A Word From The Word

When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness to turn stones into bread, He said, “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4. Jesus was given wise ability, with a word from Deuteronomy 8:3, to see through the lie of the tempter. He knew the verse and the context of that verse.

The children of Israel had been wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Just before they entered into the Promised Land, Moses reviewed for them the Law. The passage that Jesus quoted was from that scene. He had just spent forty days in the wilderness, fasting in preparation to begin His ministry. As Satan tempted Him to become a “bread Messiah,” Jesus answered with the truth of the deepest hunger of man, a word from God for daily living.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He included that need with the request, “…and give us this day, our daily bread…” (Matthew 6:11). Daily bread is needed for the hunger of the body, but a daily word from God is needed for the greater hunger of the soul, the hunger and thirst for righteousness. When that hunger is satisfied you are worshiping the Father in spirit and truth.

The Greeks had two words for “word.” The first one is the word rhemah, which is a single spoken word. This is the word used in Matthew 4:4 in the phrase “…but by every word…” And then, the word logos, which is all of the words that form into a single meaning. John begins his gospel using this word, “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God.” John 1:1. He describes Jesus as the full revelation of everything God has said and will ever say, because Jesus fulfilled the word of God.

You could say that logos is a collection of many rhemah that form a single meaning. Jesus was given a rhemah from God’s word for the hokmah (wise ability) needed to combat the lie of Satan; a single word from the word of God.

In Ephesians 6:10 – 18, Paul instructs us how to stand against the schemes of the devil with the mighty armor of God. One of the weapons, the only offensive one, is the “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit…” The word is rhemah of God in that passage; a powerful, single, word from the word of God. This is your memory verse for the day. Don’t leave home without it!

Today, memorize and pray this word, “…and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (rhemah) of God, and praying…” Ephesians 6:17. Pray this word before you are tempted, when you are tempted, after you are tempted, and all you will be is tempted and will come through victorious over the temptation! The experience will turn into a worship service, worshiping the Father in spirit and truth!

If God said it, He will do it, if you will pray it! Hallelujah!!!

Tomorrow, another word for wisdom, musar.