Temptation is commonly linked to the trying of one’s faith, but “the hour of temptation” is not the typical temptation experienced by the believer. In fact, the Lord promised to “keep” the church “from the hour of temptation.” So what is this temptation to which the Lord speaks? First of all, it is connected to a specific time as indicated by the use of the word hour. Secondly, this temptation is one that is yet future as demonstrated by the phrase, “shall come.” Lastly, it is a temptation designed to “come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” This temptation is known as Daniel’s Seventieth Week and refers to a temptation for the unsaved Jews and Gentiles during that terrible future time.
Throughout history, man has battled the idea that he is the only one who has had to endure temptation with a desire to do right (1 Kings 19:13-14). This lie was conceived by the father of lies (John 8:44) with the intent of convincing the believer into thinking that no one understands his difficulty. Though it is true that one man’s specific temptations may differ from that of another man, the basic premise is true: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13). In Elijah’s day, there were 7,000 others (probably referring to only those in Israel) who experienced temptations similar to those experienced by Elijah (1 Kings 19:18).
Man has no greater high priest than the Lord Jesus Christ for the Lord knows what man endures. Like man, He was tempted in all points. In a basic sense, man’s temptations involve three distinct facets: “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). During the Lord’s earthly ministry, He faced and conquered temptation in each area (Matthew 4:1-11). As such, the Lord is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). He knows what it is like to face the temptation to depart from the will of God. He knows what it is like to be tempted to sin against the Heavenly Father. Yet, He differs from man in that His temptation was without the knowledge of sin, for He was victorious in all points.
The context of today’s passage confirms that it involves the temptation to do evil. This shows that the author of the temptation is not God, nor can it ever be Him in this context. The death of the one being tempted is the end result. This is why it is so very important for every believer to achieve a scriptural understanding of the source of his temptation. According to James 1:14, “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” The first step of any temptation is a drawing away. If a man refuses to be drawn away, he simply cannot be tempted to do wrong. If a man allows himself to be drawn away, the Devil’s next step involves enticement. It is often at this point that the Devil captures his prey leading him into sin.
Discerning the difference between the workings of God and the mischief of Satan sometimes serves as a difficult task for believers. Although the Devil is called the tempter in Matthew 4:3 and 1 Thessalonians 3:5, the Bible also shows that God uses temptation to try a man (Genesis 22:1). Other than the association to instigating temptation, God and Satan have no other common ground in this matter. The Devil’s motive and method of temptation is simply wicked. On the other hand, the Lord tempts only for the sake of trying one’s faith to bring about a righteous outcome. Do not discount the fact that God never tempted anyone with evil (James 1:13).
Loyalty is a godly trait, and like most godly traits, difficulties can accompany it. The story of David and Uriah serves as a prime example. David sinned against the Lord when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. His actions caused her to become expectant with child. In an attempt to cover his wickedness, he sent for Uriah, his faithful soldier. David knew that his only opportunity to hide his sin from man was for Uriah to go home to Bathsheba. However, Uriah was a faithful soldier. He simply refused to enjoy the comforts of being with his wife while his fellow soldiers were enduring the hardness of battle. Uriah instead chose to sleep at the door of the king’s house. This loyalty caused David to reevaluate his devious plan and escalate the consequences. He decided to order Uriah to the hottest part of the battle insuring certain death. It was not just the enemy that killed Uriah, but also his loyalty to an unfaithful man!
Sometimes the Bible conveys some disheartening truths including man’s inability to love the Lord during difficult times. Regrettably, believers are easily offended and sometimes even scattered from the Lord because of a lack of resolve. The Lord prophesied in Zechariah 13:7 concerning His followers’ reaction to His rejection. Though the Lord knows the future, consider how this rejection must have grieved Him when it actually transpired. At a time when any faithful disciple should have been loyal to his Master, those closest to the Lord were instead scattered. The One that fed them when they were hungry (Mark 6:35-44), healed family members when ill (Mark 1:29-31), calmed the troubled waters during the storms (Mark 4:37-41), and taught them many wonderful truths was now the cause of their offence.
