James 1:13-18

COMMENTS

There’s been so much post-tornado repair work going on here that’s it’s been difficult to write!  We’re very thankful for our insurance company, our agent, and the adjuster assigned to our claim who jumped right in and got those repairs started so quickly.  God has definitely been looking over us.  Actually, I almost hate to say that because I know that God is ALWAYS looking over us—even when things don’t go as smoothly as we like—an object lesson for today’s study ;-).

 

NOTES

At first glance, verse 13 seems to be another one of those “whiplash” comments that has nothing to do with the previous verses.  Not so!  Check it out:

“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone….”  (James 1:13)

James has been talking about trials.  As humans, when things don’t go well, we look for reasons.  The “spiritual” person is likely to look for spiritual reasons.  I used to think it made me at least appear to be more spiritual if I made God the reason.  “God is doing this to make me more ….. (patient, understanding, kind, etc. etc.).”  But is God the one doing it?

Let’s look back at the Old Testament to Job.  The angels come to see God one day and Satan decides he’ll tag along.  He tells the Lord that he’s been roaming around on the earth, checking things out.  (He was surely causing trouble; but like I do sometimes, he left that part out and made himself sound quite innocent.)  Here’s what happened next:

“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job?  There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’

“’Does Job fear God for nothing?’ Satan replied.  ‘Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? … But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.’ 

“The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.’”  (Job 1:8-13)

Notice a few things here:

1.     God was in control.  Satan could do nothing without His permission.

2.     God Himself did not harm Job or anything he had.  Satan was the culprit.

3.     The temptation for Job, one to which he did not succumb, was to blame God.

As James talks about temptation here, he recognizes that God doesn’t tempt.  Satan does.  What tools does Satan use?  Our natural human weaknesses!  His friends fell prey to Satan’s cries (and lies) that Job himself was responsible.  His wife encouraged him to "Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9).  Later in the book, we see that Job is quite arrogant, thinking too highly of himself.  As James 1:14 says, “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed”.

Evil desire gives birth to sin which gives birth to death.  (James 1:15 paraphrased)

When we face the trials that God in His Divine wisdom allows for the development of our maturity and to bring us to completeness, Satan recognizes our weaknesses and uses them to tempt us to sin.

Instead, as James states in 1:16-17, we’re to recognize the deception and know that our Father is the source of every good thing—even those good things that seem bad at the time.