Deliver Us from the Evil One
The next-to-last phrase in the Lord’s prayer is a petition for protection from Satan: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Is such a prayer necessary? Would God ever lead us into temptation? James 1:13 says, “When people are tempted they should not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone.” If God does not tempt us, then why pray, “Lead us not into temptation”? These words trouble the most sophisticated theologian.
But they don’t trouble a child. And this is a prayer for the child-like heart. This is a prayer for those who look upon God as their Abba. This is a prayer for those who have already talked to their Father about provision for today (“Give us our daily bread.”) and pardon for yesterday (“Forgive us our debts.”). Now the child needs assurance about protection for tomorrow.
The phrase is best understood with a simple illustration. Imagine a father and son walking down an icy street. The father cautions the boy to be careful, but the boy is too excited to slow down. He hits the first patch of ice. Up go the feet and down plops the bottom. Dad comes along and helps him to his feet. The boy apologizes for disregarding the warning and then, tightly holding his father’s big hand, he asks, “Keep me from the slippery spots. Don’t let me fall again.”
The Father is so willing to comply. “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Ps. 37:23–24 TLB). Such is the heart of this petition. It’s a tender request of a child to a father. The last few slips have taught us—the walk is too treacherous to make alone. So we place our small hand in his large one and say, “Please, Abba, keep me from evil.”
by Max Lucado
I believe that when we ask God ‘to lead us not unto temptation” we are not saying God would deliberately tempt us and thereby possibly lead us to sin as that would be sacriledgeous and an untenble contradiction. Rather we are saying that even the many good gifts God gives us as He only can, can unfortunately also lead us into temptation although that was not God’s intention. Matrial wealth for instance, though not bad in itself (sic Abraham, Job, Noah…) can make us feel we do not need God. The gift of intellect above our peers can easily make us proud or even use the gift not in the service of God but to exploit others. The cross of Christ given to those He loves can lead us astray by way of self pity and worse, rejecting God for ‘burdening us’ thus. There are other examples galore whereby we can easily turn tables on God’s gifts to reject or rebel against the giver.
It would seem that the assumption God would not allow temptation in our lives might be misleading. Temptation is everywhere in every thing, in all that we do. Even in our good deeds we can fall into pride about our actions. This seems to be an over simplification of an everyday situation.
I Corinthians 10:13 RSV
[13] No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Luke.4
[1] And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit
[2] for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry.
[3] The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
[4] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
[5] And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,
[6] and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.
[7] If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.”
[8] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’”
[9] And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here;
[10] for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,’
[11] and `On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
[12] And Jesus answered him, “It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
[13] And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
I wonder if this is a mistransalation. If you translate this phrase from Spanish to English, literally it will read: ‘And do not let us fall into temptation’, which to me it makes more sense than ‘Do not lead us into temptation’.
I love how you simplify a scripture giving new sight to it. Who hasn’t read and recited that line many, many times. From a child’s view we need Abba to keep us safe from all the harm that swarms around us in our daily lives.