"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
Matthew 6:13
You will immediately recognize that our verse for today is from the “Lord’s Prayer.” When the disciples went to Jesus and asked Him to teach them to pray the way that John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray, He then gave them this example of how they should be praying (Luke 11:1-4). Here then are the “sixth and seventh petitions” in Christ’s teaching prayer.
“And lead us not into temptation.”
This statement has troubled many a young believer. The question that usually comes from this is, “Why would a good, sinless, God ever lead His child into temptation?” On the surface, this is a reasonable question, but then as in most Bible study, we need to look beneath the surface and see what’s there.
Yes, the English word “temptation” does mean “a solicitation to evil.” But as Bible students, we realize the word can have other meanings in the ancient Greek text. This word’s first meaning is “…putting to proof.”1 Thayer defines this word as “an experiment, attempt, trial, proving”2 or as we say “a test.” We know that God will never “tempt” us to sin.
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man,” (James 1:13).
“But God does test or sift us, though he does not tempt us to evil,” – A.T. Robertson. God does allow these times of testing from Him in the believer’s life, to prove and strengthen him:
Jesus had been challenging Andrew, “And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do,” (John 6:6).
Jesus is testing Andrew to see how he will respond.
Paul’s challenge to the believers in Corinth, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Paul wants believers to test themselves to see if their profession of faith is real.
Jesus to Peter, James, and John in Gethsemane. “And when He was at the place, He said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation,” (Luke 22:40).
Because of our sin nature (Genesis 3), any time of “testing” can become a time of “temptation” if we make the wrong choices and do not follow our Lord’s leading.
God does give His child a way out of temptation if the believer takes it.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it,” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Believer, can you honestly pray from your heart, “And lead us not into temptation,” if you are not doing your part to keep away from the people and places where the temptations are that trouble you?
“But deliver us from evil.”
Deliver us, is a phrase that is used several times in the New Testament. The Greek word means, “to deliver, to rescue.” It’s the word Paul used in Colossians to describe what God the Father has done for each believer.
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,” (Colossians 1:13).
There is some debate among Greek language experts about what this word “evil” means in this prayer. Some say it’s “the evil one” – Satan, others, “the evil thing,” and still others “the evil man.” Personally, I appreciate the approach found in a prayer in the Mishnah,3 Titus.4 “It is said in the Mishna,…that Rabbi Judah was wont to pray thus:
‘Let it be thy good pleasure to deliver us from impudent men, and from impudence: from an evil man and an evil chance; from an evil affection, an evil companion, and an evil neighbor: from Satan the destroyer, from a hard judgment, and a hard adversary.’”
In other words, let’s pray for the Lord to deliver us from all kinds of evil.
Believer, can you honestly pray from your heart, “Deliver us from evil” if you are presently flirting with evil thoughts, and are not actively seeking to fight against evil, and are not using the shield of faith, and standing for the Lord?
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Lord, the kingdom is yours, you are my King,
Yours’ is the power, you are all-powerful,
Yours’ is the glory, you alone are worthy of my praise! Forever! Amen.
This verse teaches me that My God is the King!
1. Peirasmos, peirasmov” – “temptation.”
2. J.H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the electronic version in eSword. Way down in his definition you finally see the reference to “temptation to sin.” A.T. Robertson says, “The word here translated “temptation” (peirasmon) means originally “trial” or “test” as in James 1:2….”
3. “The Mishnah is the oral law in Judaism, as opposed to the written Torah, or the Mosaic Law. The Mishnah was collected and committed to writing about AD 200 and forms part of the Talmud. A particular teaching within the Mishnah is called a midrash.” Downloaded: July 12, 2018. From: https://www.gotquestions.org/Mishnah-midrash.html.
4. Quoted by Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.