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February 7 Daily Devotional

Stones into Bread

Frans Bakker

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.—Matthew 4:3

Bible Reading

Matthew 4:1–11

Devotional

The devil came to Jesus and said, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” In a very subtle way the devil tempts Christ. He makes use of God’s Word. It is as if the devil says, “I am not saying that Thou art not the Son of God, I am not saying that Thou art unable to change stones into bread. I am willing to believe that Thou art the almighty One. But if Thou art the Son of God, why dost Thou suffer hunger? Prove to me that Thou art the Son of God.”

The devil does not come with a lie but rather with a misuse of God’s truth. The devil comes to Jesus with truth, but it is indeed a misuse of God’s words in Scripture. God is almighty and can do everything. That is true. The devil comes as an angel of light and in his bag he carries subtle deceptions.

The temptation of Christ is a complex matter. If Christ had listened to the deceiver He would have been bowing His knee to the devil. The devil wanted Christ simply to listen and agree with him. He knew sin starts by listening for that is how it started in Paradise. If the second Adam listened to the prince of darkness then everything would be lost and the devil would win the battle.

It is true that Christ did not have to hunger. Led by God the Father, however, He chose to suffer hunger. He was compelled to yield Himself to the direction and the will of His Father. Jesus answers, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Clearly Christ does not separate the gift of God from God Himself. That was Adam’s sin and that is our sin. We took the fruit of the tree and separated that from God. We reasoned that as long as we had the fruit, then we could forget about God.

If Christ had changed stones into bread, He would have received bread from the prince of darkness rather than from the loving arms of His Father. If Christ had chosen stones and responded negatively to God’s commands, He would have been self-centered and sinful. The first Adam preferred bread instead of the commandment. The second Adam preferred God’s commandment above bread. He preferred to have God amidst craving hunger rather than be without God and have an abundance of food. Christ preferred to be obedient. What attitude reflects your heart? Do you seek God above all matters? Can we say, “Whom have I in heaven or on earth beside Thee?”

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.

 

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