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It is written:
Luke 4:1-2-Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
The Bible speaks of Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the “wilderness,” where He confronted Satan for a period of forty days. There are some interesting things to notice about this “wilderness” to which Jesus went.
The word translated here as “wilderness” is the Greek word eremos. It has a very interesting usage in the Greek Old Testament (LXX). One scholar has noted:
“2.5. The Wilderness and Demons. In the temptation narratives Jesus confronts Satan in the wilderness. In Luke 8: 29 we learn that the Gerasene demoniac was driven into the desert by a demon. And in Matthew 12: 43-45 and its parallel, Luke 11: 24-26, the unclean spirit who has been cast out “passes through waterless places.” These texts are illumined by the Jewish belief that the wilderness, being beyond the bounds of society, is the haunt of evil spirits (see Lev 16: 10; Is 13: 21; 1 En. 10: 4-5; Tob 8: 3; 4 Macc 18: 8; 2 Bar. 10: 8).” (Joel B. Green, Prof. Jeannine K. Brown, Nicholas Perrin, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 619 (Kindle Edition): Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic)
Notice that often in the Old Testament (and in extra-biblical literature), the idea of “wilderness” was tied in with that of demonic forces and foes. Consider each of the verses mentioned in the above quotation (and another one that I am including also). Also, I will include the translation of some of these verses from the Greek Old Testament.
Leviticus 16:10-But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.
Isaiah 13:21-But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And wild goats will caper there.
Isaiah 13:21 (Brenton’s LXX)-But wild beasts shall rest there; and the houses shall be filled with howling; and monsters shall rest there, and devils shall dance there,
Isaiah 34:14-The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the night creature shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest.
Isaiah 34:14 (Brenton’s LXX)-The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the night creature shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest.
1 Enoch 10:6-Again Yahuah said to Rapha’el, Bind Aza’zel hand and foot; cast him into darkness; and opening the desert which is in Duda’el, cast him in there.
Tobit 8:3-The smell which when the evil ruach had smelled, he fled into the utmost parts of Mitsrayim, and the angel bound him.
4 Maccabees 18:8-No destroyer of the desert, or ravisher of the plain, injured me; nor did the destructive, deceitful snake, make spoil of my chaste virginity; and I remained with my man during the period of my prime.
2 Baruch 10:8-I will call the Sirens from the sea, and ye Lilin, come ye from the desert, and ye Shediym and dragons from the forests: Awake and gird up your loins unto mourning, and take up with me the dirges, And make lamentation with me.
In all of these references, we see a connection between “the wilderness” and demonic beings. Especially interesting here is Leviticus 16:10, where the word translated “scapegoat” is the word “Azazel.” This was the name of a specific demon.
“The most famous tradition identifies him as one of the angels that fell from Heaven because he became enamored with mortal women (Gen. 6: 2). In I Enoch, he is the angel who taught mankind the impure arts of war, lapidary, and cosmetics. In the end, he is exiled to the desolate wilderness (I Enoch 9, 10, 13). Aside from etymological discussions of the meaning of the word, Azazel appears as a demon in Talmud (Yoma 67b; RaSHI commentary) and medieval Midrashic sources, such as Yalkut Shimoni. In one text, Azazel is regarded to be the serpent that tricked Adam and Eve into sin. Some claim Azazel is an alternate name for other demonic personalities, such as Samael.” (Geoffrey W. Dennis, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism: Second Edition, 49 (Kindle Edition): Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications)
Scholar Michael Heiser writes about Azazel and his connection to the “wilderness” of Leviticus 16:
“9And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot for Yahweh fell, and he shall sacrifice it as a sin offering. 10But he must present alive before Yahweh the goat on which the lot for Azazel fell to make atonement for himself, to send it away into the desert to Azazel. (LEB) Many English translations have “scapegoat” or “the goat that goes away” where the LEB reads “Azazel.” 64 While the Hebrew ʿăzāʾzēl may be translated these ways, there are good reasons to opt for “Azazel” in the passage. The word ʿăzāʾzēl is actually a proper name. Leviticus 16: 8–10 explains that one goat is designated “for Yahweh” and one “for Azazel.” The parallel phrasing indicates that “Azazel” is a proper name here just like “Yahweh.” But if Azazel is a proper name, then who is Azazel? Azazel is regarded as the name of a demon in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient Jewish books. In fact, in one scroll (4Q 180, 1: 8) Azazel is the leader of the angels that sinned in Genesis 6: 1–4. The same description appears in the book of 1 Enoch (8: 1; 9: 6; 10: 4–8; 13: 1; 54: 5–6; 55: 4; 69: 2). 65 In his detailed study of the etymology of the name “Azazel,” Hayim Tawil draws attention to ancient Near Eastern comparative evidence that makes considering Azazel a demonic entity comprehensible. 66 Specifically, Tawil explores Mesopotamian texts dealing with demons (“ children of the netherworld”) who were believed to exit the realm of the dead through holes and fissures in the earth. 67 Once in the world of the living, “demons and other powers of hostility most common dwelling place is the ‘steepe-land’ (Sumerian EDIN = Akkadian ṣēru) … also to be understood as one of the symbolic designations of the netherworld.” 68 Tawil cites numerous examples of this terminology to make the telling observation that certain magical rituals and incantations bear striking similarities to both the vocabulary in Leviticus 16 and Azazel passages in the Semitic (Ethiopic) text of 1 Enoch. Further, he traces the Sumerian-Akkadian netherworld language to the domain of Mōt, the god of death at Ugarit. Tawil’s research establishes that both biblical vocabulary and later Second Temple Jewish discussion of Azazel were firmly rooted in early Mesopotamian material about demonic powers of darkness. 69 The association of the desert wilderness as a place connected to the realm of the dead also lurks behind Leviticus 17: 7: “So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore.” This passage’s immediate proximity to Leviticus 16 is striking. A conceptual connection seems evident: In the Day of Atonement ritual, the goat for Yahweh—the goat that was sacrificed—purges the impurities caused by the people of Israel and purifies the sanctuary. The goat for Azazel was sent away after the sins of the Israelites were symbolically placed on it. The point of the goat for Azazel was not that something was owed to the demonic realm, as though a ransom was being paid. The goat for Azazel banished the sins of the Israelites to the realm outside Israel.… The high priest was not sacrificing to Azazel. Rather, Azazel was getting what belonged to him: sin. 70 Milgrom likewise notes the connection between demons and the wilderness in Mesopotamian thought and explains the relevance of that connection for understanding Azazel in Leviticus 16: Elimination rites are therefore employed to drive the demons from human habitations and back to the wilderness, which is another way of saying that the demons are driven back to their point of origin.… Thus, in Israel, the goat for Azazel bearing the sins of Israel, though it is bound for the wilderness, is in reality returning evil to its source, the netherworld. 71” (Michael S. Heiser, Demons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness, 25-27 (Kindle Edition): Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press)
Bearing this in mind, consider in more detail the “wild beasts” of the “wilderness” that Jesus dealt with during His temptation.
Mark 1:12-13-Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
The Greek word translated as “wild beasts” is therion. It has an interesting usage in the Greek Old Testament, especially from the passages mentioned above from Isaiah.
Isaiah 13:21-But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And wild goats will caper there.
Isaiah 13:21 (Brenton’s LXX)-But wild beasts shall rest there; and the houses shall be filled with howling; and monsters shall rest there, and devils shall dance there,
Isaiah 34:14-The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the night creature shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest.
Isaiah 34:14 (Brenton’s LXX)-The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the night creature shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest.
Notice how the translators of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) associate the “wild beasts” of the desert with demonic creatures (“monsters,” “devils,” “the night creature”). The reason for this is due to the usage of these words in the ancient world. The Bible writers often used words from the animal world to describe certain demonic forces, since those demonic forces sometimes emulate the characteristics of those creatures. John himself shows us further validation of this interpretation of the “wild beasts” when he references these passages from Isaiah and uses the translation of the LXX:
Revelation 18:2-And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
Notice the way that John stays with the Greek Old Testament (LXX) rendering of Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14.
More interesting is how John uses the term “wild beasts” (therion) throughout Revelation!
“2. This word appears 38x in Rev., particularly in chs. 13–19. The beast and the false prophet, representing powers opposed to God, join the dragon to form the satanic trinity (16: 13). From their mouths issue three foul demonic spirits like frogs, who gather the world rulers at Armageddon for battle. The beast in 11: 7 combines characteristics of all four beasts in Dan. 7, dreadfully intensified. It originates in the realm of chaos (11: 7; 13: 1), is given authority by the “dragon” (13: 2, 4), has the attributes of beasts of prey (11: 7), and executes its claims to total power with ruthless force (13: 7–8, 15).” (Verlyn D. Verbrugge, New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology: Abridged Edition, 249 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan)
Thus, there is a clear connection between “wild beasts” of the “wilderness” and demonic forces in the Temptation of Christ.
France (commenting on the passage in Mark) has this:
“The ‘alliance’ between Satan and the animals is parallelled in Test. Iss. 7: 7 and Test. Ben. 5: 2, where the blessing promised to God’s faithful people is that evil spirits will flee from them and wild animals will be afraid of them. Even closer to Mk. 1: 13 is Test. Naph. 8: 4: ‘The devil will flee from you; wild animals will be afraid of you, and the angels will stand by you’. If, as seems likely, this is a Christian text based on Mk. 1: 13, it indicates that a very early reader understood the wild animals as part of the opposing forces, not as a symbol of Edenic harmony.” (R.T. France, The Gospel of Mark (The New International Greek Testament Commentary), 192 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)
Therefore, what we find in the “wilderness” of Jesus’ temptation was a forty day contest and struggle between the Son of God and the demonic powers of the world, under the command and direction of Satan himself. This was the beginning battle and struggle between the Lord Jesus and the powers of darkness, which struggle continued to manifest throughout the ministry of the Savior.
The Son of God shows us that He fully understands the fullness of temptation that we can endure in this world.
Hebrews 2:17-18-Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Hebrews 4:15-16-For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 7:25-Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
We also reflect that the very real nature of spiritual warfare, which is evidenced so powerfully in this account. Through Jesus and His Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-8), we may have victory over Satan and his forces (Revelation 12:7-12) when we repent of our sins and are baptized into Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:11-15). When we sin as Christians, God is there to forgive us as Jesus makes intercession for us (1 John 1:7-2:2), and we have the victory against Satan as we continue to resist him (James 4:7; Ephesians 6:10-18).
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
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