Matthew 4:8-11 On a High Mountain
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 20, 2019, Matthew 4:8-11
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
(Understanding the Text) I think maybe the devil’s self-centeredness got the better of him here. He was bragging to Jesus that he was the ruler of this world and could give it to whomever he pleased. However, in the process of receiving a kingdom from the devil, Jesus would make himself a vassal of the person who gave him the kingdom, just as Adam and Eve did when they trusted Satan instead of trusting God. I have to wonder if the devil assumed by this point that Jesus was as ignorant of the way things work in the universe as most other humans were. If Jesus could be enticed to compromise just a little, He would be in Satan’s hands.
(Revelation of God) Jesus may not have known the total significance of what an act of worship would have entailed, but He knew the scriptures which were replete with examples of how much God hated idolatry and the bad results that came from worshiping false gods. This time, Jesus did not just respond with an “it is written” only but also told Satan to leave with power enough that Satan did leave.
(Understanding the Text) At that point, Jesus was on a very high mountain, starving with no way to get down and no food. I’m sure that the devil was not merciful enough to return Jesus to His original location in the Judean wilderness. I used to think that Jesus’ body had stayed in the wilderness the whole time and that He went in vision with the devil, but now I believe that these were physical trips and thus, when the devil left Him, Jesus was physically on a mountain far from His original starting point. This explains at least one reason why it was necessary for angels to come and minister to Jesus.
(Revelation of God) Did Jesus recognize the angels who came or did they have to re-introduce themselves to Him like an amnesiac? I kind of think it was the latter, but it may be that as He saw their faces, He remembered each one with love. Thus, the wilderness experience was a time to become reconnected in fuller strength with the Father through the indwelling of the Spirit, but it was also a time to become accustomed to interacting with angels and maybe remember past interactions with them.
(Application) My application for myself is that I might not know the deep significance of every action I take, but if I follow the simple commands of the Bible and the leading of the Spirit, I have everything I need to avoid a costly mistake that will have more far reaching results than I can imagine. I am often tempted to compromise because of the impossible restrictions that the world places on me, but God has outlined the manner in which I am to respond, and I need to follow those directions.
(Prayer) Teach me to react like Jesus did always giving my highest allegiance to You and never compromising my loyalty. I want to live as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven here on earth, but I often become confused about the right choices to make and how to interact with others. Show me the best path to take in the situations that I will be experiencing this week and give me confidence when I am representing You well. Help me not to stress over my job duties and activities. Instead, give me the knowledge that You are with me and that You will guide me and send angels to minister to me, if necessary. I want to serve You well in all that I do, and I want the strength and peace and joy that You have promised to Your loyal followers.