- The Premise: Satan had come to realise that Y‘shua could not be deceived. Satan now puts aside
the deception and lays all his cards on the table. In offering Y‘shua the kingdoms of the world, Satan
proposes to exchange that which was his most valued possession for that which he most diligently aspired,
the worship of YHWH Himself. There are no refinement here, no deceptions, just a hard-nosed business
proposal: Give up your kingdom for mine, the future for the present, with only the bow of the knee. Satan had
desired to be ―like the most high‖ (Isaiah 14:12-14), to exercise the prerogatives and privileges of YHWH. To
receive homage from Messiah would be worth any price. - The Potential Outcome: To once bow the knee to Satan is to forever be in his service. Y‘shua‘s
kingdom would have been one of fallen men in rebellion against Himself. To serve Satan would have been
YHWH in rebellion against Himself—something inconceivable. - The Principle: Before we deal with the principles of Scripture which Y‘shua did employ, let me
suggest another passage which makes Satan‘s proposal preposterous and ludicrous. It is a passage, which
Y‘shua may well have been meditating upon during the forty days in the wilderness. Psalm 2 was directly
alluded to by the testimony of the Father at Y‘shua‘s baptism. A look at the entire Psalm gives ample reason
for Y‘shua‘s rejection of Satan‘s scheme.
If you will look at this Psalm in your Bibles, you will see that the present state of the world is described. In
verses 1-3, the nations are in an uproar, in open rebellion against YHWH and His Messiah. Such is the
kingdom which Satan offers in exchange for Messiah‘s Kingdom. In verses 4-6, YHWH laughs at man‘s
rebellion and promises to bring the world into subjection through His ―anointed‖. In verses 7-9, Messiah
speaks and promises to declare YHWH‘s decree to men because of His divine appointment. But note,
especially, verse 8:
―Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession‖. (Psalm 2:8)
Think of it: YHWH invites His Messiah to ask of Him, and He will give the nations as an inheritance. Satan
offered his broken-down kingdom; YHWH offers the nations. How hollow Satan‘s offer must have sounded in
contrast to that of Psalm 2, a Psalm which must have been prominent in Y‘shua‘s thinking!
One final comment about Psalm 2—look at verses 11 and 12:
(11) ―Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
(12) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a
little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him‖.
Verses 11-12 give the response appropriate to those in opposition to YHWH and His Messiah. Worship Him!
Do homage to Him! Fear His anger! Serve Him! Think of it: Satan had the arrogance to request worship from
Messiah, rather than to fall before Him.
Now the principles which Y‘shua applies to this situation: The first principle is that YHWH alone is to be
worshipped. Here is where Messianic faith departs from other ―religions‖. Many world religions gladly add
Y‘shua to their host of deities, but YHWH demands exclusive obedience and worship. James Stewart puts it
clearly: ―Very nobly the early Church followed its master there. It is an extraordinarily significant fact that of
all the new religions that came pouring out of the East in the early centuries the religion of Jesus was the
only one to arouse real persecution. When the religions of Osiris, Cybele, and other gods and goddesses
came, Rome welcomed them all with open arms. But when the lonely God from Palestine came and the
Nazarene‘s name was first heard on the imperial streets, Rome girded herself to fight him to the death. Why?
It was because Osiris and the rest were content to live together and share the honors, but the young
God with the nail prints in his hand would not live together or share the honors with any. From the
day of Jesus‟ decision in the desert the demand of his religion was all or nothing”. James S. Stewart,
The Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ (Nashville: Abingdon, 1978), pp. 49-50. In His humanity, Y‘shua could
not submit to or worship any other than the Father.
The second principle is that worship necessitates service. Satan requested what appeared to be only a
momentary act of worship, a mere bending of the knee. But such is never the case with true worship: ―You
shall worship the Lord Your God, and serve Him only‖ (Matt 4:10).
True worship involves service. Satan hoped Y‘shua would underestimate the implications of bowing the knee
in worship.
Overview of the temptations
Let‘s take a look at the temptation of Y‘shua as a whole. Several striking features are apparent.
- The temptation is not evil in and of itself. Y‘shua was ―Spirit-led‖ to be tempted. What Satan meant
as a temptation, YHWH used as a test. The actual Greek word rendered ―to tempt‖ or ―to test‖ is actually the
same. Only the context dictates whether the sense is a ―test of character‖ or ―a solicitation to sin
(temptation)‖. What YHWH intends as a test, Satan may exploit as a temptation. But YHWH never tempts us
to sin (James 1:13). While Satan seeks to cause the saint to fail, YHWH strives to bring about greater faith.
Temptation is a part of YHWH‘s program in the life of the saint for his growth, and His glory.