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16
S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 5
knife was raised to slay Isaac, and he had now come to save His life;
that it was not necessary for Him to endure the painful hunger and
death from starvation; he would help Him bear a part of the work in
the plan of salvation (
The Review and Herald, August 4, 1874
).
(
Matthew 3:16, 17
;
Mark 1:10, 11
;
Luke 3:21, 22
.) Precious
Tokens Showing Approval
—Christ did not appear to notice the
reviling taunts of Satan. He was not provoked to give him proofs of
His power. He meekly bore his insults without retaliation. The words
spoken from heaven at His baptism were very precious, evidencing
to Him that His Father approved the steps He was taking in the plan
of salvation as man’s substitute and surety. The opening heavens,
and descent of the heavenly dove, were assurances that His Father
would unite His power in heaven with that of His Son upon the earth,
to rescue man from the control of Satan, and that God accepted the
effort of Christ to link earth to heaven, and finite man to the Infinite.
These tokens, received from His Father, were inexpressibly pre-
cious to the Son of God through all His severe sufferings, and terrible
conflict with the rebel chief (
The Review and Herald, August 18,
1874
).
(
Genesis 3:1-6
.) Satan Powerless to Hypnotize Christ
—Satan
tempted the first Adam in Eden, and Adam reasoned with the en-
emy, thus giving him the advantage. Satan exercised his power of
hypnotism over Adam and Eve, and this power he strove to exercise
over Christ. But after the word of Scripture was quoted, Satan knew
that he had no chance of triumphing (
Letter 159, 1903
).
(
Romans 5:12-19
;
1 Corinthians 15:22, 45
;
2 Corinthians
5:21
;
Hebrews 2:14-18
;
4:15
.) The Two Adams Contrasted
—
When Adam was assailed by the tempter in Eden he was without the
taint of sin. He stood in the strength of his perfection before God.
All the organs and faculties of his being were equally developed,
and harmoniously balanced.
Christ, in the wilderness of temptation, stood in Adam’s place to
bear the test he failed to endure. Here Christ overcame in the sinner’s
behalf, four thousand years after Adam turned his back upon the
light of his home. Separated from the presence of God, the human
family had been departing every successive generation, farther from
the original purity, wisdom, and knowledge which Adam possessed
in Eden. Christ bore the sins and infirmities of the race as they