His Help in Temptation
As a young kid growing up singing the hymns and they would skip a verse or two I would read the verses skipped to see why, usually hoping for some bad words (I never found any). So let us look into why the TMS skipped verse 10.
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word. I have sought You with all my heart; don’t let me wander from Your commands. I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.”
Psalms 119:9-11 HCSB
And once again there are no bad words to make verse 10 skippable. But my theory since these verses were put together for scripture memory adding verse 10 would make it longer and harder to memorize. During college, I know some people would add verse 10 after they finished the whole TMS.
That is the way temptations work too. And a small amount of curiosity would entice someone to look into, try, or handle something.
“Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
Yes, the devil plays a part but he is not the only party involved.
“But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.”
James 1:14-15 HCSB
The devil did not make me. I wanted to see those bad words in the hymns.
So how does God help?
First, Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted. We all know the story from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Jesus faced at least three temptations and refused them all with the word of God, “It is written”. But He never was drawn away by His own evil desires! So therefore by the word of God, refusing the Devil’s lead, and turning off His fleshly desires Jesus was able to stand up under temptation.
Back to Psalm 119:9-11
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word. I have sought You with all my heart; don’t let me wander from Your commands. I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.”
Psalms 119:9-11 HCSB
I think we can see all three aspects of Jesus here too. Verse 9 speaks of the Word of God. Verse 10 speaks of letting God take the lead and not the devil. And verse 11 speaks to turning off our fleshly desires and turning on our desire for the word of God to lead us.
How does God the Father get involved in our temptation?
“No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone.”
God is not in temptation!
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 HCSB
But He is about bringing us a way out of our temptations.
How does God the Holy Spirit get involved in our temptation?
“Run from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.” On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 HCSB
He lives in us!
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit — the Father will send Him in My name — will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”
He reminds us of what we have heard from Jesus.
Do not give up in your temptation you are not alone! Friends, family, and your church may have forgotten you, but God is still with you!
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