How to behave during temptations?
It must be remembered that temptation is not a sin. They come into our lives by God’s permission and correspond to the weaknesses of people: “No temptation has overtaken you other than that of man” (1 Cor. 10:13), writes the apostle. Paul.
Most people believe that temptations must be avoided. But “it is impossible to completely avoid them,” writes priest Alexander Parkhomenko. However, a person can commit a sin, or he can “increase spiritual strength by overcoming temptation” (priest Alexander Elchaninov). Thus, the Savior Himself in the desert and our first parents in paradise were tempted by Satan.
Thus, when we face these temptations, we must follow the example of the Lord, who was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:7-11), but prevailed over him. Jesus Christ prefigured a true Christian, capable of resisting temptations, fighting them and winning.
When you happen to fall into temptation, do not be sad, because it is not good. Sadness aggravates temptation and thoughts. Keep your mind clear and don't let temptation control you. Temptation does not arise by chance, but the reason for its appearance is your desires (Elder Arseny Boka)
In fine arts
“The Temptation of Christ”
(mosaic of St. Mark’s Cathedral)
“The Temptation of Christ by Hunger”
(Simon Benin, 16th century)
The plot of the temptation of Christ is not widely used in the fine arts. It is present most often in pictorial depictions of the entire cycle of events in the life of Christ (for example, in St. Mark's Cathedral and the Sistine Chapel). All three temptations can be depicted (often the first temptation is presented in large detail in the foreground, and the second two are placed in the background), or simply Christ standing next to the Devil on the top of the mountain. Orthodox painting sometimes places scenes of the temptation of Christ on icons of the Baptism of the Lord
. The same can be found in Western European painting, for example, in Veronese’s painting “The Baptism and Temptation of Christ,” where two scenes are depicted on one canvas.
The temptation of Christ is depicted in three compositions (according to the number of temptations):
- “Jesus in the Desert”: Temptation by hunger
-
desert
, Christ, at whose feet stones lie or are held in the hands of the Devil. This is the most frequently depicted of the temptation scenes; - “Jesus on the wing of the temple”: Temptation of pride
- Christ and the Devil stand
on the roof
of the Jerusalem temple (both the entire building and only the roof are depicted), people can stand at the temple; - “The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain”: Temptation by faith
-
on the top of the mountain
, cities are visible around the mountain (an image of the kingdoms that the Devil offers Christ), angels who came to him can be depicted next to Christ, then the Devil is depicted moving away from Christ or falling headfirst from a mountain (in icon painting, the flight of Satan can appear as a separate scene, then Jesus is depicted surrounded by angels, some of whom are kneeling, while others are holding ripids over him).
In Romanesque and Gothic art, as well as during the period, the Devil was usually depicted as a spirit of darkness - a demon with horns, a scaly body, wings and claws on his hands and feet (for example, Duccio). In Italy, during the period, the Devil takes the form of a comely young man - a “ fallen Angel”
"(for example, Titian). To emphasize the deceit and cunning of the Devil, he was often depicted as an old man in a monastic robe, from which hooves or claws were visible (for example, the Master of Liechtenstein Castle).
Three main temptations
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Since the fall of Adam and Eve, the devil continues to tempt people with three main temptations: the lust of the flesh (gluttony, fame, lust, etc.), the lust of the eyes (the desire for wealth, money, love of money) and the pride of life (the desire for power ) – says Archpriest Andrei Tkachev. “By masterfully playing on these weaknesses, Satan tries to bring a person to sin,” writes priest Konstantin Parkhomenko. The task of the devil is to destroy the immortal human soul.
Let's look at each of Satan's tricks in detail.
Temptation by fame
Photo: Mirjanki.ru
If a person is constantly praised, complimented and told about his uniqueness, then it is difficult for him not to fall into the web of self-deception and begin to feel better than the people around him. A person likes to feel his own superiority; he quickly gets used to everyone’s respect and adoration. But behind the popularity, it becomes difficult for a famous person to notice himself and others. It’s difficult to be critical of yourself when any action, even the most ridiculous, is taken by numerous fans as original behavior. This is how fame corrupts people. However, a true Christian is able to turn glory into a weapon against Satan, becoming a positive example for others, demonstrating his righteousness.
James 1:14-15
Now that we know who the tempter is, let's turn to the key passage of our article - James 1:14-15, which says:
James 1:14-15 “...but everyone is tempted, being drawn away and enticed by his own lust; lust, having conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin that is committed gives birth to death.”
Regarding the word “lust,” the original text uses the plural of the Greek noun “epithumia,” which appears 38 times in the New Testament and is most often translated “lust,” denoting the lust of the flesh, the desires of the old nature, sinful desires, that is, desires contrary to God's will. Romans 8:5-8 makes it very clear to us how the desires of the flesh are displeasing to God:
Romans 8:5-8 “For those who live according to the flesh (according to the old nature - author's note) set their minds on carnal things, but those who live according to the Spirit (according to the new nature - author's note) set their minds on spiritual things. To be carnally minded is DEATH, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for they do not obey the law of God, and indeed cannot. Therefore those who live according to the flesh cannot please God.”
Of course, carnal thoughts, which are enmity against God, also include the desires of the old nature. These are the desires that are meant by the word “lust” in James 1:14-15.
Consider the following phrase: “...but everyone is tempted, being drawn away and enticed by his own lust.” It does not say that temptation arises only as a result of the lusts of the old nature, nor does it say that, having been subjected to temptation, a person will certainly be seduced and sin. That this understanding of this phrase is incorrect is evident from the fact that Jesus Christ was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Was Jesus' temptation a result of his being seduced by the lust of the flesh? If this were so, He would have sinned. But He was not seduced and did not sin, although He was tempted in all respects. Thus, James 1:14-15 tells us not so much how temptation arises, but how it achieves its goal (a person committing sin). Temptation is always - directly or indirectly - the work of the tempter (the devil) and achieves its goal (the commission of sin by a person) if we allow ourselves to be seduced by being seduced by the lust of the old nature, following it, satisfying it and, ultimately, committing sin.
Examples from the Bible will certainly help us better understand all of the above, so we will now move on to look at such examples, starting with 1 Timothy 6:9-10.
2.1. 1 Timothy 6:9-10
In 1 Timothy 6:9-10 we read the following:
“But THOSE WHO DESIRE to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts (epithumies - author's note), which plunge people into disaster and destruction; for the love of money is the root of all evil, to which some have abandoned the faith and subjected themselves to many sorrows.”
We have seen that temptation reaches its goal (a person committing sin) when a person is seduced and deceived by the lust of the old nature. As you can see, such a lust can also be the desire to get rich, which, according to the above passage, leads to temptation and other harmful lusts, and, in the end, plunges people into disaster and destruction. Therefore, we can conclude that the desire for wealth does not correspond to God's will, but to the will of the flesh.
Of course, this does not mean that God is against our enrichment. However, He wants us to lay up our treasures not on earth, but in heaven. As Jesus Christ said:
Matthew 6:19-21, 24-25 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not They dig in and do not steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. […] No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one and neglectful of the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon (“Mammon” is an Aramaic word meaning “wealth” - author’s note).”
It is impossible to serve God and wealth at the same time. You will either be inclined to serve wealth, and then, after a while, you will wonder where the Word went that was once living in your heart (Matthew 13:22), or you will serve God, in which case all your needs will be met in abundance (Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:25-34) and there will be great eternal treasure waiting for you in heaven.
2.2. Eve and the serpent
Another example showing us how the devil deceives and seduces a person in order to force him to commit an act contrary to God's will is given in the third chapter of the book of Genesis. In the second chapter of Genesis, God commanded man, saying, “You shall eat from every tree of the garden, but you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2: 16-17). Thus, Adam and Eve knew that God did not want them to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, Genesis 3:1-5 says:
Genesis 3:1-5 “The serpent was more cunning than all the beasts of the field that the Lord God had made. And the serpent said to the woman: Did God truly say: You shall not eat from any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the serpent: We can eat fruit from the trees, only from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God said, do not eat it or touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, “No, you will not die, but God knows that on the day you eat of them, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”
Temptation is always the work of the devil, the “tempter,” and here we see how skillfully he does it. So, first of all, he questions God's words. Then, seeing the woman's reaction, he proceeds to completely contradict God's Word by promising her that by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they will become like gods, knowing good and evil. Naturally, he deceived her. As 2 Corinthians 11:3 says:
2 Corinthians 11:3 “...the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning.”
And it is also said in 1 Timothy 2:14: “... the woman was deceived and fell into transgression.”
When we compare the temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ described in Matthew 4:1-11 with the temptation of Eve, we see that in both cases the devil first tried to deceive them. For example, having promised Jesus: “All this (all the kingdoms of the world and their glory (Matthew 4:8) – author’s note) I will give you if you fall and worship me” (Matthew 4:9), he was clearly trying to deceive His. However, his plan failed. As this temptation is said about in Ev. Matthew 4:10:
Matthew 4:10 “Then Jesus saith unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him alone shalt thou serve.”
Jesus did not give in to deception. If He had yielded, He would have gone against the will of God (against what is “written,” as stated in this passage) and would have sinned. But the Word says that He was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus did not give in to deception, but was completely obedient to the Word of God. As a result, the devil, seeing that his efforts were unsuccessful, abandoned Jesus (Matthew 4:11). Eve, succumbing to the seduction and deception of the devil, neglected the Word of God and...
Genesis 3:6 “And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and desirable for knowledge; and she took of its fruit and ate; And she gave it also to her husband, and he ate.”
Prompted by the devil, the woman disregarded the Word of God, departed from the truth, guided by her feelings, and as a result, both she and her husband sinned and died.
2.3 David's numbering of Israel
Another example of how the devil caused a person to act against the will of God is found in 1 Chronicles 21. Let's start with the first verse of this chapter:
1 Chronicles 21:1-3 “And Satan rose up against Israel, and stirred up David to number the Israelites. And David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people: Go, number the Israelites, from Beersheba to Dan, and present them to me, so that I may know their number. And Joab said, May the Lord multiply his people a hundred times as many as there are. Are they not all, my lord the king, my lord's servants? Why does my lord require this? So that this can be imputed to Israel?”
The instructions for numbering the people are recorded in Exodus 30:11-16. Verse 12 says:
Exodus 30:12 “When you make the number of the children of Israel at the numbering of them, then let every one give a ransom for his life to the LORD when he numbers them, and there shall be no destroying plague among them when they are numbered.”
From this it is clear that if the instructions listed in chapter 30 of the book of Exodus are not fulfilled during the numbering of the people, Israel will be struck with a destructive plague, which is what happened in this case. As it says in 2 Samuel 24:15:
2 Samuel 24:15 “And the Lord sent a plague upon Israel...”
The very fact that Israel was struck with a plague because of the numbering carried out by David suggests that David did not follow the relevant instructions from the 30th chapter of the book of Exodus. Like Eve, he knew God's Word, but neglected it. It is not known how exactly Satan managed to force David to go against the will of God, but we are clearly given to understand that it was Satan who led him to commit this sin (i.e., conducting a number without observing the requirements of the law). Somehow he presented it to David so attractively that he was willing to commit it (2 Samuel 24:3). In verse 7 we read about how God reacted to David's actions:
1 Chronicles 21:7 “And this work was not acceptable in the sight of God...”
God is pleased with us when we act according to His will, and very displeased if we do not. The tempter's goal is to deceive us so that we will disregard the Word of God and act against His will, that is, commit sin. As David said when confessing his sin:
1 Chronicles 21:8 “And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly that I have done this. And now forgive the guilt of Your servant, for I acted very foolishly.”
When we sin, we are deceived and “act very foolishly,” although we may not realize this at first.
2.4 David and Bathsheba
Finally, the last example we will look at here is found in 2 Samuel 11-12 and also relates to the life of David. Here's the story:
2 Samuel 11:1 “A year later, at the time when kings go out on campaigns, David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel; and they smote the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah; David remained in Jerusalem."
In this verse, in addition to historical information, the Word points out to us (note the particle “SAME”) that although it was time for “kings to go out on campaigns,” David remained ... at home. Such behavior was unusual for such a brave and brave man as David was. It goes on to say:
2 Samuel 11:2-3 “One evening, David, getting out of bed, was walking on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and that woman was very beautiful. And David sent to find out who this woman was? And they said to him, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
David saw a beautiful woman whom he liked and asked his servants to find out who she was. He was informed that this woman was married to Uriah the Hittite. It would be expected that David, having learned about this, would not even think about approaching her, because he was well aware that according to the law (Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22) such an act is considered a sin and entails the punishment of death. Alas... unfortunately, David acted contrary to these expectations. As stated in 2 Samuel 11:4,5:
2 Samuel 11:4,5 “David sent servants to take her (although at that time he already knew that Bathsheba was married to Uriah - author’s note); and she came to him, and he slept with her. When she was cleansed from her uncleanness, she returned to her home. The woman became pregnant and sent word to David, saying, “I am with child.”
In the first verse we read that David, instead of doing what was right for a king, namely commanding an army, stayed at home. The second verse says that he got out of bed and went out for a walk, and this happened precisely while Bathsheba was bathing. The third verse says that he sent to find out who the woman was and was told that she was married. I don’t know for sure: perhaps before this there was a hidden sin in David’s heart. However, reading the fourth verse, I can say with confidence that he is clearly committing iniquity here, because he slept with a married woman and she became pregnant by him. After this, the sins came one after another. As it is written in verses 6-12:
2 Samuel 11:6-12 “Then David sent and said to Joab, “Send to me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. And Uriah came to him, and David asked him about the state of Joab and the state of the people, and about the course of the war. And David said to Uriah, Go home and wash your feet. And Uriah left the king's house, and after him they carried the king's food. But Uriah slept at the gate of the king's house with all his master's servants, and did not go to his own house. And they told David, saying, Uriah did not go into his house. And David said to Uriah, Behold, you have come from the road; Why didn’t you go to your house? And Uriah said to David, “The ark [of God] and Israel and Judah are in tents, and my lord Joab and my lord’s servants are in the field, but I would go into my house and eat and drink and sleep with my wife!” I swear on your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this. And David said to Uriah: Stay here this day, and tomorrow I will let you go. And Uriah remained in Jerusalem for that day until tomorrow.”
As a “solution” to a problem of his own making, David summoned Uriah from the battlefield and sent him home to sleep with his wife and make it look like she had become pregnant by her husband! However, Uriah turned out to be intractable. He could not sleep with his wife at home while the ark of God was in the field and his comrades in arms were fighting. It is no coincidence that in the Word of God he is called one of the thirty-seven “mightiest warriors of David” (2 Samuel 23:8, 39). Uriah was, without a doubt, a loyal soldier of David, but David treated him treacherously.
So, David failed to deceive Uriah, and he moved on. Verses 13-15 say:
2 Samuel 11:13-15 “And David invited him, and Uriah ate and drank before him, and David gave him drink. But in the evening Uriah went to sleep on his bed with his master's servants, but did not go to his own house. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In the letter he wrote this: place Uriah where the strongest battle will be, and retreat from him so that he will be defeated and die.”
It is hard to believe that a man whose name is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible, who himself, under the influence of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), wrote many books of Holy Scripture, could write such a vile letter and instruct his own victim to deliver it! However, let us not forget that this story does not describe David as a man of God. During these events, David was no longer acting like a man of God. His fellowship with God was interrupted at least from the moment he slept with Bathsheba. But let's continue reading:
2 Samuel 11:16-17, 26-27 “Therefore, when Joab was besieging the city, he placed Uriah in a place where he knew there were brave men there. And the people went out of the city and fought with Joab, and several of the people, of the servants of David, fell; Uriah the Hittite was also killed. […] And Uriah’s wife heard that Uriah her husband had died, and she wept for her husband. When the time of mourning was over, David sent and took her into his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.”
David still managed to carry out his plan and get rid of Uriah. He never imagined that he would have to answer for what he had done, because no one, with the exception of a few people, knew about his involvement. However, the story does not end there. Perhaps almost no one among the people knew about what had happened, but God knew everything. So let's see what He did:
2 Samuel 11:27, 12:1-13 “And this work which David did was evil in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord sent Nathan [the prophet] to David, and he came to him and said to him: in one city there were two men, one rich and the other poor; The rich man had a lot of small and large livestock, but the poor man had nothing except one lamb, which he bought small and fed, and it grew up with him along with his children; She ate of his bread, and drank from his cup, and slept on his chest, and was like a daughter to him; and a stranger came to a rich man, and he was sorry to take from his sheep or oxen to prepare [dinner] for the stranger who came to him, but he took the poor man's sheep and prepared it for the man who came to him. David was very angry with this man and said to Nathan: As the Lord lives! the person who did this deserves death; and for the lamb he must pay fourfold, for the fact that he did it, and for the fact that he had no compassion. And Nathan said to David: You are the man [who did this]. Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul, and I gave you the house of your master and the wives of your master for your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if this [for you ] is not enough, I would give you even more; Why have you despised the word of the Lord, doing what is evil in His sight? You smote Uriah the Hittite with the sword; You took his wife to be your wife, and you killed him with the sword of the Ammonites; Therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will bring evil against you out of your house, and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he will sleep with your wives before this sun; You did it in secret, but I will do it before all Israel and before the sun. And David said to Nathan: I HAVE SINNED BEFORE THE LORD.”
David neglected the commandment, the Word of the Lord, just as happened when he decided to number Israel, and just as Eve did before she ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (this is exactly what Christ did not do, although He was tempted in everything). What happened as a result? Sin and evil. However, having been convicted, David repented and admitted his sin. Let's see if the Lord forgave him, and how the punishment of death prescribed by law was carried out. Verse 13 says:
2 Samuel 12:13 “And Nathan said to David, “And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die."
The Lord took away David’s sin as soon as he repented. His repentance also saved him from the death he deserved as punishment. Obviously, the phrase “you will not die” specifically implies deliverance from the punishment of death prescribed by law. David was not pardoned as a special exception. God does not really want the sinner to die. On the contrary, He wants the sinner to repent. As stated in Ezekiel 33:11:
Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should turn from his way and live.”
For any sinner, God desires LIFE and fellowship with Him. This is why He immediately forgave David; He will also forgive us as soon as we repent and admit our sins before Him.
Temptation by Wealth
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Wealth is a person’s abundance of intangible and/or material assets (personal property, money, real estate, access to education, knowledge, etc.), that is, a rich person is someone who has significant wealth in relation to others values. Money is the most common symbol of wealth because it can be easily exchanged for a good or service.
When many people hear the term “love of money,” they assume that it means the love of money. But its meaning is much broader. A money-loving person not only loves his own values, is afraid of losing them, does not want to share them with others, but gets used to relying only on them. The money lover lacks hope in the Lord and God's providence. The sin lies in the fact that a person hopes for knowledge, money, beauty, real estate, etc. clings to these values, and not to God with his heart.
Therefore, Jesus Christ said: “It is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 19:23). For many people, wealth becomes a trigger for the fall. A person develops greed, envy of a more successful or richer person, a desire to increase wealth, to protect himself from other people, and selfishness develops.
But there is another way when a rich person helps the people around him using his values.
Literature
Wikiquote has quotations related to Temptation
- Temptation // Orthodox Theological Encyclopedia. - Petrograd, 1900-1911. - T. 5. - P. 1084.
- Temptation // Biblical encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nikephoros. - M., 1891-1892.
- Temptation // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
- Tempt // Explanatory dictionary of the living Great Russian language: in 4 volumes / author's compilation. V. I. Dal. — 2nd ed. - St. Petersburg. : Printing house of M. O. Wolf, 1880-1882.
- Temptation - Temptation // Proverbs of the Russian people / author.-comp. V. I. Dal. — 1st ed. - M., 1862.
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Temptation by power
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A powerful person indulges his vanity, feels like God on earth (in a certain situation or place), and revels in his omnipotence. Moreover, the more power a person has, the more it influences him. Power aimed at satisfying one’s own desires and ambitions, and not at satisfying the needs of others (for example, subordinates) provokes spiritual vices.
But, just like fame and wealth, so too power can contribute to the salvation of a person’s soul, or it can lead him to destruction, says Archpriest Konstantin Parkhomenko
