into question the truth of God's Word. God had said, "Thou art My Son," and now he comes with his "If Thou be the Son of God." In the Word of God there be specially three things — 1. Commandments. 2. Threatenings. 3. Promises.Secondly, faith is the very life of our lives, and the strength of our souls, without which we are but very drudges and droils in this life. "The Holy Ghost fill you with all joy in believing" (Romans 15:13). "And believing, ye rejoiced with joy glorious and unspeakable" (1 Peter 1:8). Therefore the devil, envying our comfort and our happiness, would rob us of our faith, that he might rob us of our joy. Thirdly, faith is our choicest weapon, even our shield and buckler to fight against him, "whom resist steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:9). Therefore, as the Philistines got away the Israelites' weapons, so doth Satan, in getting away faith from us, disarm us and make us naked. "For this is our victory whereby we overcome, even our faith" (1 John 5.). And in this faith apprehending God's strength lies our strength, as Samson's in his locks; and, therefore, the devil, knowing this, labours to do to us which Delilah did to Samson, even to cut off our locks. (D. Dyke.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.WEB: The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." |
    |