Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 4:5-6

"Then the devil taketh him into the holy city; and he set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone." — Matthew 4:5-6 (ASV)

This second temptation is a cunning one. He is urged to believe too much rather than too little. He is now urged not to take care of Himself, but recklessly to presume and trust His Father's promise beyond its meaning.

The place was cunningly chosen. Temple pinnacles are not safe places to stand. High and holy places are open to temptation. The posture was advantageous to the tempter, for nature feels a tendency to fall when set on a pinnacle.

The aim of the fiery dart was at our Lord's Sonship: If you are the Son of God. If the enemy could have hurt our Lord's filial confidence, he would have gained his design.

Satan borrowed our Lord's weapon and said, It is written, but he did not use the sword lawfully. It was not in the nature of the false fiend to quote correctly. He left out the necessary words, in all your ways, thus, he made the promise say what in truth it never suggested. Then he boldly prescribed a course that the law of God would condemn, saying, Cast yourself down.

We are to be kept in our ways, but not in our follies. The omission of a word may spoil the meaning of a Scripture. Verbal inspiration makes accurate quotation a duty, as the omission of a word or two entirely alters the sense. What reliable inspiration can there be except that which suggests words as well as ideas?

Hear how the devil talks about angels, their Lord, their charge, their care, and their diligence. A person may handle holy subjects with great familiarity and yet be unholy. It is wrong to talk of angels and yet to act like devils.

See how the fiend passes from a temptation about humble bread to one of an ambitious and daring character. He hopes by a sudden change to catch the Lord in one way, even if He escaped from him in another.

But our Lord was ready for him. His sword was on guard for all kinds of strokes. May His grace keep us in the same manner well-armed against the foe! Though the enemy alters his tactics, we must not cease our resistance or change our weapon.

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

"It is written." Thus the devil tried to turn Christ's own sword against himself—that two-edged sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God; and the devil can still quote scripture to suit his own purpose. Yet it was a misquotation as to the letter of it, for he left out the essential words, to keep thee in all thy ways; and it was a worse misquotation as to the spirit of it, for in the true meaning of the passage there is nothing to tempt us to presumption. There is a guarantee of safety when we are walking where we should walk, but not in leaping from a temple's pinnacle down into the abyss.