... I enjoyed your long post and would very much like to see you do one on the temptations of Christ in the wilderness and how Satan tried to use the things of the world to tempt Him.
My apologies for making this so long. There is so much associated with this that there is not much I can omit for the purpose of brevity. There are to be two long posts to cover this subject. It is why I hesitated in writing, and certainly in posting this. May God grant to our hearts the understanding we need, and that we may see His truth as it is from the scriptures.
There are things specific to being a human person walking this Earth that are not applicable to other situations, or for other beings in God's heavenly realm. There is a spiritual realm that does not have these certain and specific limitations and demands that are present in this life on this planet, and to these particular beings.
When God created man to live on this Earth, He made a being that was part of a creation that was not like other places. The existence requires beings to utilize AIR to breathe, and FOOD for sustenance. The presence of LIQUID H2O is unique here. Our bodies are mostly water by weight, and that makes our environment particularly suited to our existence. When we read about the creation of this existence, God first said, "
Let there be light." We all know this, but do we realize that it is necessary because the illumination of this creation is specifically required HERE? We need a specific type of light, as the limits of our existence also limits the range and spectrum of light we perceive. Other existences are illuminated differently, as will this planet be when all is finished, according to the last chapter of the last book of the Holy Bible.
Ephesians 5
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
God created water on this planet, and it may specifically be that its properties are SPECIFICALLY designed to show forth how God has a flowing forth of His word of truth. The more purely this is applicable, the closer we get to the river of life that flows from the Temple in the Great and Holy City, New Jerusalem.
The physical aspects of our existence have demands, but the fall of man, and the resulting nature of man, tend to convert all these demands for sustaining life into LUSTS for things we LIKE, more than NEED. As we see the initial temptation of man on this Earth, we consider the only command of God to Adam (the first two people. Adam named his wife, Eve, as it was his job to name every creature!) Enoch wrote that he saw a tree that was more beautiful than any other, and had a fragrance that was more enticing than anything in God's creation. This was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the fruit of which man was forbidden to eat. So man has needs and desires, and also, he has senses that compel him to fulfill those needs and desires.
As Adam the First conveyed this command to his wife, she was likely full of questions. Can I look at it? Can I smell it? Can I touch it? Likely at this point he stops her, and says, "...
don't go near it, and don't even touch it." This curious tendency of the woman was utilized by Satan who would not trust such an important task to any of his subordinate angels. He was the one who talked through the serpent to Eve. This very subtle animal was chosen for that reason. Satan tempted Eve in the very things we are all tempted, and even our LORD was tempted.
First the temptation was that Eve was just spending time looking at the tree. She figured it smelled so good, and had the obvious benefit of being good for food. The most particular observation she made was prompted specifically by Satan's defiance of the command of God. She could see the tree was able to make one WISE. It was able to make one LIKE GOD. The fragrance, beauty and the values of the fruit appealed to the lust of the flesh. The ability to make one wise appealed to the lust of the eyes. Most particularly, though, the ability to make the one who eats this fruit to be LIKE GOD appealed to the lust for power and the pride of life.
It is important to note that Adam the First was not deceived, but chose to go with his wife rather than stand upon the command of God. Our fall and our curse is specifically because of what Adam DECIDED to do, and not because of him being confused or deceived. We are not in condemnation because of a trick. The trick was employed to force Adam into this decision, and the ploy worked to his destruction. All people born here have this curse and the fallen nature of Adam as part of who and what they are. The temptations brought to Eve have been brought to every person walking this Earth, and they have failed the test. Man is fallen, deceived, and has this specific role in his own guilt and condemnation.
When Jesus was in the wilderness, He was forty days without food. It is not suggested that he snacked on wild berries or tree bark, but that he fasted. This was to bring him very close to death by starvation, so as to make the appeal of the objects people lust for to be as intense as possible. In this, there are no people who were ever any hungrier, that were tempted to do something wrong, so they might eat. There were no people more deprived of a rightful place in the hierarchy of human society that were tempted to have more power and authority than Jesus in this important time.
Matthew 4 (see also, Mark 1:10-13, Luke 4:1-13)
1 ¶ Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
As the most vulnerable moment of this test was at hand, Satan (who apparently was tempting Jesus all through the 40 days,) suggested he satiate the starvation pains, His desire and demand for food, by misusing power that He had as the Son of God.
Those stones probably looked just like loaves of bread, and were as enticing as possible for the moment. The lust of the eyes is employed in this application of the lust of the flesh. Seeing something the flesh desires, and being drawn to it, is part of the crossover mentioned in the earlier description of how this lust works with other lusts.
Jesus quoted scripture in its true context, and resisted the devil (James 4:7,) so Satan upped the stakes. Jesus was then taken by Satan PHYSICALLY to a pinnacle (high point) of the temple. I do not doubt that people could see a person up there, and certainly our LORD knew the potential of death. If there was any acrophobia, it was intensified. If there was a human ego, there was a strong appeal to it. Jesus knew the scriptures, as He was there in the inspiration of every word. Satan took the tack of quoting scripture to suggest that there was knowledge that Jesus had of the spiritual realm. Jesus had authority to bid aid from angels for His preservation. He could employ this in boosting His image of self importance. He would see, and be seen as being much more than other people. However, Jesus knew this was an unrighteous tempting of God.
Even now, when people lust to be seen, and have attention drawn to their own self, they may go as far as standing where they might jump or fall to their death. The sense of what people looking at Jesus may think of Him as he is protected from death by angels, would be a huge boost for the human EGO. How better to show the world that Jesus was NOT cursed with that fallen human nature than to resist the devil on this temptation? Jesus quoted scripture to show the wrong context of what Satan had said, resisting him yet again. (James 4:7)
In the ultimate moment of this test, where all the things a person needs, wants, sees, hears and craves are wrapped up in a grand temptation, Jesus is taken to the top of a high mountain. This may be Everest, but I think it was higher than that, since Jesus was shown all the kingdoms and authorities of this world's system in a moment. He had a view of ALL of the things Satan was given control over as "
Prince of the Power of the Air," and the power he gained as "
god of this world." The lust for power and the pride of life are wrapped up together in this final appeal to fleshly desire. Jesus was as weak as ever, and as anyone ever, so if there was EGO, and a fallen human nature, this appeal would be the epitome of opportunity to get things commonly desired by men. Jesus for the third time in this description of His temptation, resisted the devil by quoting God's true principles from scripture. (James 4:7) Jesus was victorious over sin and Satan. The devil had lost his crucial battle to diminish or destroy the LORD of life, and the only Savior of mankind.