He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

No kidding. I love the clarity of the Bible.

Jesus fasted 40 days, sat in the desert starving, and at just the right moment the devil materialized in his face.

I notice how Jesus used scripture to parry the temptations thrown at him. It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone and It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.

However, his ever resourceful opponent quoted scripture right back. For it is written…

Twisting words remains a temptation.

I grow as I approach the word of God with humility and patience and depth of view, asking the Lord to reveal his wisdom and insight. I fail altogether when I cherry-pick a verse and fire off a salvo, or tickle an ear with a tempting interpretation that’s not quite true to the text but fits my cultural leanings.

So, when considering an argument and proofing it from the scriptures, it helps me to remember that both saints and devils know their Bible verses.

Luke 4 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Hansjörg Keller