"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." was a familiar commandment to the Israelites. This commandment was recorded in the Torah (book of the law) Deuteronomy 6:16 when the Israelites questioned the presence of the Lord in Massah. In the temptation of Jesus, this commandment was used against Satan when the devil asked Jesus to throw Himself down the high place where God promised angels should come to His rescue. Psalm 91:12. In another instance, King Ahaz used this verse against God who offered the king to ask God for any sign. He said that he will not ask as he did not want to tempt God. The same verse used brought joy and anger to the Lord God. Same verse, different results. It depends on whom and how the scripture was applied. Wisdom from the Holy Spirit is crucial to apply scripture. The scripture had been used in the time of old to defend slavery. Today, it is unthinkable for someone to use the scripture that way. These are some checks we can use when applying scripture. 1) The scripture speaks primarily to me. We are expert to channel scripture to be applied to others but God's word is primarily for the reader. If it is good enough to change you, then it will change others. 2) What was the context the verses were used? Who was the author speaking to and what was the issue then? Knowing that will give us a clearer picture relevant to the text. 3) Are there any other parts of scripture where it says otherwise? Respecting the scripture as a whole will prevent us from living one-sided. The devil quoted a verse and Jesus reminded him another. Remember, applying scripture is a journey of relationship with God and a sentence may mean something else in different situations.

May we all grow in the knowledge of scripture and mature in applying it in our lives.