
No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands, they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. (Psa 91:10-13 NKJ)
Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. “For it is written:`He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ “and,`In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said,`You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'” (Luk 4:9-13 NKJ)
If the Jews found a heretic, they would take the person up to the pinnacle of the temple and throw them off and down into the Kidron Valley below. The devil thought he could tempt Jesus to perform a show by jumping off and being unharmed or worse still seen to be taking his own life. The enemy even had a verse of scripture to back up his challenge. To perform such a fete would nullify the cross, and Jesus knew that nothing need detract from God’s will to save mankind.