Daily Thoughts from Deuteronomy 4:34: Ordeals (Massot)

40 Ordeals (Massot)

Or has God ever tried to go and take for himself a nation from the very bowels of another nation, by means of ordeals, signs, wonders, war, a mighty hand, an outstretched arm and great terrors — like all that Yahweh your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

(D’varim 4:34)

It was the strangest thing, after all these days, to be awakened by hunger, gnawing, painful hunger.  Yesterday there was none, today it was all there was.  Even though he knew there was no food around he looked.  His craving was intense.  He could not remember ever being this hungry.

The fast was over.  Should he go find some animal and kill it for food?  That almost made him laugh.  He had no energy to hunt.  He could barely stand up.  This hunger was not giving him any strength, just desperation.

A noise outside the cave startled him.  Satan appeared at the mouth of the cave and with him an odd sense of energy lashing at him like sea waves.  It physically moved him and made his heart beat faster.  It did not take his hunger away or even make him forget it for an instant.  Hunger was the overwhelming constant.

“If you are the son of God, order these stones to become bread.”

What was he talking about?  Even as he thought it the satan pointed to some rocks lying just outside the cave.  They looked remarkably like baked loaves of bread, so much so that his mouth began watering.  But that made no sense.  He felt no power from the Spirit to perform such a miracle.  Was this really God’s provision for him?

Then it hit him.  Satan was suggesting that he could do this on his own.  Was that possible?  The son of man in Dani’el was divine, receiving worship from the nations.  David’s greater son, Messiach, was David’s lord.  Only God was greater than David.  Satan was telling him to use his divine nature to change those stones, to operate independently of the Father to meet his need.

“Father, is this how I should assuage this terrible hunger?  Is this what You would have me do?”

No answer.  But somehow he knew this was wrong.  Why else would the satan even suggest it?  If he were to act without the Father’s blessing and exercise his divine nature, something he had never even conceived of doing, it would be thwarting his Father’s bigger design for his life.  He was to be the template for Yisrael to follow, the mold into which they should be poured.  He was meant to exemplify life lived in dependence on Yahweh, not self.

But that stone looked so good.  He could feel the power inside him to speak that stone into bread, into the best bread he had ever tasted, warm bread dripping with butter, and those small stones there into grapes, cool and watery and sweet, and that stone there into cheese, a king’s feast.  He was the king, after all, was he not?

But he could not stomach following the lead of satan after all this time.  To do so was tantamount to acknowledging him as king.  His stomach was not happy with either choice, though it was begging for food.  What had Moshe taught him?

“A person does not live on food alone but on everything that comes from the mouth of Yahweh,” he uttered strongly, surprising even himself.

What was that look on satan’s face?  Was he sick?  Confused?  Angry?  No, murderous?  All of the above?  He could not read him.  He was certainly not rejoicing.

He became aware of that energy wave again, pulsing against him, when suddenly he felt caught up in it and transported.  He was moving through the sky at an impossible speed, leaving the yeshimon, confused as to where he actually was or if this was really happening to him.

Just as suddenly as he was caught up he found himself standing at a corner of the temple area that looked down into the Kidron.  It made him dizzy and he almost fell over the wall.  The satan caught him.

“If you are the son of God, jump, for scripture says ‘He will order his angels to be responsible for you and they will support you with their hands so that you will not hurt your feet on the stones.’”

Once again this suggestion seemed ridiculous until he began to think about it.  What if he did jump?  And what if everyone saw him jump and then saw his Father’s angels swoop down and rescue him before he broke upon the rocks below?  He could imagine the stir this would cause and how people would declare him Messiach, maybe even the Pharisees, too.  He wouldn’t have to preach a message that would get him killed.  He wouldn’t have to die.  How could they put to death someone whose Father was ready to rescue him that way?  Yes, they would feel the terror of him, as Yahweh said of Moshe.

He looked down at the people going about their business.  They were like shepherdless sheep.  This wasn’t the way his Father intended him to lead them.  Jumping to his death for this purpose would not be a fate the Father would rescue him from.  What had Moshe said?

“Scripture also says, ‘Do not put Yahweh your God to the test.’”

The satan definitely looked like he wanted to push him over the edge.  But then that ripple of energy captured him again and once more he was being transported through the air, stopping at the peak of a tall mountain.  Where was he?  Hermon?  It was icy and cold, snow everywhere.  But as he turned to survey his surroundings he was captivated by a vision.

There before him it was as if he could see every kingdom of mankind.  He saw beautiful and magnificent structures, temples and palaces.  He saw peoples of every color and hue arrayed in splendid garments and ready to march to war.  He saw rooms full of gold and silver.  He saw mighty steeds bearing gallant men and the banners of many nations.

And it filled his heart with wonder and awe.

“I will give you all this if you will bow down and worship me.”

Of course!  That was the price.  The satan would not give anyone anything out of love, like his Father did.  He wanted the kingdom, nothing less.  And he believed he could give it, probably through more tricks like jumping off the pinnacle of the temple or by showing people these amazing images.  He had a power, all right, but it was not the real power.

Suddenly he knew it was over.  He had been tempted with every possible temptation by the tempter himself.  The fisherman’s net was spread there in front of him and he had been tempted to swim into it but had chosen not to.  He would not take the kingdom any other way than as his Father directed.  He would suffer death on behalf of his people to secure the kingdom.

“Leave me, satan, for Scripture says, ‘Worship Yahweh your God and serve Him only.’”

And just like that he was back at the cave.  That feeling of waves of energy was gone and so was satan.  He had won the battle.  He felt at peace and he felt desperately hungry.

“Really, Father, I have to still be so hungry?”

He laughed.  It was over.  He’d never felt so relieved and so hungry at the same time.

“Thank you, Father.”

“You’re welcome, my Son.”

And with that waves of energy returned, but this time it was his Father’s angels.  They came with food and comfort and healing.  Hmm, he was walking out of here after all.