Satan’s Strategy for Your Life #22: Changing the Rules of the Game

“And he took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here, for it is written, “He will command His angels concerning You, to guard You,” and "On their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone."’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”—Luke 4:9-13

The devil will do anything to destroy the work of God, even if that means changing the rules of the game. During Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, the devil came to Him many times to tempt Him, of which we are allowed to see three in no particular order. The temptation we are examining today involved the devil taking Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple—the center of Jewish worship, and then presenting Him with the opportunity to reveal Himself before the proper time. If Jesus were to jump from the pinnacle of the Temple, then God would send His angels to make sure that He wouldn’t get hurt. Undoubtedly, many would see the act and thus believe.

The crux of the temptation is seen in the devil wanting to change the rules of the game, much like baseball players using steroids to get ahead. Instead of accomplishing victory through natural means, they turn to unnatural means in order to achieve their goal. But that is to violate the rules of the game. All players must play according to their own ability, which may not be enhanced by any improper means. And while it would not necessarily be improper for Christ to use His standing as the divine Son in order to have God act, it would be a violation of the purpose for which He was sent.

For Christ to bring about the salvation of man, He had to identify fully with man in His limited nature. While Jesus could call on God the Father to bear Him up if He were to jump, man could not. Jesus, as the unique God-man, had to satisfy both the perfect requirements that God required of man—that is, He had to live a perfect life, and not sin. Yet, He also had to pay the price for the sins that man had done. But how could He pay the price for sins? Man could not pay the price. In order to satisfy the wrath of a perfectly loving, holy, infinite God, the price paid must be equal to that in function and nature. Man could not meet the requirements necessary, which is why the incarnation is so essential to our understanding of salvation. Christ had to be both God and man, or God-assuming flesh, although without sin and the fallen nature that is so weak toward sin. He couldn’t merely look like flesh, or appear to be flesh, or any other strange deviation. He had to be—and was—both fully God and fully man. Anything else, and redemption would not and could not have been accomplished.

The devil wanted to change the rules of the game, meaning that he wanted to have Jesus do that which God didn’t intend for Him to do, thus preventing Him from completely identifying with man. He wanted God the Son to “test” God the Father, but Christ refused by citing that which man did have at his disposal, the Holy Word of God: “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Jesus refused to deviate from the path which the Triune God had determined for Him in eternity past. He resisted by clinging to and citing the written Word of God, and so can we.

In what way are we attempting to go outside of God’s will in order to bring about what we believe God to be doing? How are we circumventing the process by relying on our own abilities? What are we relying on when we encounter the attacks of the enemy? If we rely on anything other than the Word of God made alive by the Spirit of God, we are doomed to fail. Christ left us an example to follow, and His adherence to the path God had determined brought about the salvation of man. If it was good enough for Him, how much more for us! Let us then turn away from any pursuits outside those that God has decreed, relying on His Word to guide and guard us along the path on which God will receive great glory. Amen.