The devil actually quoted the Bible. He got it right. Word for word. But did he notice what he missed? Surely he didn’t overlook it. Maybe he was hoping somehow that Jesus wouldn’t be familiar with that text. The devil quoted Psalm 91:11-12. Let me share Psalm 91:13: “You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.” Wow! No wonder he stopped at verse 12! I sometimes wonder if Jesus chuckled. This is like fire in the veins. The devil wanted him to put God to the test, but Jesus knew Psalm 91:13.
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Matthew 4:5-6
When the devil tempted Jesus, he did something unexpected. He had already tempted Jesus to value His physical needs over His spiritual needs. He had tempted Him to seek for glory outside of God’s will. And then, he pulled out the big guns: he tempted Jesus with Scripture. That’s right. The father of lies quoted the word of truth to the Word and Truth. To be precise, he quoted Psalm 91. But just like you would expect, when the devil quoted the Bible, he made a very convenient omission.
A Quick Word About the Enemy
Before I get into what the devil omitted, we need to know something about our enemy. The devil, “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). And when he comes around, did you know that he sometimes comes with an open Bible? We see it from the very beginning: “Did God actually say…” (Gen 3:1). The devil loves to use God’s word against God’s people. But just like he did with Eve, and just like he always does, the devil “twists” the Scripture (2 Peter 3:16). He loves to take God’s word out of context, or leave out key points, or misapply it. And he loves to confuse you on the gospel. That’s for sure.