Saturday, November 25, 2017

November 25, 2017

"Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen. ’" Matthew 6:13

It's been a long time since I first fell in love with the Word of God! That love continues to deepen the more I study it!

This part of the Lord's Prayer, as with the rest of it, is powerful at every level! The deeper you dig the more powerful it becomes!

Obviously, the key word in this verse is "temptation" and the Greek word used appears six times in the Bible. Each New Testament appearance renders it "test" or "trial". But there is an Old Testament iteration in the Hebrew that sheds more light on the deeper meaning Jesus is implying in this statement.

The Old Testament equivalent of this word in Hebrew is translated "Massah". It refers to an event that happened at that place that came to be known by that name. It would be like me saying "Chancellorsville" or "Gettysburg". You would know immediately that I am referring to Civil War conflicts. Massah was a place where God's people grumbled against Him and tested His patience. The story is found in Exodus 17:


"All the congregation of the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin, by their journeys, according to Yahweh’s commandment, and encamped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?” The people were thirsty for water there; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst? Moses cried to Yahweh, saying, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” Yahweh said to Moses, “Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, “Is Yahweh among us, or not?” Exodus 17:1-7

God had supernaturally led them out of bondage from Egypt, then He parted the Red Sea to deliver them from the Egyptian army, then He miraculously provided manna and quail for them to eat but now they complained about having no water.

What would it take for them to trust God stop their grumbling. He had led them into the wilderness to test them and develop their faith but they kept testing Him. Moses was disgusted and God was running out of patience. Rather than prove their faith in God in time of stress and need they demanded God prove Himself by doing another miracle.

So, with that background we come back to Jesus' teaching on prayer. When he says to pray, "Lead us not into temptation" what He means is "when You lead me into temptation, keep me from testing you". 

That is how you are delivered from the Evil One! When you submit to God's testing and resist the temptation to test God, the Evil One is defeated!

An interesting thing happens when God leads you into a season of testing and you submit to His will rather than doubt God's goodness or demand that He proves His presence. Your faith is strengthened and as a result - He proves His faithfulness to you!

Perhaps you are in a season of testing and trials right now! Prove your faith in God and He will prove Himself to you!










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