TEMPT, TEMPTATION (tempt, temp-ta'shiin), Heb. 1, mar-saw' ; Gr. rezpaau6s, ty-ras-mos', testing, to try, to prove).
(1) Divine. God tempted Abraham, by com manding him to offer up his son Isaac (Gen. xxii:1) ; intending to prove his obedience and faith, to confirm and strengthen him by this trial, and to furnish in his person an example and pattern of perfect obedience to all succeeding ages. When we read in Scripture that God proved his people, whether they would walk in his law, or no (Exod. xvi:4) and that he permitted false prophets to arise among them, who prophesied vain things to try them, whether they would seek the Lord with their whole hearts, we should interpret these expressions by that of James (i: 13). The prayer, "Lead us not into temptation" (Matt. vi:t3), does not imply that God leads us into sin (James i:13, 14), but it is a prayer that he may guard and protect us from temptation.
(2) The Devil. The devil tempts us to evil, of every kind, and lays snares for us, even in our best actions. Ile tempted our Savior in the wilder ness, and endeavored to infuse into him senti ments of pride, ambition and distrust (Matt. iv : 1; Mark i:13; Luke iv:2). He tempted Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Ghost (Acts v :3). In the prayer that Christ himself has taught us, we pray God "not to lead us into temptation" (Matt. vi:13) ; and a little before his death, our
Savior exhorted his disciples to "watch and pray, that they might not enter into temptation" (Matt. xxvi:41). Paul says, "God will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear" (1 Cor. x:13).
(3) Human. Men are said to tempt the Lord. when they unseasonably require proofs of the divine presence, power or goodness. The Israel ites in the desert repeatedly tempted the Lord, as if they had reason to doubt of his presence among them, or of his goodness, or of his power, after all his appearances in their favor (Exod. xvii:2, 7, 17; Num. xx:i2; Ps. lxxviii :18, 4i). Men tempt or try one another, when they would know whether things are really what they seem to be ; whether men are such as they are thought or desired to be. The queen of Sheba came to prove the wisdom of Solomon, by proposing riddles for him to explain (1 Kings x:1; 2 Citron. ix :1). Daniel desired of him who had the care of feed ing him and his companions, to prove them for sonic days, whether abstinence from food of cer tain kinds would make them leaner ( Dan. 1:12. 14). The Scribes and Pharisees often tempted our Savior, and endeavored to decoy him into their snares (Matt. xvi:1; xix :3 ; xxii:18. 35; Luke xx :25). Calmet.