"My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread."Job 23:11-13
Just after Jesus was baptized he was "driven by the Spirit" into the wilderness to be tempted. It was when he was tired and hungry, after forty days of fasting, that the tempter came with his best shot. Temptation always seems to come when we are tired, hungry, lonely, or angry.
Satan means "adversary," the one who stands against. Think about the times when you have given in to temptation... temptation to give up, or to do something you know isn't right, or not to do something you know is right. I would be willing to bet that most of the time we give in its because we have been worn down in some way and we are not prepared. It is the perfect time for an adversary to come at us.
What defended Jesus? What allowed him to say to the Devil; "It is written, man does not live on bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4)? It was deep well of the scriptures written upon his heart. Jesus replies to each temptation with "It is written" because he was nourished by them.
Job, in defending his innocence, points to the same kind of lifestyle. One in which the instruction of God is worth more that daily bread. A life devoted to, in Greek "Zoe" life rather than "Bios" life. The kind of Life that Jesus brings abundantly and is more that just biological.
What would it look like if we treasured the words from God's mouth more than our daily bread? What could our neighborhoods or workplaces, schools or homes be like if we followed closely in God's footsteps today?
May we have the resources to withstand the temptation to be less than God made us to be by clinging to his every word today.
In Jesus' Name
Amen
