Dear All,
Please notice that the Messiah quoted exclusively from Deuteronomy to guard against Satan's temptations in Matthew 4:1-11. The Messiah quoted, respectively:
(1) Deut 8:3 — vs. Satan's dare to turn stones into bread (v.2)
(2) Deut 6:16 — vs. Satan's dare to jump from the Temple pinnacle (v.6)
(3) Deut 6:13 — vs. Satan's offer of world domination (v.10)
The fact that the Messiah's quotes targeted such a specific part of Scripture intrigued me. So, after looking into the matter further, I would like to offer the following additional 'insights'.
In v.2, Satan dares the Messiah to turn "stones" into "bread". In all of Scripture, there are only four (4) verses (that I found) that contain both of these words:
(1) Deut 8:9
(2) Deut 9:9
(3-4) Matt 7:9 = Luke 11:11
OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCES (DEUT 8:9, 9:9)
Interestingly, we have two (2) more links to Deuteronomy. Now, Deut 5-11 is a recapitulation of Moses on Mt. Horeb:
Deut 5 — The Ten Commandments
Deut 6 — The Greatest Commandment: Love YHWH thy God
Deut 7 — A Chosen People Driving Out the Nations
Deut 8 — Remember YHWH thy God
Deut 9 — Not Because of Israel's Righteousness & The Golden Calf
Deut 10 — New Tablets of Stone Like the First Ones & Circumcise your Hearts / Fear YHWH
Deut 11 — Love and Serve YHWH
So, it seems to me that Satan obliquely refered to Deut 9:9 and 8:9. Recognizing this, the Messiah quoted three (3) more verses from that very section (Deut 8:3, 6:16, 6:13). The topics / concepts referenced amidst this "Scriptural shoot-out" are:
Not Because of Israel's Righteousness
Remember YHWH thy God (x2)
The Greatest Commandment: Love YHWH thy God (x2)
Further, as recognized by the excellent "Oxford Bible Commentary", the Messiah's presence on a mountain in the Wilderness (along with these explicity Scriptural references) clearly ALLUDES to Moses on the Mountain of God in the Wilderness. In particular, both the Messiah and Moses spent FOURTY days & nights on those mountains. Moreover, the Israelites spent FOURTY years in the Wilderness.
So, it seems that our attention is being first draw towards Deut 5-11, and then to "fourty" [units of time]. There are seven (7) verses which deal with this:
(1) Deu 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
COMMENT: Indeed, the Messiah proved that his heart was true and that, unlike the Israelites who grumbled for food (Ex 16:2), the Messiah humbly kept YHWH's Commands close to his heart and never complained.
(2) Deu 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell , these forty years.
(3) Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant which the YHWH made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
COMMENT: This is an exact parallel to the Messiah, who fasted for fourty days & nights and who perhaps received his commands from YHWH-God for his ministry
(4) Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, [that] YHWH gave me the two tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant.
(5) Deu 9:18 And I fell down before YHWH, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of YHWH, to provoke him to anger.
COMMENT: Moses interceded on behalf of Israel and prayed for their forgiveness. The Messiah did the same for his people. This is a CRUCIAL POINT — the Messiah PRAYED for the FORGIVENESS of the ISRAELITES, that they might be delivered from bondage to Rome. Indeed, the Messiah quotes from Deut 8 and Deut 6, suggestively skipping over Deut 7 — which deals precisely with DRIVING OUT THE HEATHEN NATIONS.
(6) Deu 9:25 Thus I fell down before YHWH forty days and forty nights, as I fell down [at the first]; because YHWH had said he would destroy you.
(7) Deu 10:10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and YHWH hearkened unto me at that time also, [and] YHWH would not destroy thee.
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCE (MATT 7:9 = LUKE 11:11)
In Matt 7:9 (=Luke 11:11), the Messiah says:
"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?"
Interestingly, this is PRECISELY what Satan tried to foist upon the Messiah in the Wilderness in Matt 4:1-11. That is, Satan tried to TRICK the Messiah into eating rocks when he was famished from fourty days & nights of fasting. This PROVES that Satan is indeed NOT a loving father like YHWH-God. Indeed, the Messiah goes on to say (vv. 10-11):
"Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil*, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
This serves as a poignant WARNING that Satan does NOT know how to give good gifts to those who follow Satan (poetically, Satan's "children").
* The Greek word rendered 'evil' in the AV is "poneros" (G04190). It means "Full of Labors / Pain" and is a clear reference to Mankind's fallen state resulting from the sins of Adam & Eve in Eden and the curses (Gen 3:16-19) they therefore incurred.
Please notice that the Messiah quoted exclusively from Deuteronomy to guard against Satan's temptations in Matthew 4:1-11. The Messiah quoted, respectively:
(1) Deut 8:3 — vs. Satan's dare to turn stones into bread (v.2)
(2) Deut 6:16 — vs. Satan's dare to jump from the Temple pinnacle (v.6)
(3) Deut 6:13 — vs. Satan's offer of world domination (v.10)
The fact that the Messiah's quotes targeted such a specific part of Scripture intrigued me. So, after looking into the matter further, I would like to offer the following additional 'insights'.
In v.2, Satan dares the Messiah to turn "stones" into "bread". In all of Scripture, there are only four (4) verses (that I found) that contain both of these words:
(1) Deut 8:9
(2) Deut 9:9
(3-4) Matt 7:9 = Luke 11:11
OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCES (DEUT 8:9, 9:9)
Interestingly, we have two (2) more links to Deuteronomy. Now, Deut 5-11 is a recapitulation of Moses on Mt. Horeb:
Deut 5 — The Ten Commandments
Deut 6 — The Greatest Commandment: Love YHWH thy God
Deut 7 — A Chosen People Driving Out the Nations
Deut 8 — Remember YHWH thy God
Deut 9 — Not Because of Israel's Righteousness & The Golden Calf
Deut 10 — New Tablets of Stone Like the First Ones & Circumcise your Hearts / Fear YHWH
Deut 11 — Love and Serve YHWH
So, it seems to me that Satan obliquely refered to Deut 9:9 and 8:9. Recognizing this, the Messiah quoted three (3) more verses from that very section (Deut 8:3, 6:16, 6:13). The topics / concepts referenced amidst this "Scriptural shoot-out" are:
Not Because of Israel's Righteousness
Remember YHWH thy God (x2)
The Greatest Commandment: Love YHWH thy God (x2)
Further, as recognized by the excellent "Oxford Bible Commentary", the Messiah's presence on a mountain in the Wilderness (along with these explicity Scriptural references) clearly ALLUDES to Moses on the Mountain of God in the Wilderness. In particular, both the Messiah and Moses spent FOURTY days & nights on those mountains. Moreover, the Israelites spent FOURTY years in the Wilderness.
So, it seems that our attention is being first draw towards Deut 5-11, and then to "fourty" [units of time]. There are seven (7) verses which deal with this:
(1) Deu 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
COMMENT: Indeed, the Messiah proved that his heart was true and that, unlike the Israelites who grumbled for food (Ex 16:2), the Messiah humbly kept YHWH's Commands close to his heart and never complained.
(2) Deu 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell , these forty years.
(3) Deu 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant which the YHWH made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
COMMENT: This is an exact parallel to the Messiah, who fasted for fourty days & nights and who perhaps received his commands from YHWH-God for his ministry
(4) Deu 9:11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, [that] YHWH gave me the two tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant.
(5) Deu 9:18 And I fell down before YHWH, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of YHWH, to provoke him to anger.
COMMENT: Moses interceded on behalf of Israel and prayed for their forgiveness. The Messiah did the same for his people. This is a CRUCIAL POINT — the Messiah PRAYED for the FORGIVENESS of the ISRAELITES, that they might be delivered from bondage to Rome. Indeed, the Messiah quotes from Deut 8 and Deut 6, suggestively skipping over Deut 7 — which deals precisely with DRIVING OUT THE HEATHEN NATIONS.
(6) Deu 9:25 Thus I fell down before YHWH forty days and forty nights, as I fell down [at the first]; because YHWH had said he would destroy you.
(7) Deu 10:10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and YHWH hearkened unto me at that time also, [and] YHWH would not destroy thee.
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCE (MATT 7:9 = LUKE 11:11)
In Matt 7:9 (=Luke 11:11), the Messiah says:
"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?"
Interestingly, this is PRECISELY what Satan tried to foist upon the Messiah in the Wilderness in Matt 4:1-11. That is, Satan tried to TRICK the Messiah into eating rocks when he was famished from fourty days & nights of fasting. This PROVES that Satan is indeed NOT a loving father like YHWH-God. Indeed, the Messiah goes on to say (vv. 10-11):
"Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil*, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
This serves as a poignant WARNING that Satan does NOT know how to give good gifts to those who follow Satan (poetically, Satan's "children").
* The Greek word rendered 'evil' in the AV is "poneros" (G04190). It means "Full of Labors / Pain" and is a clear reference to Mankind's fallen state resulting from the sins of Adam & Eve in Eden and the curses (Gen 3:16-19) they therefore incurred.
