1616 | Matthew 4:7
God ,” he said , “ throw your self down . For it is writ ten :
“ ‘ He will command his angels concerning you , and they will lift you up in their hands , so that you will not strike your foot against a stone .’ a ” k
4:6 k Ps 91:11 , 12 4:7 l Dt 6:16
4:10 m 1Ch 21:1 n Dt 6:13
4:11 o Mt 26:53 ; Lk 22:43 ; Heb 1:14
8 Again , the dev il took him to a very
high moun tain and showed him all the king doms of the world and their splen dor .
9 “ All this I will give you ,” he said , “ if you
will bow down and wor ship me .”
10 Jesus said to him , “ Away from me , Satan ! m For it is writ ten : ‘ Wor ship the Lord your God , and serve him only .’ c ” n
11 Then the dev il left him , and an gels
came and at tend ed him . o
7 Jesus an swered him , “ It is also written |
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: ‘ Do not put the Lord your God to the |
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test .’ b ” l a |
6 Psalm 91:11,12 |
b 7 Deut . 6:16 |
c 10 Deut . 6:13 |
the devil quotes Ps 91:11 – 12 out of context . The psalm refers to God ’ s protection if one falls ; it does not refer to jumping . 4:7 Continuing the general context of his previous quotation , Jesus quotes Dt 6:16 , which in context warns against Israel ’ s dissatisfaction with God ’ s provision in the wilderness .
4:10 Still following the context , Jesus cites Dt 6:13 , which prohibited idolatry ( Dt 6:14 ), recognizing the one true God ( Dt 6:4 – 5,12 ). 4:11 angels . . . attended him . Trusting the Father rather than creating bread ( vv . 3 – 4 ) or presuming on angels ( vv . 6 – 7 ), Jesus here receives angelic help after his fast ( cf . 26:53 ).
MATTHEW 4:17
Kingdom
In Biblical languages , the term translated into English as “ kingdom ” usually meant “ reign ,” “ rule ,” or “ authority .” Jewish people recognized that God reigned as king over the world he created ( Ps 22:28 ; 145:12 – 13 ; Da 4:3,34 ). Some believed that they affirmed this whenever they recited the Shema , acknowledging that there was just one true God ( Dt 6:4 ).
But while Jewish people acknowledged God ’ s present rule , most looked for God ’ s unchallenged reign in the age to come ( Da 2:44 – 45 ; 7:14,27 ). Many prayed regularly for God ’ s future kingdom — for him to reign unopposed , to fulfill his purposes of justice and peace for the world . One familiar prayer that came to be prayed daily was the Kaddish , which in its ancient form began : “ Exalted and hallowed be his great name . . . May he cause his kingdom to reign .”
By Jesus ’ day , many were familiar with Daniel ’ s prophecy about four kingdoms and believed the fourth and final kingdom to be the current Roman Empire ( Da 2:37 – 43 ). Daniel prophesied that in the time of that fourth kingdom , God would establish an eternal kingdom , overthrowing the other ones ( Da 2:44 ). This kingdom belonged to a “ Son of man ,” a human one , whose rule was associated with the deliverance of God ’ s people and contrasted with the preceding empires that were compared with beasts ( Da 7:12 – 14,17 – 18,21 – 22 ). Daniel spoke of these truths as “ mysteries ” ( Da 2:28 – 29 ; cf . 2:47 ). Thus it is not surprising that the Gospels speak of the “ secret ” or “ secrets ” of the kingdom ( Mt 13:11 ; Mk 4:11 ; Lk 8:10 ).
Jesus ’ first followers in the New Testament , who believed that the coming Messianic king had already come once and that the first fruits of the future resurrection had occurred , often treated the future kingdom as also present . We recognize that just as the king has both come and will come again , his kingdom has already invaded this world but remains to be consummated . Where the other Gospels use “ kingdom of God ,” Matthew uses “ kingdom of heaven ” with just four or five exceptions . This Jewish expression appears elsewhere and reflects the Jewish use of “ heaven ” at times as a respectful and roundabout way of saying “ God .” ◆