Mountains not only play a prevalent role in the Old Testament but they are pop up repeated in the New Testament. Jesus frequently retreated to the mountains. He named his 12 apostles on a mountain. He was transfigured atop a mountain. He gave his most important sermon on a mountain. These are just a few. The first mention of a mountain is during the temptation of Jesus.
After forty days of fasting and praying in the dessert, the Devil came to tempt Jesus. The full account can be found in Matthew 4. Satan tempted Jesus with three main temptations:
🏔️ Lust of flesh. Jesus was hungry after fasting for 40 days. Satan tempted Him to use His divine power to turn rocks into bread.
🏔️ Pride of Life. Satan tempted Jesus to jump off a cliff to prove He was God’s son because the angels would come to save Him.
🏔️ Lust of the Eyes. Satan took to the top of a very high mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of this world. In exchange for Jesus bowing down to worship Him, Satan promised to give Him all he saw.
The last recorded temptation of Jesus in this meeting took place atop of mountain. “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Maybe since it is the final temptation of the episode it also represents Satan’s most extreme temptation. He tempted Jesus with all He saw. Satan took Jesus the the top of a very high mountain and told Him everything He saw could be His if He just bowed down to Satan. Jesus immediately responded: Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.“
Perhaps Satan took Jesus to the top of that mountain just for optics. Both being supernatural beings, I can’t imagine why that was completely necessary. So, it had to have also been for theater. The grandness of everything a human eye can see atop of a mountain. How far one can see. How stunning everything looks. And since Jesus was in His human form, the reminder of how small and weak humans are when compared to everything else would have been plainly evident. It wasn’t just the kingdoms Satan tempted Jesus with atop that mountain – it was all the eye could see and the status the mountain offered a human man. Yet, Jesus immediately shuts it down and tells Satan to leave Him because there is only one who deserves worship…Jehovah.
Satan takes us all atop of that mountain. While he doesn’t spirit us again and physically place us there like he did with Jesus, He takes our minds to that mountain. He shows us things a top that mountain repeatedly:
🏔️ Look at everything this world has to offer.
🏔️ Look how beautiful all of this is.
🏔️ Look how powerful this will all make you.
Look. See. Take.
Satan will use the same tactics on us as He used on Jesus. Satan tempted Jesus with desires of the flesh and the pride of life. And He offered Jesus temporary power, riches, and influence. Jesus was not fooled. Nothing Satan could offer Him nothing that was valuable. First, everything Satan showed Him was temporal in nature and everything God offers is eternal in nature. Second, Satan had made none of that – it was not truly His to give away. Everything belongs to God (thus it was also Jesus’).
Like Jesus, we must decide before we are taken to that mountain what our answer will be when Satan shows us all this world has to offer in exchange for our soul. We must know and truly believe that God is the only source of all that we need. God provides us our fleshly needs. God provides us value to our life. God provides us access to His eternal kingdom and riches. Like Jesus we must send Satan away. We must be familiar with God’s word and have confidence in God’s promises. Like Jesus, we must trust in God rather than our own eyes and desires.
When we find ourselves atop of the mountain of temptation, we need to remember three big things:
🏔️ Jesus has been atop this mountain. Jesus has resisted these same temptations.
🏔️ Jesus turned to God for help atop of the mountain.
🏔️ Afterwards, God sent angels to care for Jesus – He will not leave you alone either.
#TheMountainsofGod #MountaineeringForGod
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