Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
The Christ whom the verse forbids tempting was Israel's invisible Leader and instructor in the wilderness, leading them toward Canaan and training them through Moses. To tempt Him was to test Him by disobedience, murmuring and complaining, rebellious discontent, ingratitude and idolatry, and those who did so were destroyed of serpents and left to perish in the wilderness without reaching Canaan. With lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication and murmuring, this tempting shows that God's judgments follow close upon heinous sin. The whole history was chronicled and faithfully narrated as an example and admonition upon those on whom the ends of the world are come. Therefore believers have no excuse for unbelief and self-exaltation, but must remain separate from the world, flee idolatry and shun evil, watch soberly against Satan's renewed snares, and trust that God is faithful to make a way of escape from temptation.
Israel Tempted Christ
The Christ who must not be tempted was Israel's invisible leader and instructor in the wilderness, present with Moses and Joshua leading the chosen people toward Canaan. He was their Leader and Commander, training and educating them line upon line and precept upon precept through Moses to form right traits of character and prepare them to enter the promised land, permitting trials so they would learn how to conduct themselves under difficulties and gather strength for each successive march. Murmuring and complaining against Moses was sin against Christ and not merely against a man, for the transgression was directed against Christ Himself, who bore their iniquities and suffered on their account more intensely than Moses did. This was done despite witnessing God's power and receiving His care, and the failure of nearly all who left Egypt to reach Canaan was boasted by Satan as proof that the Son of God was weaker than himself and unable to resist his power and lead His people into the land.
To tempt Him was to test Him through disobedience and rebellion and refusal of His arrangements. It was murmuring and complaining, rebellious discontent, ingratitude and idolatry, and refusal to be converted from evil ways. Appetite-led indulgence belonged to this tempting, for indulgence in the wilderness led to grievous sin and brought wrath, showing the power of temptation through appetite.
Those who so tempted Him were destroyed of serpents, killed and overthrown so that their polluted bodies were left in the wilderness to perish there. Nearly all who left Egypt died without reaching Canaan, while those who were obedient were sustained and strengthened by God. Those obedient ones were made light-bearers to the nations through whose land they passed.
This tempting stands with the other wilderness sins of lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication in which three and twenty thousand fell in one day, and murmuring punished by the destroyer. Together they show that with many God was not well pleased, and that His judgments follow close upon heinous sin with signal manifestation of His displeasure.
Warning for Last Days
The entire wilderness history was chronicled to serve as a school of preparation for Canaan and is faithfully narrated as examples and admonition upon those on whom the ends of the world are come, for the Israel of God till the close of time. That history includes the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, the long wanderings with exposure to hunger, thirst and weariness, striking manifestations of divine power for relief, and the punishment and overthrow of unbelieving transgressors in the wilderness. The lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication in which punishment fell so heavily, murmuring, and tempting Christ with destruction by serpents all happened together as one connected warning, showing that judgment follows close upon heinous sin. The experience of Israel resembles the journey of Christians in every age, and must be heeded to avoid rebellion and testing Christ through disobedience.
Therefore there is no excuse for turning from known counsels, reproofs, warnings and judgments to exalt self and follow a wicked course and unbelief in defiance of God's words. Continuing in such a course after known reproof leaves a person so that the Lord Jesus cannot accept such service without genuine conversion, and those who tread the same path of unbelief, discard His messages, fail to improve precious opportunities and meet present requirements, and fail as missionaries cannot escape the sure result. With this history before them believers must study the Bible rather than men's experience, review it with a humble teachable spirit, and benefit from the recorded experiences from age to age showing the unchangeableness of truth. They must trust that God is faithful not to allow temptation beyond what can be borne but to make a way of escape, and heed that whoever thinks he stands must take heed lest he fall.
The verse calls believers not to depart from God and mingle with the world but to remain separate, recognize and shun evil, flee from idolatry and put away influences that divert the mind from God's service and lead into sin. Those living in the last days must refuse to become so like the world in practice that God's denominated people cannot be found, to sell peculiar characteristics as God's chosen people for worldly advantage, to value the favor of transgressors of God's law, to suppose any power higher than the great I AM, or to blot out distinguishing points of faith. Safety is found only in standing constantly in the light of God's countenance and heeding the same injunctions given to Israel.
The snares laid by Satan for Israel just before entering Canaan are laid again for God's people, and their history of temptation and judgment is being repeated as a warning to watch soberly and stand firm. That repetition is shown in lightness, vanity, love of ease and pleasure, selfishness and impurity, and in rejecting guidance, acting independently and refusing counsel, which leads to ruin. Backsliding from reform by eating and drinking as one pleases repeats the forty years of wilderness travel and leads to growing carelessness of other phases of present truth, and those who sow in this way will surely reap as sown. The verse teaches that the wages of sin is death, that retributive justice never fails and strict regard for God's commandments is exacted, which should both warn against unbelief to escape wrath and encourage desponding hearts to rise above evil nature by grace and renew the conflict. God therefore designs that there be men to reprove sin and wrong, that His people be awake and not stupid or asleep to errors and sins among them, always having those who stand in defense of the right to oppose wrong and repress sin and corruption.
The Christ whom the verse forbids tempting was Israel's invisible Leader and instructor in the wilderness, leading them toward Canaan and training them through Moses. To tempt Him was to test Him by disobedience, murmuring and complaining, rebellious discontent, ingratitude and idolatry, and those who did so were destroyed of serpents and left to perish in the wilderness without reaching Canaan. With lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication and murmuring, this tempting shows that God's judgments follow close upon heinous sin. The whole history was chronicled and faithfully narrated as an example and admonition upon those on whom the ends of the world are come. Therefore believers have no excuse for unbelief and self-exaltation, but must remain separate from the world, flee idolatry and shun evil, watch soberly against Satan's renewed snares, and trust that God is faithful to make a way of escape from temptation.
Israel Tempted Christ
The Christ who must not be tempted was Israel's invisible leader and instructor in the wilderness, present with Moses and Joshua leading the chosen people toward Canaan. He was their Leader and Commander, training and educating them line upon line and precept upon precept through Moses to form right traits of character and prepare them to enter the promised land, permitting trials so they would learn how to conduct themselves under difficulties and gather strength for each successive march. Murmuring and complaining against Moses was sin against Christ and not merely against a man, for the transgression was directed against Christ Himself, who bore their iniquities and suffered on their account more intensely than Moses did. This was done despite witnessing God's power and receiving His care, and the failure of nearly all who left Egypt to reach Canaan was boasted by Satan as proof that the Son of God was weaker than himself and unable to resist his power and lead His people into the land.
To tempt Him was to test Him through disobedience and rebellion and refusal of His arrangements. It was murmuring and complaining, rebellious discontent, ingratitude and idolatry, and refusal to be converted from evil ways. Appetite-led indulgence belonged to this tempting, for indulgence in the wilderness led to grievous sin and brought wrath, showing the power of temptation through appetite.
Those who so tempted Him were destroyed of serpents, killed and overthrown so that their polluted bodies were left in the wilderness to perish there. Nearly all who left Egypt died without reaching Canaan, while those who were obedient were sustained and strengthened by God. Those obedient ones were made light-bearers to the nations through whose land they passed.
This tempting stands with the other wilderness sins of lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication in which three and twenty thousand fell in one day, and murmuring punished by the destroyer. Together they show that with many God was not well pleased, and that His judgments follow close upon heinous sin with signal manifestation of His displeasure.
Warning for Last Days
The entire wilderness history was chronicled to serve as a school of preparation for Canaan and is faithfully narrated as examples and admonition upon those on whom the ends of the world are come, for the Israel of God till the close of time. That history includes the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, the long wanderings with exposure to hunger, thirst and weariness, striking manifestations of divine power for relief, and the punishment and overthrow of unbelieving transgressors in the wilderness. The lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication in which punishment fell so heavily, murmuring, and tempting Christ with destruction by serpents all happened together as one connected warning, showing that judgment follows close upon heinous sin. The experience of Israel resembles the journey of Christians in every age, and must be heeded to avoid rebellion and testing Christ through disobedience.
Therefore there is no excuse for turning from known counsels, reproofs, warnings and judgments to exalt self and follow a wicked course and unbelief in defiance of God's words. Continuing in such a course after known reproof leaves a person so that the Lord Jesus cannot accept such service without genuine conversion, and those who tread the same path of unbelief, discard His messages, fail to improve precious opportunities and meet present requirements, and fail as missionaries cannot escape the sure result. With this history before them believers must study the Bible rather than men's experience, review it with a humble teachable spirit, and benefit from the recorded experiences from age to age showing the unchangeableness of truth. They must trust that God is faithful not to allow temptation beyond what can be borne but to make a way of escape, and heed that whoever thinks he stands must take heed lest he fall.
The verse calls believers not to depart from God and mingle with the world but to remain separate, recognize and shun evil, flee from idolatry and put away influences that divert the mind from God's service and lead into sin. Those living in the last days must refuse to become so like the world in practice that God's denominated people cannot be found, to sell peculiar characteristics as God's chosen people for worldly advantage, to value the favor of transgressors of God's law, to suppose any power higher than the great I AM, or to blot out distinguishing points of faith. Safety is found only in standing constantly in the light of God's countenance and heeding the same injunctions given to Israel.
The snares laid by Satan for Israel just before entering Canaan are laid again for God's people, and their history of temptation and judgment is being repeated as a warning to watch soberly and stand firm. That repetition is shown in lightness, vanity, love of ease and pleasure, selfishness and impurity, and in rejecting guidance, acting independently and refusing counsel, which leads to ruin. Backsliding from reform by eating and drinking as one pleases repeats the forty years of wilderness travel and leads to growing carelessness of other phases of present truth, and those who sow in this way will surely reap as sown. The verse teaches that the wages of sin is death, that retributive justice never fails and strict regard for God's commandments is exacted, which should both warn against unbelief to escape wrath and encourage desponding hearts to rise above evil nature by grace and renew the conflict. God therefore designs that there be men to reprove sin and wrong, that His people be awake and not stupid or asleep to errors and sins among them, always having those who stand in defense of the right to oppose wrong and repress sin and corruption.