by Randal Matheny

Ten awesome plagues. Pharoah finally gives in to Moses' demand and releases the children of Israel. God grants them favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, who give them silver, gold, and clothing. They see appear before them the Lord in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light.

Egypt behind them, freedom up ahead. ". . . the sons of Israel were going out boldly" (Ex. 14:8, NASU).

What a heady feeling it must have been! Clutching their firstborn children, the Israelites get their first taste of victory and freedom.

Until the wind changes quickly.

A sudden change of heart whips Pharoah into a rage, who gathers all his horses and chariots and races after his fleeing slaves.

"As Pharoah drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord" (Ex. 14:10). And they complain bitterly to Moses, thinking their end has come.

When no one is chasing you, you can puff out your chest and feel on top of the world. But when the enemy arms to the teeth and bears down upon you, how will you then hold up?

A little verse from Proverbs rings continually in my ears.

"If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!" (24.10, NIV)

When Satan throws all he's got at you, stand up in the strength of the Lord and face him squarely. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7b). The time to be bold is when the enemy presses upon you.

When the Israelites faltered, Moses roused them to faith.

"Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent" (Ex. 14:13-14).

With the Lord on your side, you may march out boldly, when the enemy is hot on your heels or when all is quiet around you. For you know the battle belongs to him.

"The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol Him. The Lord is a warrior; The Lord is his name." (Ex. 15:2-3)

Part 2: The Divine Character by Randal Matheny

[Note: Here's the link to Part 1: The Divine Perspective.]

As is true of every aspect of Christianity, winning over temptation depends upon the character of God. Paul knows this as he affirms that "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able" (1 Cor. 10:13 NASU).

So overcoming temptation depends not only upon adopting the divine perspective, but relying upon the divine character.

God Points the Way

From the beginning, the Lord has pointed man to the way of righteousness. When Cain showed signs of wandering, the Lord confronted his anger with the need to repent and choose good over evil.

"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it" (Gen. 4:7).

Never has God led man into sin (Jas. 1:13-15). He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11). He does not wish that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Pet. 3.9).

Isaiah speaks in terms that give a different impression. "Why, O Lord, do You cause us to stray from Your ways and harden our heart from fearing you?" (Is. 63:17). But as the Lord insisted they repent, their sins multiplied and God gave them up to judgment (Rom. 1:22-32). His continued chastisement resulted in their straying further away from him.

So the Lord promises to help man overcome temptation. He has always fulfilled this promise and will continue to do so.

Divine Limits Show Divine Purpose

God does permit that we be tempted. He respects our free will. He encourages us to do right. So that we may be able to choose what is right, he imposes limits and restraints upon what Satan can do, just as he did during Job's trials.

This divine permission and restriction of Satanic effort shows that the Lord is in charge of the whole process. Our verse says, "he will not allow." Thus, God is in the temptation, not to lead us to sin, but to bring us through it strengthened in our resolve to love and serve him.

God Showed Faithfulness in Jesus' Temptation

The Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness in order to be tempted (Mat. 4:1-11). On the face of it, God appears to be against his Son, but the leading actually reveals his faithful presence in order that he may win over Satan and fulfill his mission in the world. The confrontation is inevitable, and though we might shrink from it, God's Spirit leads us to meet it head-on.

Many think of angels as protectors from evil, but the angels came to serve Jesus after Satan had already left him (v. 11). Our Lord had One greater than the angels to help him at the critical moment. He counted on the faithfulness of his Father.

Though Satan was slinging him around from one end of the world to the other, the powerful Word of God brought him the unfailing power of the Creator to defeat the tempter.

With this confidence in the faithfulness of the sovereign God, Zacharias praised his salvation,

"To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days." (Luke 1:74-75).

This thought will take us to the next installment: The Divine Escape.

by Randal Matheny

"Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece." --Ralph Charell

The above quote tells us not to let ourselves be passive pawns, but shakers and movers. Be the one to call the shots. But even there, the game still continues.

Good advice warns away from the herd mentality. The Bible also speaks to the same effect.

• "You shall not follow the masses in doing evil" (Ex. 23:2 NASU).

• "My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent" (Prov. 1:10).

• "And do not be conformed to this world" (Rom. 12:2).

Yes, avoid the crowd, but instead of independent thinking (read Jer. 10:23) and aspiring to control, submit yourself to the Lord and place your trust in his sovereign power to guide all events and people to the final goal.

". . . He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Submit therefore to God" (Jas. 4:6-7a).

Part 1: The Divine Perspective by Randal Matheny

How many times have you seen the cartoons of a man with two strange little creatures sitting on his shoulders? On his (right, I assume) shoulder, a little angel whispers in his hear, encouraging him to do what's right. On his other shoulder, a little devil, complete with horns and tail, entices him to do wrong.

That little scene sticks with us, because the tug-and-pull of temptation, besides occupying plenty of space in Scripture, represents a basic element in the life of those who strive to serve God.

An important passage in this struggle is 1 Corinthians 10:11-14.

Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. (NASU)

When temptation whispers in our ear, we tend to concentrate on the action of Satan to draw us away. But this passage teaches us to see the divine.

The Divine Perspective

When we feel the intensity of temptation or the sorrow of suffering, we often tell ourselves, "Nobody has been through what I'm undergoing. Nobody knows how I feel. I'm the only one who has such a rough time."

Perhaps that's because we cannot delve into the hearts and minds of others. But God can. Here's his conclusion:

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man."

Unlike us, God knows every heart and reads every mind. He knows that the pressure of temptation we feel is common to all. Literally, all temptation is "human," within the human experience and, consequently, within the human capacity to endure.

As a side note, if anyone felt a greater intensity of temptation, it would have been Jesus, who never gave in. And because he never surrendered, he would have felt the full force of Satan's efforts. Those of us who do not resist all temptation to the end have never felt its fiercest fury.

Another side note: Like Adam and Eve before us, we tend to blame the devil for the temptation. But the Lord says to look to our own inner workings, for temptation is human, that is, it arises from our desires and passions. Or, as James puts it, "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust" (Jas. 1:14).

So the first step in overcoming temptation is to see the divine perspective: Temptation is common to us all. And that means, no pity party for me.

Next up: The Divine Character

by Randal Matheny

[Note: This is an extended article of the one posted on the Random Variables weblog.]

In his book The Bible Jesus Read, Philip Yancey lauds the varied expressions in Psalms as people of faith grappled with life's realities. Joy mixed with pain, protest alongside praise, agony and ecstasy together. Indeed, the Bible has its feet on the ground.

Joy and peace do not come at the expense of ignoring the tough issues and the afflictions of our passage through this world. On the contrary, Jesus' suffering brings us face to face with sin's deepest horrors while it breaks the darkness with divine light.

Christians, therefore, are the true realists. Atheists must ignore a universe of evidence for the existence of God. Optimists must close their eyes to human inequalities and social injustices. Pleasure-seekers must pretend there is no accounting for deeds done in the body. Secularists must squelch the cry of eternity emanating from the heart.

This holy realism girds up wisdom and spurns folly. Long ago a man of God made this connection, "The impious fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1, NEB).

Denial of reality comes in many forms. But in every case it bubbles up into foolishness. For as long and hard as one may deny reality, God (not reality) will not deny himself nor his law at work. Denial of reality is actually denial of God's ways and rebellion against his person. The fool of Psalm 14 does not lack rational sense, but moral integrity.

"How vile men are, how depraved and loathsome; not one does anything good!" (v. 2).

The fool refuses to learn when reality knocks him for a loop. He insists he will succeed by going his way -- as he drives off a cliff that, supposedly, isn't there.

When God's people deal with reality, they take several lines of approach.

• They agonize over what men do against what God wants.

• They analyze what is and compare it with what should be.

• They mourn what man has become in light of what he was created to be.

• They view the happenings of time and space within the framework of eternity.

• They rejoice at the goodness of God winning over the human perversity.

• They weigh the purposes of the heart in the balance of God's plan.

• They perceive the hand of God making good sprout from evil deeds.

• They exult in being new creatures in Christ as they face the dissolution of creation.

• With righteousness controlling their lives, they would hasten God's intervention to vanquish evil.

As God's people understand the full gamut of reality, their emotions range the complete keyboard of expression. Feelings and thoughts, motives and purposes, are all laid before the Sovereign's throne.

During his ministry, Jesus also felt the range of emotions. He got angry at the hypocrisy of religious authorities, frustrated at his disciples' slowness, exasperated at lack of faith. He showed tenderness to immoral women, love to lovers of money, and compassion to the suffering and mourning. He cried before a friend's tomb. He agonized with three disciples and drenched himself in sweat during prayer.

So Christians, like Israel before them and like their Savior whose example they follow, may cry, doubt, plead, and protest to their Maker. In so doing, they show their full humanity working toward holiness and demonstrate that they, above all others, are taking life as it is in full account and placing it squarely at the feet of him who can perform immeasurably more than any can ask or conceive.