TEMPTATION OF JESUS AND ISRAEL

Matthew 4 1-11 depicts temptation of Jesus by the Devil.

When Jesus Christ fasted 40 days and nights in the desert, He symbolized in Himself the nation Israel, nation that had been like Him in the desert but not for 40 days but for 40 years.


Deuteronomy 8.2-5
2. And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your GOD has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His Commandments or not.

3. And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord (Matthew 4.4) (Luke 4.4).

4. You clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell, these forty years.

5. Thus you are to know in your heart, that the Lord your GOD was disciplining you, just as a man disciplines his son.

Number 40 appears in both cases, in the case with Israel and with Jesus Christ. GOD was testing Israel in the desert, and the Jesus Christ was also tested, but by the Satan, and the purpose of these tests is to see if Israel, and Jesus Christ, will keep the Commandments of the Lord their GOD.

So, comparing all of these similarities, becomes very evident that Jesus Christ symbolized Israel and Israel symbolized Jesus Christ long before He has come to them.

The conclusion follows as this that not only by physical bread alone human beings can live, because it is good only for physical body, but also humans can live and by the Word of GOD which is food for their souls, means by His Laws, Statutes, and Commandments, which is spiritual bread for the souls of all human beings on Earth.

The difference between physical food and the spiritual food is this that physical food only needed as long as the body lives and both are temporary in their nature, but spiritual food (the Laws of GOD) are eternal food for eternal souls that humans possess in their temporary physical body.

Physical body dies just like physical food spoils and disintegrate, but the Statutes and Principals of GOD are eternal, and as long as the soul of a human being feeds on the Principals and Ideals of GOD, that soul will live forever.

Jesus Christ was tested, in order to see if He will keep the Word of GOD, and so Israel was tested in the desert in order to see if they will keep Commandments of their Lord.

Jesus Christ was starving during His test in the desert, and Israelites were starving in the desert and thirsty until GOD gave them relief.

On one occasion Israelites went to war against their enemies without asking the Lord their GOD, thinking that He would protect them anyway, by doing this they tested the Lord and fail in their adventure.

Jesus Christ also was tempted by Devil in hope that He will do the same thing, to test the Lord His GOD (verse 6), but He answered Devil by the Words of His Father: "You shall not put the Lord your GOD to the test." (Exodus 17.2) (Deuteronomy 6.16) (Matthew 4.7) (Luke 4.12).

And of course, the last test was about power and wealth and complete dominance over others and over entire world, which is great temptation for all human beings. Also, we already know very well how Israelites fail in worship of their GOD and have been unfaithful to Him for many generations.

Devil tempted Christ very much by the same things promising Him to give Him all the kingdoms of the world, their glory, their splendor, and their wealth and to rule over them if He will worship him. Jesus Christ rejected his offer because He is the Son of GOD, and not ordinary man like Israelites who exchanged the glory of their GOD on foreign idols and worthless gods.

Anyway, how anyone can compare the splendid glory of the Kingdom of GOD to earthly glory and splendor of the kingdoms of the world!? Jesus knew very well the Kingdom of GOD, because He has come from it. How possibly He would change the Heavenly Kingdom of GOD on the temporary physical earthly kingdoms and their temporary glory?

This particular temptation of Devil was doomed to fail and certainly in vain, because Jesus already possessed all the kingdoms of the world according to the promise of His Father to Him.

But for now, the kingdoms of the world have been given to Devil to rule over them, but only to a certain period of time, and sooner or later, the Devil will be removed from His throne as the ruler of the physical world, and the world will belong to Jesus and to His Father Who will rule the world forever.

 

For what purpose churches have crosses?

For what purpose every Bible has a certain symbols and insignias?

For what purpose some preachers and priests clothed in strange uniform?

For what purpose prophets made symbolic jesters?

For what purpose GOD has so much symbolism in His teachings?

Are you a schoolboy asking naive questions?

You at lost and puzzled of symbolism between Israel and Christ? Ask someone in your church. I am sure someone can explain it to you.