In the Wilderness

In the Wilderness, Luke 4:1-15(4:1-2a)
1 THEN JESUS, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit
2 For (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert), where He was tempted (tried, tested exceedingly) by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, He was hungry. [Deut 9:9; 1 Kings 19:8.]
3 Then the devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, order this stone to turn into a loaf [of bread].
4 And Jesus replied to him, It is written, Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by every word and expression of God. [Deut 8:3.]
5 Then the devil took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time [in the twinkling of an eye].
6 And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will.
7 Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours.
8 And Jesus replied to him, Get behind Me, Satan! It is written, You shall do homage to and worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. [Deut 6:13; 10:20.]
9 Then he took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on a gable of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down from here;
10 For it is written, He will give His angels charge over you to guard and watch over you closely and carefully;
11 And on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. [Ps 91:11,12.]
12 And Jesus replied to him, [The Scripture] says, You shall not tempt (try, test exceedingly) the Lord your God. [Deut 6:16.]
13 And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.
14 Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about.
15 And He Himself conducted [a course of] teaching in their synagogues, being recognized and honored and praised by all. AMP
There are several points of worth noting in this passage, so I have expanded our study beyond the original to help us benefit from them.
1. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and then after being tested and using God’s Word to battle the Devil with the sword of the Spirit came out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit.
2. Once He had fought and won with the Word of God he went up in power to teach in the Synagogue and people honored Him because of God’s favor, honor or glory upon Him.
3. When tempted He let the devil know he was using the Word and authority of God to answer by using a phrase common in Jewish teaching “it is written,” which signified that He was quoting the Word breathed by God to Hid servants.
4. Satan attempted to give Him everything that Satan thought Jesus wanted; only to be rebuked by the Word of God, which demonstrated that what Jesus wanted most was to do the will of the father.
5. He was able to sand against the devil by God’s authority in the Word and by the work of the Holy spirit in His life.
6. Jesus defeated the devils plans in the wilderness, but the Word lets us know that he only went away until there was a more opportune time to defeat or delay God’s purpose through Jesus. This is a warning to us to be on guard so that the world, the flesh and the devil cannot find a more opportune time to defeat or delay God’s purpose in us. We must be on guard and watch over the five gates into our lives, which are our five senses.
7. The wilderness is a place where God can speak to us and minister to us in awesome ways. It is also a place where the attacks of the enemy can be defeated as we fight using the Sword of the Spirit as we are empowered by the Spirit of God. These battles equip us to do great exploits for our God!