“The devil . . . saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down” (Matt. 4:6).
This was making a move without God—doing something by oneself. Scripture did not say, “Cast Thyself down, because God has given His angels charge concerning Thee, lest Thou dash Thy foot against a stone” (see Psa. 91:11).
The Lord would not turn aside from Scripture because Satan had misused it. He shows us, in the most instructive way, that we are not to be moved from our stronghold because it may be turned against us.
Our Lord does not enter into nice distinctions, nor analyze what Satan had said, but He has given us that which ought to be—the standard mode of dealing for every Christian.
There are those who might have spiritual discernment to see that Satan was perverting the scripture which he quoted, but many might not. The Lord takes a broad ground in dealing with the adversary. He stands upon what each Christian should know and feel, and this is, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
He can appeal to that which is palpable and clear. It will be found that where a person systematically misapplies Scripture, he destroys some fundamental principle of the Word of God. Whatever is false is contrary to some plain passage of Scripture.
Now this is a great mercy, for the believer holds fast to what is sure. He will not quit what he does understand for something that he does not. He may be perplexed by what the adversary is producing, and he may have only a growing suspicion that he is wrong. But he may say to himself, “I never can give up that which is beyond a doubt for that which I do not know.” In other words, he holds the light and refuses the darkness.
W. Kelly (from Gems From My Reading)