Be. Become. Do. - Day 02
Day 02 - Tuesday, September 12
Read Matthew 3 & 4
Highlight
The Temptation of Jesus is a fascinating passage of Scripture. To understand what’s happening, one of the important things to remember is that Jesus is the fulfillment of not only Old Testament prophecies, but also the one who does perfectly what others have failed to do. In Exodus 4:22, the nation of Israel is called “God’s son,” but ultimately Israel fails to obey their Father. In the Temptation, Jesus is the better Israel who succeeds where they failed. Jesus was taken into the wilderness after his baptism like Israel was led into the wilderness after their deliverance from Egypt. Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness; Jesus spent 40 days. All of the Scripture references quoted by Jesus are from Deuteronomy 6-8, which is a period of time when Israel faced its early testing. In every way, Jesus succeeds where we have failed and is the fulfillment of all the things that God originally intended for us.
Jesus’ obedience is rewarded just like ours will ultimately be. He refused to relieve his hunger by miraculously turning stones into bread; now he is fed supernaturally. He had refused to throw himself off the temple heights in the hope of angelic help; now the angels feed him. He had refused to take a shortcut to inherit the kingdom of the world; now he announces the arrival of God’s Kingdom. The temptation to seize what God ultimately will freely give is something we must all resist.
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers. (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8)
Read Matthew 3 & 4
Highlight
The Temptation of Jesus is a fascinating passage of Scripture. To understand what’s happening, one of the important things to remember is that Jesus is the fulfillment of not only Old Testament prophecies, but also the one who does perfectly what others have failed to do. In Exodus 4:22, the nation of Israel is called “God’s son,” but ultimately Israel fails to obey their Father. In the Temptation, Jesus is the better Israel who succeeds where they failed. Jesus was taken into the wilderness after his baptism like Israel was led into the wilderness after their deliverance from Egypt. Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness; Jesus spent 40 days. All of the Scripture references quoted by Jesus are from Deuteronomy 6-8, which is a period of time when Israel faced its early testing. In every way, Jesus succeeds where we have failed and is the fulfillment of all the things that God originally intended for us.
Jesus’ obedience is rewarded just like ours will ultimately be. He refused to relieve his hunger by miraculously turning stones into bread; now he is fed supernaturally. He had refused to throw himself off the temple heights in the hope of angelic help; now the angels feed him. He had refused to take a shortcut to inherit the kingdom of the world; now he announces the arrival of God’s Kingdom. The temptation to seize what God ultimately will freely give is something we must all resist.
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers. (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8)
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