Anatomy of Temptation

Before doing this Bible study, please read the 1-minute devotion Eve's Temptation: Insights into Satan's Strategies.

It explains how Satan:

1. Appeals to our ungodly desires. 

2. Contradicts God's Word. 

3. Promises self-enhancement. 

After reading that devotion, compare Satan's temptation of Eve with his temptation of Jesus, noting the similarities and differences. 

✔ What disadvantage did Jesus have that Eve did not have? 
✔ What additional strategy did Satan use with Jesus that he didn't use with Eve? 
✔ How did Jesus have victory over Satan's temptations? 
✔ How can we apply Jesus' strategy in our lives? 

Matthew 4:1-11: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’" 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘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.’" 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’" 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. 

Genesis 3:1-7: Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 

✔  Jesus was hungry. Eve was not. See what was available to Eve: Genesis 2:15-17.

✔  Satan quoted God's Word applying it incorrectly when tempting Jesus. With Eve, He misquoted God's words and when Eve corrected him, he denied God's words.

✔  Jesus had victory for many reasons. He was sinless, perfect, God. But we can learn from His human example: He knew the Lord's will and quoted Scripture correctly to refute Satan's misuse of Scripture.

✔  This is extremely important for our victory over Satan: knowing the Lord's will and being able to discern when Scripture is incorrectly used.

 

Satan is constantly looking for ways to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8).  We must prepare our hearts and minds for his strategies.

copyright 2014, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, edited and updated in 2021

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