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Daily Devotions

40 Days and 40 Nights

40 Days and 40 Nights 
Day 
Day 20

"It is written..."

Text: Matthew 4:4

AN APPROPRIATE AND POWERFUL RESPONSE

The Lord Jesus replied with great certainty. The Spirit of God was with Him. He had just spent 40 days and 40 nights in the presence of His beloved Father. He must have meditated on the Scriptures as He prepared for His public ministry.

“But He answered and said,
‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.””
Matthew 4:4

1. “But He answered and said”

a) Jesus was not intimidated in any way.
b) He had an appropriate and powerful response.

2. “It is written”

a) Jesus believed in the Scriptures.
b) He obviously knew the Scriptures.
c) He must have memorized many texts.
d) The Scriptures had been given by the Lord God Himself.
e) It was relevant in the present circumstances.
f) The word was indeed “the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17).
g) It was alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).
h) He used the Word of God to defeat the devil.

3. “Man shall not live by bread alone”

a) It is a fact that one should attend to bodily needs.
b) The problem of hunger should be looked into.
c) But meeting hunger needs does not constitute all of life.
d) Man does not live… simply to eat bread.

4. “But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”

a) Man should live by the Word of God.
Jesus cited this text which was taken from Deuteronomy 8:3.
b) God had sought to teach the children to live in full obedience to His word given.
c) Israel had failed; but Jesus would not fail.
d) He would live by the word of God and not by what bodily needs dictate, and certainly He would not heed Satan’s word!