I have been learning that the bible has patterns which we tend only to notice the more we read and meditate on the word. It is thought that these patterns are there to highlight and point to certain lessons and messages for us. For example, Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness can be patterned to Israel’s forty years in the wilderness. I believe there are many parallels between these two accounts but today I want to look at one. In my readings, I noticed the following pattern.

Just before Jesus started his ministry, he went into the wilderness for forty days and fasted. At the end of his fast, the bible tells us that the devil tempted him. On three occasions, he was tempted, and he used the word of God to combat the devils’ temptations. These temptations can be compared to similar situations that Israel went through. And as you look at each one, you notice that Israel fails each, and Jesus shows us how to overcome and successfully get through them. Again, he points us to the word as the solution.

Luke 4

³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” ⁴ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.'” ⁵ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶ and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
    and him only shall you serve.’”

⁹ And he took him to Jerusalem and 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,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to guard you,’

¹¹ and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The table below attempts to compare the parallels between each example.

If the people of Israel had the word of God hidden in their hearts, they would have been able to trust him and successfully come through each test. However, instead, as soon as things got tough, they forgot all about what God had done for them and did exactly what the word of God said not to do. We can learn so much from this. We can see how easily we can get caught in the same wrongs as Israel. But let us meditate on how Jesus overcame the enemy and how he trusted in God and his word.