Matthew 4:4 Man Shall Not Live On Bread Alone

The Story
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

The Words of Jesus
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Mat 4:1-4 NIV

Background
While it may seem odd to us, it was the Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil - that much is clear. The tempter (always the opportunist) came to Jesus at a time of vulnerability; Remember, He had not eaten for forty days and was hungry.

The tempter made his appeal with food; something that would have met the immediate physical need; but what he was really after was to gain an advantage over the identity of Christ; Remember he prefaced the temptation by saying “If you are the Son of God” - as if turning stones to bread would somehow prove that.

Jesus (by stating “It is written”) showed us that the way to win the struggle against temptation is with the truth of God’s word. While Satan appealed to an immediate physical need, Jesus showed that the word of God is a greater, more valuable, more necessary source of nourishment. The more we know the truths of God's word the more we find ourselves "not ignorant of his devices" and can avoid succumbing to temptation.

Application
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Some of the trials we experience are by God’s design. But know this...if we are led by the Spirit into the wilderness it is to gain experience in the battle; it is to bring us victory. It is never to see us defeated.

The Lord takes us into the wilderness to give us victory.
When David brought food to his brothers (1 Sam 17) who were in the war, I think it was by God’s design. The Lord’s plan was to give David a great victory. David heard the taunting of Goliath, and the rest is history.

Psa 144:1 Of David. Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

He knows our strength and will never allow us to be tempted above what we are able.
1Co 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

More important than my daily bread
The temptation to fulfill an immediate need at the expense of something of greater value is common to man. As an example, I think of the story of Esau, who for a single meal, sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Heb 12:16

May we, like Job, come to this commitment. (Job 23:12) “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” His word will guide us and help us gain wisdom regarding true value.

Matthew 3:15 - It Is Proper For Us To Do This

The Story
It was difficult for John to wrap his arms around baptizing Jesus since his was a baptism of repentance, and Jesus had no need for repentance. Jesus, however, addressed John’s concerns by stating the following:

The Words of Jesus
Mat 3:15 NIV Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 

Background
Jesus submitted to baptism, and emphasized His desire to do so with the words - “it is proper” [or fitting, or appropriate]. He said He wanted to be baptized to “fulfill all righteousness”. A similar word is used in Luke 1 and it describes Elizabeth and Zechariah as “righteous” because they were “observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly”.

Luke 1:5-6 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly. 

In essence what Jesus is saying is, “let it be so now...it is fitting and appropriate for us to observe all the Lord’s commands.” In this brief comment He inspires a glorious motivation for obedience.  

What would happen if our motivation for obedience was to glorify the Father? What if we sought to obey Him simply because it is right, proper, fitting and appropriate? Jesus forever tied obedience to bringing glory to God in John 17:4 when He said, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.”

In Tit 2:5-10 we find these motivations for walking in obedience and encouraging others to do the same.

• vs 5...so that no one will malign the word of God.
• vs 8...so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
• vs 10...so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

Application When we think of obedience to God - do we think of it as a boring duty?...a joyful task?...a tactic for gaining His acceptance? Why not begin to think of it as a way to honor Him [His word, His ways and His wisdom]...a way to comply and surrender to Him...and pray that our motivation is stirred by a commitment to do what is proper for the glory of His name, so that in every way WE / I will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.