Matthew 4:7 Do Not Put the Lord Your God to the Test

The Story
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

The Words of Jesus
Mat 4:7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Background
This is the second temptation that Satan threw at Jesus at the end of His forty day fast. Satan had already failed to convince Jesus to turn stones to bread. Jesus had told him that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So Satan takes a different approach...since Jesus relied on Scripture in the temptation about the stones, Satan decides to use the Scripture to temp Him this time stating, “..."throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you...”

Satan perverted the word of God in Psalm 91:11 by adding his own commentary to it. The “throw yourself down” comment was Satan’s addition. He was trying to create a logical sequence...if the Scripture says angels will protect you, then let’s prove it by throwing yourself down and see what they do. Jesus’ response was taken from Deut 6:16 “Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah.”

Application
Rightly divide the word of truth
As followers of Jesus, we need to be people who love the word of God (Ps 119:97)...who take it as true and who walk in obedience to the truth it provides (Matt 7:24). The more we know the word of God and the more we search it out makes it less likely that we will be deceived by a false doctrine, a Satanic misuse (as in the temptation of Jesus), or a philosophy of the world that is contrary to Scripture. Many false teachings have elements of truth.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2Ti 2:15 NIV

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Act 17:11 NIV