Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-24

Historys decisive battle was fought
in the wilderness of Judea. Our lesson
calls for us to consider that contest and
to behold, Sympathize with and get
instruction and comfort from our
Savior's temptation. Immediately fol-
lowing His baptism, our Master, under
the urge of the Holy Spirit, went into
the neighboring wilderness, that He
might determine upon the mission that
had been assigned to Him when the
Father acknowledged Him to be His
Son and He was endued with the Power
of the Holy Spirit.
His retirement enabled Jesus by pray
er and meditation upon Gods word to
better understand His mission and mes
sage. Following the example of Moses
and Elijah, He tasted for forty days
and nights. During this period He con-
centrated his whole thought upon solv-
ing the problems presented to Him by
His experience at the Jordan. He had
to settle how He was to use the power
God had entrusted to Him. The subtle
suggestions of Satan were each made
in an endeavor to persuade Christ to
use His divine power in selfish way.
Meaning of the Temptation.
Our Lords experience in the wilder
ness gave Satan all the advantage that
Mark, the Master faced temptation
throughout the whole period that He
was trying to settle His course of action
by prayer, fasting and meditation upon
Gods word The battle that was des-
tined to determine the deStinieS of the
world came at the conclusion of the
forty days, when Satan deliberately
tried to influence Jesus to do the will
of the prince of the power of the air
"a az t. -N- 10 Inf fnl
the Lord Jesus. Two mighty personal
tiles fought out the battle of human
destiny at the very threshold of Christ's
ministry. We should seek to learn from
the victory of the Master how we, when
we are tempted, can overcome.
In that conflict Jesus fought to free
man from the power of Satanic control
He sought by His ministry to re-
establish human righteousness. 1t
called for Him to win just where man
had failed. He was limited with all the
could be tempted in all points, like we
are" Satan had already pulled men
down by temptations, so that they had
sinned and were assured of reaping the
wages of sin in death. Man was hope
lessly lost if the Lord failed 1t was
therefore at the point of His being the
divine Son that Satan challenged the
power and authority OF Jesus. he Lrleu
to raise doubts in Christ's mind. so
that He would apostatize from God
and accept Satans mastery. Whenever
we doubt God and His word We are
but a step away from sin. Without
faith in Christ Jesus as our Lord, and
confidence in His leadership we will
make a wreck of our lives when we
are tempted We can not escape being
tried and tested by Satan. It is no
sin to be tempted Sin results from
our allowing the devil to influence us
so that we obey him rather than God
Physical Appeal.
Satan made his physical appeal at
the psychological moment. The tempter
saw that Jesus was commencing to
hunger. Stones shaped in appearance
like the bread of the land were scat
tered all around. A hungry man would
naturally wish that the stones were
bread. 1t was a subtle suggestion that
Satan put to the Master. The Devil
knew that Jesus was the Son of God
and he tried to make Christ doubt
Gods revelation made at the Jordan.
The tempter's suggestion was in mod
ern speech, IF God were your father,
he would not permit you to suffer by
starvation in this wilderness. Why not
prove your sonShip by commanding
that these stones be made bread so as
to satisfy your appetizer"