Fall Down and Worship Me
Oddity is a given with modern awards programs and the 2023 Grammy’s made this abundantly clear. One of the entertainers for the evening was Sam Smith, a self-proclaimed non-binary (believing that one conforms to neither gender) singer. As a part of the presentation for his song, Unholy, Smith dressed in a caricatured devil’s costume, with dancers seemingly representing demons lewdly surrounding him. Earlier in the day, Smith tweeted pictures from the rehearsal, with the message, “This is going to be special.” The CBS network, the program’s broadcaster, replied to the tweet, stating, “You can say that again. We are ready to worship!” Cooler heads prevailed on the network and the tweet was quickly deleted. Images of one seeking to look like a devil joined with the idea of worship presented an image CBS did not desire.
Many years earlier, there was an occasion where such an event was not for odd celebrity theatrics. In fact, it involved the devil himself calling for worship. As the newly anointed Messiah was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness for testing, Satan saw an opportunity to bring the saving work of this “God-Man” crashing down. Three times he sought to pressure Jesus into sinning, with the staccato challenge, “If you are the Son of God.” There seemed to have been an undertone of jealousy within this challenge. The once heavenly being now sought to cause the fall of the Son of God himself. As recorded in Matthew, the first two temptations proved unsuccessful. For the third, Satan sought to make an offer Jesus could not refuse. Taking Jesus up to an exceedingly high mountain and showing Him all the kingdoms of the world, he stated, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). At this point, the reader might face the temptation to believe that this was not much of a temptation at all; however, such an idea would be mistaken. These kingdoms had given their allegiance to Satan by turning away from God. Satan made the offer that if Jesus would simply worship him, he would relinquish his control. This was framed as a “win-win”; satanic power would be diminished, and Jesus would not have to face the grueling death awaiting Him.
Consider what Jesus could have done. After all, there was no one on the mountain but the two of them; no one would ever have to know. It is highly unlikely that the devil has the power to read thoughts, so Jesus could have bowed down and allowed His mind to focus on the glories of the Father. In turn, people get to leave the kingdom of darkness! While mortals might have fallen to such illogic, the Son of God did not. In reply to this temptation, Jesus stated, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’” (4:10). To have given worship to Satan would have placed this being of darkness in the seat of God. Such action would have meant that mankind’s only hope had surrendered to the one bent on humanity’s destruction. Jesus bravely and lovingly chose His coming death rather than compromise with wickedness. Glory would come, but it would not be of Satan’s doing!
This account serves as a valuable tutor for the children of God. Each will face his or her own temptations and must be prepared to overcome them. First and foremost, all must understand that God is supreme. With each of the three temptations, Jesus overcame by keeping God in His proper place: Man lives by the words that come from God; God is not to be put to the test; God is the only One deserving of worship. This contrasts greatly with Adam and Eve, who quickly succumbed to devilish deception. Because they did not honor God, they fell from His glory. Satan still works to convince mankind that God cannot be trusted. After all, how could a good God allow bad things to happen to His people? When temptations of this nature come, may each follower stand firmly with the apostle Paul, who stated, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). God is always present, and God always cares.
The second important lesson to learn is that there is never room for compromise when it comes to temptation. Seeming shortcuts to faith can be very appealing. Just as he did with Jesus, the devil works to convince God’s people that surrender means fewer people will get hurt, stands will not have to be taken, and good can come if one will only bow to him. In such times, remember Jesus’ moniker for this trickster: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Simply put, the devil cannot be trusted. His goal is to hurt God by the destruction of humans. Through compromise, he seeks to make this happen.
Perhaps one final lesson learned comes from singer Smith. The devil is no joke. He is not a cartoonish figure, not the king of the underworld, and not a suitable role model for ratings. The apostle Peter warns that he is a roaring lion (I Peter 5:8). The apostle John calls him the ancient serpent and dragon (Revelation 12:9; 20:2). These terms are to denote his ferocity and alert potential prey of the danger he poses. By the grace of God, the devil flees when the children of God stand firmly with their Father. May each child stand, never falling to worship the one who sought to destroy mankind’s hope.
