The Second Temptation

In the second temptation, the devil tempts Jesus to demand that God prove his care for him by throwing himself down. Jesus responds: You shall not put the Lord to the test as you did at Massah. What happened at Massah?

God heard the cry of the Israelites in slavery in Egypt and what did God do? Some pretty amazing things. He sent ten apocalyptic plagues to the Egyptians that didn’t affect the Israelites one bit even though they lived in the same place. God divided the Red Sea in two, through which more than a million Israelites walked, and then God wiped out the largest military force in the world by collapsing the water over them. Then God showed them His constant presence by a miraculous pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

God did all this to save Israel. What did they do in return? They forgot all God had done for them and then accused him of not being there for them when they needed him and demanded He show himself and prove his love and care. Crazy, right!

What should we do to avoid this temptation to put God to the test?

We should review the history of our lives. God has taken care of us from our conception to this very day. There are probably even miraculous ways God has taken care of you. But our memory is so short. We forget all that God has done, then we doubt him and we demand he prove himself. Regularly, if not daily, look back on your life and see all the times God has taken care of you. Thank him for this.

Then the next time you find yourself in a pickle, say, “Lord, you have always been there for me. I trust you will be again.” The ask “What do you want me to do to show my fidelity to you right now?”