Matthew 6:13

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

If you are reading this blog daily, you will see that this verse is an extension of the subject of temptation I wrote about yesterday. Today’s verse is a short one that is a familiar line from “The Lord’s Prayer”.  But what does it mean?  Does God sometimes actually lead us into temptation and therefore we need to ask him not to?  It’s important here to look at this passage in context of the rest of Scripture. James 1:13-14 says:“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” So, what does this mean?  As I have been reading and researching this, it is important to look at this part of the Lord’s Prayer as one statement, not two. This petition is about battling and defeating the evil one, satan.  In fact, the Greek word used here for “evil” can probably be more accurately translated “evil one”.  If you read yesterday’s blog, you may remember that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  Jesus was victorious, and that victory can be ours, too.  So, I believe what we are asking God is that He helps us to not allow our own desires to lead us into a place of temptation but that we would be delivered from the evil one.  

I found that this verse is actually a Hebrew idiom called a strong “dialectical negation” where a seemingly negative statement is related to an ultimate positive to establish extreme emphasis. It might be helpful to look at another passage that uses the same kind of language.  Psalm 51:1-2 says: “Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”  Surely God is not going to cast us away from His presence or take His Holy Spirit from us.  But this passage is written to make us realize the extreme emphasis of the joy of our salvation and having a willing spirit.  So, it could be read like this:  “Rather than experiencing the absence of your presence or your Holy Spirit; instead, help me experience the joy of my salvation and a willing spirit to follow after you.”  So today’s Scripture could be read like this:  Instead of being in a place of temptation, deliver me from the evil one and give me victory like Jesus’. I also like the way the New Living Translation says it: “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

That’s a lot of explanation and observation of a simple verse.  The real issue is: “How do we apply this?”  We all face temptations. The question is….what do we do when we are tempted? In yesterday’s blog, I wrote about different ways we might be tempted as Jesus was with a reminder to do what Jesus did…. Speak God’s Word into the situation.  That necessarily means that we should be familiar with God’s Word so we can turn to it and be victorious. Psalm 119:11 says: “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”  That is so important!!!!  If we don’t have God’s Word in our heart from reading and meditating on it daily, it will be hard for us to resist temptation and sin.

I also like what it says in 1 Peter 5:8-9: ^“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”  So, we can ask ourselves each day: “Am I alert to what the devil might tempt me to do?  Do I recognize my enemy’s tactics?”  He will probably be going after areas of weakness in our life.  And when we find ourselves in the middle of a temptation, what do we do?  Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”  I encourage you to read through this entire section of Ephesians 6 and practice putting on the armor of God.  It will make you strong and victorious.  And like it says at the end of this passage, don’t forget to pray!  And be persistent in your prayers!  So, when we face temptation, we can ask God for victory over the temptation through His Word and prayer and by putting on the armor of God.

How can we defeat our enemy? We’ve already looked at the importance of God’s Word. Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us good advice regarding temptation.   I won’t copy the whole section here, but please consider these excerpts: “

Let’s do just that….pray! Heavenly Father, we pray that you will give us the strength to not yield to temptation.  Equip us with your Word and prayer.  Enable us to put on the full armor of God every day to stand firm against the evil one who tempts and attacks us.  Even though we cannot see with our human eyes what is happening in the spiritual world around us, we know that there are battles taking place all the time.  You are the Lord of Hosts or armies.  We pray for you to fight our battles against our enemy and show us victory.  Thank you that you won the ultimate battle against the devil when you died on the on the cross and said, “It is finished.”  And in by resurrection our ultimate victory is secured.  Help me to remember that every day and live in that victory.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Paul Hoemann