Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 4:7

"Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God." — Matthew 4:7 (ASV)

It is written again. One text must not be looked at alone and magnified out of proportion, as if it were the whole Bible. Each utterance of the Lord must be taken in connection with other parts of Scripture. There is a balance and proportion in divine truth. It is written is to be set side by side with It is written again.

How short and decisive was the stroke of our Lord upon the great enemy! He meets a falsely-quoted promise with a plain precept, forbidding us to presume. Thou shalt not from the mouth of God is the shield of conscience against a foul temptation. Our rule of action is neither a promise nor a providence, but the clear command of the Lord. Presumption is a tempting of God, and to tempt the Lord is not to be thought of for a moment. Remember, believer, He is thy God, to be trusted, not to be tempted. The second time the adversary was so completely baffled that he made no reply, but changed his line of warfare.

Lord, do not let me sin presumptuously, nor act rashly! I see that faith is for ways of obedience, not for flights of fancy. Let me not cast myself down and so throw myself out of the range of Your promised keeping.

Jesus said to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.

Here was a plain, positive precept, which clearly forbade Christ to tempt God by such a presumptuous action as casting himself down from the pinnacle of the temple; and we must always follow the precepts of Scripture whatever the tempter may say.

Jesus said to him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

I know some people who earn their living in employments that are very hazardous to their immortal souls. They are in the midst of evil, yet they tell me that God can keep them in safety there. I know that he can, but I also know that we have no right to go voluntarily where we are surrounded by temptation. If your calling is the wrong one, and you are continually tempted in it, you may not presume upon the goodness of God to keep you, for it is your business to get as far as you can from that which will lead you into sin.

God does not put his servants on the pinnacle of the temple; it is the devil who puts them there. And if they ever are there, the best thing they can do is to get down as quickly and as safely as they can. But they must not cast themselves down; rather, they must look to him who alone can bring them down safely. With some professing Christians, presumption is a very common sin. They will go into worldly amusements and all sorts of frivolities, and say, "Oh, we can be Christians, and yet go there!" Can you? It may be that you can be hypocrites, and go there; that is far easier than going there as Christians.