The keyword in our passage is “entice”. It is from the Hebrew word “paw-thaw”. It means to open up someone or something. It is to make room for something, creating an enabling environment as it were. In a cynical sense, it is to delude. It is part of Satan’s devices to open people up or delude them. This he does by making them offers. Satan will never come to you except in the guise of offering you some advantage. In enticing Eve to go for the forbidden fruit, he showed her that she would be able to discern between good and evil. He also offered that the fruit would make her become exactly like God. It was not until Eve was convinced of the advantages of the fruit that she ventured to take it.
Before the public launch of Jesus’ ministry, the tempter made some offers to Him. The first one was that He should turn stones into bread. Remember that Jesus fasted for 40 days, after which he was hungry. Was the offer of means to get food not a show of concern? Perhaps the greatest offer was the third temptation. Here Satan offered Him all the glory of the world for a bow! The point is: the adversary will always present himself as sympathetic to your cause with good and appealing offers. Never forget that just behind the bait is the hook. Jesus said that the thief’s mission is to steal, kill, and destroy; but He came to give us life. As the world marks the birth of the Saviour, let us take advantage of the hope that He brought as a counteroffer to that of the devil. The coming of Jesus means the birthing of hope for us.