But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4) KJV
The above Scripture is found in our Lord’s temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). Before Jesus began His public Ministry, the Spirit led Him to the desert to be tempted by the devil. The impeccability of our Lord was to be tried by the devil during this time. Three times the devil tempted Him and all three times Jesus responded with Scripture.
The very first temptation came by way of the physicality of Jesus. He had been fasting 40 days and 40 nights, and at the end of this Jesus was hungry. The devil tempted Him with, command that these stones be made bread. Jesus response to this was…It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. This verse is a very emphatic response to the tempter. To paraphrase verse 4 from the Greek; but moreover to answer He said, it absolutely stands written, not at any time bread alone to live the man, but upon every word [spoken] to come out through the mouth of God.
The Greek word is not the usual logos, but in this verse it is rhema. The spoken word. W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines it as; that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech and writing.
A classic example from our Lord. He quotes Old Testament Scripture to the devil in all three of His temptations. That which was written down and that which did proceed from the mouth of God.
As children of God, nothing has changed in the way that we handle our daily walk with the Lord. The spoken Word, written down, alive and active within the believer’s heart. God’s Word is our defense in times of temptation. When we pray, we pray God’s Word. Throughout the day, we meditate upon the Word in our heart. To be ready in season and out of season. Diligently studying the Word of God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth, as Paul states in 2 Timothy 2:15, being a master cutter, to cut straight [Orthotomeo].
We are to live by God’s commands and precepts. His Word is sufficient for all things. The Word builds us up to be the people of God. And at the same time, to use the Word of God correctly.
Feed on the Word of God, and you shall be satisfied!
