The Lord's Prayer: Refuge

The Lord's Prayer: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

REFUGE

And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.

It is strange that the NIV and the Amplified, (and KJV) translate this as “Lead us not into temptation”, when we have such a clear word in James 1:13 that we are not to say when he is tempted that “I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man:...”.

Vincent in his “Word studies in the New Testament” says: “Temptation. It is a mistake to define this word as only solicitation to evil. It means trial of any kind, without reference to its moral quality. Thus, Gen,.xxii.1 (Sept.) “God did tempt Abraham;” “This he said to prove him” (John vi:6); Paul and Timothy assayed to go to Bithynia'.” etc.

The TEV translates this as “Do not bring us to hard testing.” and the NEB says “And do not bring us to the test.”

But before I had these “support texts or translations, I had the “outline” that understood that what Jesus was telling the disciples was that whether for those trials that come suddenly upon me (which MIGHT cause me to give in to the pressures) or whether by the cunning devices of Satan (the Evil One) working on my lusts (according to James 1:14) I was to be seeking the Refuge of the Father.

In other words the prayer is “Father, shelter me from those testings that are too big for me to bear ALONE, (or remind me that I cannot bear them alone,) and keep me from the design and craftiness of the devil.” Or with 1 Corinthians 10:13, in mind, again with the misleading translation of “no temptation” as “solicitation to evil”, that may cause us to miss the real promise altogether. If it means instead, “Let no testing come in which I will be overloaded and “fail the test”, but rather, in casting myself upon the Father, as seeing Him as my refuge and STRENGTH every “trial” or hard testing, and including every “solicitation to evil” will have with it the way of escape.” By rendering the Greek in Matthew 6:13, and 1 Corinthians 10:13 to be ONLY this “solicitation to evil” then we put outside the phrase “such as is common to man”, the testings and hardships and anxieties tha t Jesus understood we would face DAILY and to which we would need to come to the Father DAILY as to our Refuge and Deliverer.

Someone once said that what we face are trials or tests. (Not temptations.) When with God's help we do not “give in” whether in dismay, or defeat or unbelief or whatever, then it has been the idea of “assaying” the ore. It has proven it to be “gold”. And the “proof” is not so much for the Lord's sake perhaps as for ours. If God “tested” Abraham as mentioned above or if He “tests” us, it is not because He does not ALREADY know what we will do, but rather it shows us what we CAN do when we are trusting the Lord and obeying Him, and relying on His strength. It is only when we “fail” the tests that we can then say Satan tempted us. So here is the new thought that I am articulating in my own mind on this day (Sept. 23, 2007). Could it be that what we think of as a “temptation” to do wrong, is often not a temptation as such at all... to begin with? Rather it is a test or “hard test” or trial, which CAN come from God, and the temptation that comes from Satan is “Here is your chance to show how strong, or clever, or independent you really are and you don't need to call on God, or the Spirit to manage.” To what extent could we say this was true of Satan's “temptations” of Jesus in the wilderness? We say that in every case Jesus countered Satan's temptations by quoting the Word. But in every case the appeal was to His “human nature” or “flesh” (except that in His case, he could have “used” His divine powers to satisfy”) but Jesus' defeat of Satan was NOT by His divine power, but rather by His overcoming Satan by casting Himself on the Father; that is, the Strength the Father provided Him (and provides us) through the Word.

How can I illustrate this to myself? Could I say that finding a wallet sitting on a table with no one around is a test, not a temptation? I know what would be right, and I know what would be wrong. Is this a temptation from Satan or a test from God? The temptation may come if Satan says, “No one is here to see and no one will ever know it is YOU that found it.” Relying only on the flesh, and some clever arguments like “Look how God is providing” or “it is better that I found it than someone else” etc. etc. I could give in and in doing so I will have “sinned”. On the other hand, relying on what I know to be right, and allowing the Spirit to lead me I can contact the owner and return the wallet, (and all its contents) and I will have “passed the test” or “proven” to myself and to any “witnesses” that God is my Refuge and Strength and He could/did “provide the way of escape.” Likewise when the trial or testing is a heavy burden. Do I let the load get me down or do I trust him moment by moment to let him give me His Strength in my weakness and we come through it together?

I suspect that if we master this part of the prayer, “Lead us not into temptation” we will find the rest of the prayer being fulfilled much easier also. “And deliver us from evil” or “deliver us from the Evil one.” Easier because to know God the Father as our Refuge from the overwhelming trials of life or the subtleties of the enemy of our soul, or the evil of the world around us, is a matter of Trust. If we have proven Him faithful in one area of deliverance, we know He is faithful in all.

So then, the Lord's Prayer is NOT meant to lead us to vain repetition. We don't have to say the same memorized words over and over again. But Jesus did recognize that we needed to be reminded DAILY of these things and to come to the Father DAILY in right relationship, and reverence, dependent always on the revelation of Himself to us, in us, and though us. Our physical refreshment is only as He provides for us our DAILY needs. WE need and receive our restoration from Him only as we accept our responsibility to forgive others. And we are saved from our burdens and the enemy of our soul or “the world, the flesh and the devil” only as we take our refuge in him.
'For, HIS is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen!