Almost True Information

I just wanted to pop in for a moment to remind you of something.  You'd better get out your Bible too, to follow along....

I am working thru some videos to help me understand logos better & we are working on Matthew 4: 1-11.  In reading the scripture, I got to verse 6 which says:

• And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

satan is quoting from the Psalms; specifically Ps. 91:11 12.

Remember these 2 quotes that I have given before?
>>>Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right & almost right. [charles spurgeon]
>>>One of satan's goals is to proclaim just enough truth to gain credibility to attract an audience and then undermine the gospel [brannon howse]

I read in my study bible that satan misquoted the verses from psalms so I went to Psalms to look them up and it says: 

• For he shall give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

One commentary said this > If you are God's Son. Again the taunt. Note the Devil can quote scripture too. Jesus had demonstrated his trust in God's word. The Devil asks him to go from the extreme of distrusting God, to recklessly testing God. This is seen again and again as the people ask for a sign from heaven. Perhaps Satan is asking him to perform one stupendous miracle in Jerusalem where all can see, to gain such fame that he can gain the throne while bypassing the Cross. This would have robbed the world of its Savior. "That the Messiah must suffer, and rise from death on the third day" (Luke 24:46). God will give orders to his angels. Satan quotes Psalm 91:11-12 but omits "to protect you wherever you go." The promise is limited to those who live as God instructs.

Another commentary said this > it is written. Satan can quote Scripture and garble it by omitting the essential words "to keep Thee in all Thy ways", and by adding "at any time". Quoted from Psalms 91:11, Psalms 91:12

A third commentary said > And he saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Note the same employment of doubt as an instrument in temptation. "IF" is a big word in Satan's weaponry of deceit. A paraphrase of this second temptation is as follows: "Since you have so much faith in God, that is fine; just call all the people together in the temple and perform an outstanding miracle in the sight of all. For example, you could leap from the pinnacle of the temple unhurt, and the people would instantly hail you as the Messiah. You can see that this is a genuine time-saver, a shortcut that will enable you to achieve the necessary recognition without the time-consuming labor and pains of teaching and preaching."

For it is written, He shall give his angels charge, ... Satan reinforces the temptation with a plausible appeal to Scripture itself, quoting in this place from Psalms 91:11,12. Christ did not charge Satan with misquotation or misapplication of the Scripture. As a matter of fact, the words do apply to Christ. Christ rejected the temptation, not on the grounds that Satan had misused the word of God, but on the grounds that it would have constituted an unnecessary presumption and would have, in fact, been making trial of God. Christ instantly cited the Scripture forbidding such presumption, Deuteronomy 6:16.

Notice satan is not beyond trying to make us think that what is said is truth.  But if you notice in these commentaries, it is mentioned about bypassing teaching & preaching & the cross....If we are not grounded in God's Word and STUDY it we will not know that we have an ALMOST truth before us.  For myself [& especially as I have gotten older] I know most of some of the verses I have read but sometimes I don't remember the whole thing.  So I have to really listen, look and then go to the Word of God to make sure.  Paul talks about the Christians in Berea receiving  the word with eagerness and then they themselves EXAMINED in the scriptures DAILY to see if what they were being told was so [Acts 17:11].  We have to MAKE TIME for this because NOTHING is more important than knowing God's Word!  I challenge you today to start with 15 minutes of your time & then increasing it in a week.  You will be surprised where you can fit it into a busy day.
Are you up for the challenge?  Comment below to let me know.  I will pray with you as you begin.

Truth is that which is consistent with the character & nature of God