Matthew 4:7

It is written. Satan had removed the words of Ps. 91:11, 12 from their context (see on Matt. 4:6). In order to set forth the true meaning of the words quoted from Ps. 91 and to prove that the devil had misapplied them, Jesus quoted another passage (Deut. 6:16), whose context sets forth the circumstances under which one may claim the blessing of God (see vs. 17-25). Texts isolated from their context often prove to be misleading. Also, a given passage must be understood in harmony with all others. The claim that the Scriptures may be made to teach anything and everything is true only when this principle is violated. When the Word of God is taken as a whole its truths are clear and harmonious.

Not tempt. The words used by Christ to foil the tempter were originally spoken by Moses with reference to the first occasion in the wilderness when the children of Israel murmured for water (see Ex. 17:1-7). God had provided abundant evidence of the fact that He was leading His people and would provide for their every need, as, for example, the wonders of divine power displayed in Egypt, the dramatic deliverance at the Red Sea, and more recently, the sending of the manna. Upon being supplied with food, the people had humbly promised that in the future they would trust the Lord (PP 297); yet a short time later, when given an opportunity to exercise faith, they accused Moses of intending to dispose of them in order that he might enrich himself by their possessions (Ex. 17:1-4; PP 297, 298). In spite of the evidence of divine solicitude for their needs, they “tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Ex. 17:7). They put God to the test; that is, they challenged Him to prove His divine power. Their sin consisted in the fact that they came to God in the wrong spirit — one of demand and petulant anger rather than of humble, patient faith. Unless their demand was met they refused to believe in God.

It was in this same spirit that Satan now proposed that Christ should put His Father to the test. Instead of accepting by faith the Father’s proclamation at the Jordan, affirming Him to be the Son of God, Jesus was to experiment in order to prove to His satisfaction that this was so. But such an experiment would reflect doubt rather than faith.

We are never to place ourselves unnecessarily or carelessly in a position where God will have to work a miracle in order to save us from the untoward results of a foolish course of action. We are not to presume upon God to rescue us when we rush unbidden into danger. Mature faith will lead us to order our lives in harmony with what God has already revealed to us, and then to trust Him for the rest.