Luke 4:4

2 being¹ tempted for forty days by the devil. And ^ain those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are ^athe Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ^a‘Man shall not live by bread alone,¹ but by every word of God.’ ”

5 ¹Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for ^athis has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

8 And Jesus answered and said to him,¹ “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ^a‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

9 ^aThen he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.

10 For it is written:
^a‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Luke 4:4 Mean?

Luke 4:4

There is a dimension to life apart from food and water, and that dimension is given life by the Word of God. God's Word provides it strength and the ability to grow. The Word of God adds an absolutely vital dimension to a person's life—if he wants to live the abundant life and eventually have eternal life.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Freedom and Unleavened Bread

Luke 4:4

In Luke 4:4, Jesus tells the Devil, in response to the first of his temptations, "It is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" This is not some general statement that allows us to choose what we will and will not obey, but a requirement for each of us, to the best of our ability, to follow every word of God in living our lives before Him. To do this takes real faith. God has given us "the way of righteousness," a revelation this world just cannot comprehend, and He is looking for evidence that we not only assent to it but are also living it.

It is the works of obedience that change us, that reflect that we are striving to live as God lives. This is what God counts as proper evidence of our faith. In James 2:17, 20, 26, the apostle informs us that, without works, our faith is dead, and these works are defined as putting into practice the instructions of God in our lives, just as Abraham did on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:2-12).

When God saw Abraham's obedience to His instructions, He said, "Now I know that you fear Me!" As hard as it is for us to measure up to what Abraham did in being willing to sacrifice his only son in obedience to God's command, God should be able to say this about each one of us. Do we have the faith to live by every word of God?

Humbling ourselves in obedience—especially when it hurts—makes a powerful statement to God.

John O. Reid
Will Christ Find Faith?

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Luke 4:4:

Deuteronomy 4:6
Matthew 6:11
Matthew 6:13
Matthew 8:32
Matthew 24:21
Mark 5:8
Mark 5:13
Luke 4:4
Romans 3:31

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What Does Luke 4:4 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

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