Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 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.
This statement of fact as given by Jesus in response to satan's diabolical proposal to turn stones into bread, represents a sacred truth which we are often slow to grasp, as is reflected in the way we prioritize issues pertaining to survival in our daily lives. When this temptation came to Christ He was in dire need of food, having just fasted for forty days and forty nights. In His time of greatest physical need, the tempter came to Him with a suggestion to obtain food in a manner that is not approved by God, and to do it in a way that the human family could not possibly relate to. Bread in this passage of scripture represents all that we normally need for our physical existence, such as food, water, clothing, and shelter etc, and while it is true that we need bread, it is also true that there is a correct way to obtain it, a right method that will not bear the hallmarks of the kingdom of darkness. Let's read:
Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken".
When The Lord said that the ground is cursed for our sakes, it means for our benefit, because the toil and extra effort that would now be required to till the soil in bringing forth food for man and beast, is a discipline rendered necessary to keep us from falling into many different temptations and hurtful lusts, which drown men in perdition, such as took place with the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In this instance the inhabitants of those cities were obviously obtaining their bread in ways that were not approved of God, for the Bible specifically states that an abundance of idleness was to be found with the citizenry, thus opening the doors for a thousand temptations of a debasing and reprehensible manner, for as the saying goes, "The devil finds work for idle hands to do". Let's read:
Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
Therefore when satan suggested to Christ that He should turn stones into bread without any real effort on His part, he was suggesting a plan that is totally contrary to God's will, and the response by Christ teaches us the sacred truth that it is better to die within the precincts of God's revealed will, than to live outside the perimeters of His word. In instances where we have to choose between obedience and existence, obeying God should always be our top priority, because it is in this way that our eternal existence is actually guaranteed.
We observe that the devil's temptation on the issue of food was brought to Christ in His hour of great extremity, and it is often the case that when our physical needs are greatest, that the temptations of satan assume their most desirable appearance, seeming as the easiest and most logical way to get oneself out of a dire predicament. A man was caught red handed in the act of stealing not too long ago, and it drew national attention and sympathy, because the man was so hungry that he was moved to break into a house in his neighborhood, where he immediately opened the refrigerator and made himself a sandwich, that was then consumed with some cold milk. Even though our hearts go out to him because of his unfortunate situation, yet the method he chose to resolve the problem will never be approved by God, for it represents one of satan's many alternatives in obtaining bread in ungodly ways.
It is very possible that if the man had asked someone for help with his plight, that he would have been given much food, enough and to spare, because although we are living in an evil world, the heart of humanity is still often touched with the feelings of our infirmities, and in addition to this, God could have provided food in many different ways, if the man in question had taken a different scriptural route.
God's revealed word is always to reign supreme with the Christian, and everything else, including the many suggestions and temptations to the contrary should be held subjectively, and never allowed to gain the upper hand in our decision-making processes for any reason, no matter how easy and logical the temptation may seem to be. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that encourages us to live by the word of God alone, and our daily bread will be supplied according to the good and perfect will of God. Let's read:
Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!