DAY 17: THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE 3

For our final installment in this series, we'll be looking at the story of Jesus in the wilderness. 

If the Israelite experience is a warning of failure then Jesus' experience is a signal of victory. 

Prior to commencing His earthly ministry, Jesus was whisked away by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

Matthew 4:1 NIV

[1] Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

It was not a mistake, this was an intentional act. One would ask that if Jesus is the Son of God, why did He have to be tempted by the devil? We do not have a definite answer to that from scripture. But if we are to draw any lessons from previous wilderness experiences in the Bible, we can say that this test was to “humble and test him in order to know what was in his heart” (Deuteronomy 8:2). We know that just like us the Son of man was tempted in every way yet He did not sin. 

The Lord's defences against the enemy was not silver and gold or eloquent speech. Every time the enemy came, He replied with a text from scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). 

• Deuteronomy 8:3 CSB

[3] He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 

• Deuteronomy 6:16 CSB

[16] Do not test the Lord your God as you tested him at Massah. 

• Deuteronomy 6:13 NIV

[13] Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 

This goes to show that the only defence we have against the enemy and the flesh is the word of God. 

It is important to note that all of these three texts were from Deuteronomy, a book detailing the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness centuries ago. To reference this, it was as if Jesus was telling us that the Word of the Lord the Israelites failed to obey was what held the key to their success.

If they had humbled themselves, repeated God's word to themselves and obeyed, they would have passed their tests too.

Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV

[2] Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 

It is encouraging to see Jesus win this battle. For us, it is a reminder that winning is possible. The wilderness though difficult is just a phase when we are properly armed with the Word of God. And like everything else this too shall pass.