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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About the Tempter (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 049. Three Attacks
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Three Attacks
There have been three great attacks made upon man by the tempter, three great attempts to tempt him away from God's path—in Eden, in the Wilderness, and at Calvary. The purpose each time was the same—it was to swerve man from God's path and God's plan. That is the sole thing aimed at in each as in all temptation. In Eden man fell into the snare laid for him. He failed to obey God; he disobeyed. He obeyed another, and became the slave of him whom he obeyed. He lost his title to the dominion of the earth.
Our Lord Jesus came as the new Head of the race. He came to redeem what had been lost. His coming was a direct challenge to the traitor-prince. The challenge of His presence was met by the tempter in the Wilderness. It was the second great attack upon the race, the second temptation. That is, it was the second great driving attack.
Our Lord was tempted before the Wilderness. The Nazareth life was a continuation of temptations. And he was tempted by every sort of subtle and stormy effort during the three and a half years after. But the Wilderness was a great pitched battle. It was the first of two pitched battles. Our Lord remained true. He steadily insisted on obeying the Father. The tempter was defeated.
This led to the third great attack or attempt at Calvary. Having failed in the Wilderness, Satan would try again. He would make another yet greater effort. That second great effort was at Calvary. There he rallied all his power. This was the second great pitched battle of which our Lord was the central figure. And we men can never be grateful enough for the steadfast obedience, for the victory through obedience, of our Lord in the Wilderness, and at Calvary—for everything most dear to us was at stake. He was acting for us as our representative and substitute.
The one thing aimed at by Satan at Calvary was to make obedience just as difficult and painful, and indeed as near to impossible, as it was possible for him to do. Obedience has never been so hard before nor since. By every bit of Satanic cunning and devilish malice of which he is such a consummate master, he hedged the path of obedience in. By thorns and thongs, club and cross, bodily pain, mental and spirit pain, by every conceivable indignity and shame and utter disgrace he sought to check Jesus' advance, to choke Him back. It was Satan at his very best, which means at his very worst.