"Whenever you pray, say… And do not bring us into temptation." (Luke 11:2a,4 CSB)
The last of the 5 phrases of the model prayer. Matthew 6, along with some manuscripts of Luke 11, contains "but deliver us from the evil one." I think this is helpful for context, but I can appreciate Luke's abbreviated form of the model prayer. Luke's writing style seems a bit like it was born from a personality of "give me the facts". Reading the model prayer and comparing it to Matthew 6 one can see that while it is the same points, Luke provides more of an outlined or abbreviated form. I like this as it lends itself to being used as a pattern from which to pray, but still allowing me to build on the provided framework as it has become part of my own praying. Once again, I hope to share what has become the prayer of my heart as I have prayed through this passage while asking God to inscribe it on my heart.
This final phrase is not without challenges, and I want to be careful to avoid straying off of the path on either side. One error is to be dismissive of it by saying something like "We all know God can't tempt us" and just moving along. This just ignores the fact that Jesus specifically put it into the model prayer, instructing us to pray in like manner. The other error is to fail to allow God to interpret His own Word to us by letting Scripture interpret Scripture. This refuses to permit God's Word the assumption of internal integrity and takes an interpretation that is in direct contradiction to other clear and direct passages. As I prayed this, I asked God to give me understanding of this prayer that is biblical so I can appropriately and effectively pray. Here is my understanding of the request "do not bring us into temptation":
Don't Lead Us into Temptation
Firstly: God tempts no man. James 1:13-15 (CSB) says, "No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death." Here we are clearly told God does not tempt men. Scripture is unmistakably clear on this. Man cannot blame God for being tempted. God does NOT tempt man. However this model prayer Jesus gives us instructs us to ask God not to lead us into temptation. In Luke chapter 4 we are told that "Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by the devil." Here we have Jesus being led of God to a place where He would be tempted. This is the context of Luke's shortened prayer, and beautifully illustrates the expanded request Matthew records for us - "but deliver us from the evil one."
But Deliver Us
This, to me, is the most profoundly beautiful part of this request. I take Luke's shortened phrase to be the memory prompt to draw me to this part of the prayer, much like Jesus' exclamation of "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" Would have turned the Jewish hearers to the entirety of Psalm 22.
BUT
The conjunction used can be a contrasting conjunction as is used throughout most of the book of Proverbs; for example "Genuine righteousness leads to life, but pursuing evil leads to death. (Prov. 11:19) Or it can sometimes be used as an expansion of a phrase or purpose, as in John 13:18"I’m not speaking about all of you; I know those I have chosen. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: The one who eats my bread has raised his heel against me." The Amplified Bible makes this usage more apparent as it states "I am not speaking of all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but [this has happened] in order that the Scripture may be fulfilled: ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS RAISED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME [as My enemy].’" I believe the context indicates it is this later usage and can be understood to say "but in order that".
DELIVER
The word translated as "deliver" is ῥῦσαι (rhysai) with the idea of delivering by drawing to one's self. Isn't that amazingly beautiful and hope filled?!
Now we have this as our fifth phrase modeled for us so when we pray, may we say something like:
"Dear Father, please do not lead me into temptation, but for the aim of drawing me nearer to You as You keep me from the evil one. Jesus, just as you were led of The Father by The Holy Spirit to be tempted in the wilderness, yet withstood the evil one by resting in The Father, so I ask you to not permit me to be tempted to the point of falling. Father, may You form Christ in me through every trial you permit. By Your grace, may I count it all joy when I find myself experiencing various temptations because You tell me the testing of my faith produces endurance with the end result of maturity and sanctification. (James 1:2-3) Through Jesus I ask this. Amen."
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