What was the central, visual, focus of the very first temptation and sin? Essentially – food. Satan didn’t hold up a twig and tempt Eve with that. He didn’t wave a leaf in front of her, “Oooooh...don’t you want to try this green waxy leaf?” Nope. Satan pointed to a tantalizing fruit and used that as a way to distract, twist, and cast doubt on God’s perfect word, and like Solomon wisely said, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” The author of Hebrews is all over this temptation by warning us not to be swayed by leaders who teach that we can find strength in ceremonies and their foods. Instead, we must remain faithful and remember what God has already said, “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” Our strength is found in Him, in His grace, in His provision....be satisfied in Him. Anything that distracts us from the never-changing gospel of Jesus Christ is a problem. The author isn’t giving us a list of all the various “diverse and strange teachings” but he’s using the issue of “foods” that apparently had come up to remind us of the priority of grace over the law. While you may not be tempted today to go live under the Old Covenant Laws, are you tempted in other ways to find strength outside the grace of God? Don’t! No matter what you’re dealing with, always be assured of the truth that the grace of God is sufficient. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
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