Matthew 4:7

Tuesday, 17 September 2024

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7

“Jesus, He said to him, ‘Again! It is written, “Not you shall test the Lord your God”’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the Traducer tempted Jesus while misusing Scripture, leaving out a key portion of the verse he was quoting. Despite his tactics, Matthew next records, “Jesus, He said to him, ‘Again!’”

There are actually two main ways of translating these words –

Jesus said to him again... LSV

Jesus said to him, Again... SLT

Is the word “again” applied to Matthew’s words or to those of Jesus? It could go either way, but it appears to be Jesus reiterating the truth concerning Scripture. Vincent’s Word Studies says –

Again (πάλιν [palin])

Emphatic, meaning on the other hand, with reference to Satan’s it is written (Matthew 4:6); as if he had said, "the promise which you quote must be explained by another passage of scripture." Archbishop Trench aptly remarks, “In that ‘It is written again of Christ, lies a great lesson, quite independent of that particular scripture which, on this occasion, he quotes, or of the use to which he turns it. There lies in it the secret of our safety and defence against all distorted use of isolated passages in holy scripture. Only as we enter into the unity of scripture, as it balances, completes, and explains itself, are we warned against error and delusion, excess or defect on this side or the other.” Thus the retort, ‘It is written again,’ must be of continual application; for indeed what very often are heresies but one-sided, exaggerated truths, truths rent away indeed from the body and complex of the truth, without the balance of the counter-truth, which should have kept them in their due place, co-ordinated with other truths or subordinated to them; and so, because all such checks are wanting, not truth any more, but error?”

In other words, the argument Vincent’s proposes is that Jesus is emphatically countering the Traducer –

• Taking Scripture out of context, the Traducer says, “It is written.”
• Jesus counters him, saying with another verse in proper context, “Again!” Thus, there is a back and forth of proposed Scripture from the Bible to settle a matter.

Another possibility is that Jesus is actually going back to His own claim of Scripture’s inspiration in verse 4 –

• The Traducer says, “It is written.”
• Jesus, having already cited Scripture to counter him, does so again by responding as He responded when the Traducer told to make the stones into bread – “Again!” Thus, the intent would be, “I have already cited Scripture to you, and I again stand on its authority, including using it in the proper context.”

Whichever option is correct, Jesus’ words continue with, “It is written.” 

The Traducer has quoted a verse incorrectly, claiming it gives Jesus the authority to do something that would exalt Him either in His own mind or in the eyes of the people. Jesus, knowing the error that has been proposed, returns with a verse that is clear and unambiguous in meaning, saying, “Not you shall test the Lord your God.”

The words are from Deuteronomy 6 –

“You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.” Deuteronomy 6:16-19

There is nothing out of context here. The words, as cited by Jesus, can stand alone. The rest of the surrounding verses do not negate the simple truth conveyed in what Jesus cited. As for the word test, ekpeirazó, it is a stronger form of the word peirazó that was used in verses 4:1 and 4:3. It signifies to thoroughly test or tempt.

James uses the word peirazó three times in James 1 when he says –

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:13-15

As such, translating this word as test rather than tempt is the better choice. We may be tested by God, but He will not tempt us. Likewise, we can test the Lord’s patience, but we cannot tempt Him, which is exactly what the Traducer is trying to do to Jesus in this passage. The use of the word must determine the meaning.

Life application: As can be seen at times there are various ways of interpreting what is going on in Scripture. A single word’s placement in the text can change the entire meaning of what is being presented. But even if the placement is correct, there may still be a debate as to what the intent is.

This is why reading commentaries can be a help. Different people will submit proposals that we may never have considered. And yet, what they say may also be wrong. Therefore, don’t just jump on the validity of a commentary. Instead, store it away for reference while at the same time continuing to consider what is going on.

A good lesson from this verse is to remember that if you are going to cite Scripture, be sure you are properly using it. If you are doing so, then you can stand on what you have cited and feel confident you have not purposefully mishandled what God has given to us for this very purpose.

Glorious Lord God, people’s eternal destiny may be dependent on the words we speak. So, Lord, when we cite Your word, may it be done with care and consideration. May it be our heart’s desire to always be honest and proper in our presentation of who You are and what You have done. Amen.