Temptations and Trials Faced by Bible Legends

By Michael Kotch

We all face temptations and trials in our lives, and how we deal with these times can be defining moments in our lives. So how do we choose the right thing instead of the easiest thing, or the most pleasurable thing? The best way for Christians to successfully respond to temptations and trials in their lives is to start with the Bible.

Temptations and Trials Faced by Bible Legends looks at temptations and trials that major characters of the Bible faced, and author and psychologist Michael Kotch shows how these Bible legends tended to fall into one of three categories when faced with a major trial or temptation: either they turned to God for guidance and did whatever God wanted them to do, or they did not follow God, with one group repenting for their disobedience and the other group simply continuing in the wrong direction. In the end, we can learn how doing what is right in God’s eyes can be much different than doing what is “right” in our own, and that the best outcomes follow from consulting with God.

God promises that we will never be tempted beyond our abilities, and he will always provide us with a way out of our temptations and trials. And for Christians, when we read the Bible daily, use it to create a plan of action, and always do what is right according to God, we can be confident in God’s leadership as we develop a character in the image of Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973639510

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 Michael Kotch.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All Bible quotes used in this book are from the English Standard Version (ESV) from Crossway Publishing (Copyright 2001).

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-3950-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-3949-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-3951-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018910816

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/19/2018

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 To Do What Is Right or What Feels Good

Chapter 2 Satan

Chapter 3 Adam and Eve

Chapter 4 Cain

Chapter 5 Noah

Chapter 6 Abraham

Chapter 7 Jacob

Chapter 8 Joseph

Chapter 9 Moses

Chapter 10 The Israelites Under Moses’ Leadership

Chapter 11 The Judges

Chapter 12 The Kings

Chapter 13 King David

Chapter 14 King Solomon

Chapter 15 Elijah

Chapter 16 King Zedekiah and the Prophet Jeremiah

Chapter 17 Esther

Chapter 18 Job

Chapter 19 Daniel

Chapter 20 Jonah

Chapter 21 The Apostles

Chapter 22 Peter

Chapter 23 Paul

Chapter 24 Jesus Christ

Chapter 25 What Can We Learn from This?

About the Author

Introduction

T HIS BOOK LOOKS AT temptations and trials that major characters of the Bible faced. How the people in the Bible responded to the temptations and trials that they faced was often a defining moment in their lives, one that determined their destinies. The Bible legends tended to fall into one of three categories when faced with a major trial or temptation:

1. They turned to God for guidance and did whatever God wanted them to do. These people were by far the most successful in dealing with their situations.

2. They did not follow what God instructed them to do or did not consider what God would want a person to do in a situation. They did what they wanted to do, which was at odds with God. They failed in their responses. However, this second group of people in the Bible repented and then did what God wanted them to do. God restored them, but there were consequences in their lives from the damage done in ignoring God. Their lives were not as good as they could have been if they were obedient to God from the start.

3. This last group did not follow what God wanted them to do in a major temptation or trial, and they never repented. They then continued to do what they felt like doing, and it was not what God wanted them to do. Despite the failures in their temptation and trial situations, they never turned to God, but kept going in their own wrong directions. These characters in the Bible ended their lives in complete failure or destruction.

We all face temptations and trials in our lives. We can learn from the experiences the Bible characters went through in their temptations and trials and hopefully make the best choices possible when we face them.

Why My Book Is Unique

My long experience as a psychologist/counselor helped to develop this book. I realized in working with my clients in general that people often respond in a situation based on whether their response feels good to them or not. They should be making choices in their lives based on what is the right thing to do, not what gives pleasure or avoids discomfort.

I often tell my clients, People do the worst things just because it feels good.

I am always trying to get them to make choices based on what is the right thing to do, not what brings pleasure or avoids pain. I have also noticed that Christians often make choices on what they think is the good or right thing to do. However, they do not consult the Bible or use prayer to find out what God says about the matter.

I realized that many people in the Bible faced serious situations in their lives. I wanted to write a book that closely analyzed each major Bible character’s response to a major temptation or trial he or she faced. Did the character:

• consult with God and do what he wanted him or her to do,

• not consult with God and do what was right in his or her own eyes, or

• just do what felt good or avoided pain, even if he or she knew it was the wrong thing to do?

I believe my background as a counselor in dealing with these issues with my clients allowed me to write this unique book, translating the Bible characters’ actions and results in a way that laypeople can understand and use.

CHAPTER 1

To Do What Is Right or What Feels Good

B LESSED IS THE MAN who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

—James 1:12

It feels good. It doesn’t feel good. Whether something does or does not feel good is a major force in determining what people do in their lives. I am a psychologist who practices at an outpatient Christian counseling agency. People come to see me for help with problems they are having in their lives.

What I have discovered in working with thousands of people since 1989 is that many people do things in their lives because it feels good. Additionally they do not do things in their lives because it is uncomfortable. People often make decisions and then act on them based on this alone, disregarding what is the right and wrong thing to do in the situation.

It feels good. People come to me for counseling because they have problems in their lives. Many, if not most, of the problems people have in their lives are self-inflicted. A problem developed because of something the person did or did not do.

I tell my clients all the time, People will do the worst things in their lives, solely because it feels good.

And these actions have destructive consequences. Consider the following behaviors that people commonly engage in:

• adultery

• pornography viewing

• premarital sex

• drinking and/or drug use

• gambling

• excessive time on social media, the internet, or video games

• unhealthy eating habits (overeating, junk food, etc.)

• tobacco products (cigarettes, vaping, or chew tobacco)

• hanging out at bars

• excessive sports watching

• attention to inappropriate movies, TV, and/or music

• excessive buying and/or spending

• risk-taking behaviors

Can you think of truly good reasons for engaging in any of the above behaviors? Probably not. Do you think the above behaviors are not good, will cause problems in your life, and should be avoided? Probably. Yet people engage in the above behaviors and many more like them all of the time. Why?

I have found it often comes down to one reason: people will do destructive things in their lives just because it feels good. People make decisions in their lives based on pleasure seeking, not on whether it’s right or wrong. And the potential future consequences of these behaviors are ignored.

It doesn’t feel good. Many people come to see me for problems in their lives that are the result of them not doing things they should do. Consider the following behaviors people frequently engage in:

• not spending time with their spouses and/or kids

• not working as much as they need to

• not doing things that need to be done at home (chores, home repair, etc.)

• not exercising, eating healthily, and/or taking care of themselves

• not reading the Bible, going to church, and/or praying

• not helping and/or being kind to other people

• not studying or doing homework

• not paying bills

Can you think of truly good reasons for the above behaviors? Probably not. Do you believe you and other people should do the above behaviors? Probably. Yet many people, if not most, do not do some of the behaviors listed above. Why? Because they do not feel good. It does not matter that these behaviors are good and should be done. Many people make decisions based solely on what feels good—not on what is right or wrong or good or bad.

If a person does not feel like doing something, no matter how good or necessary it is to do it, he or she may not do it just based on feelings. Conversely, if something feels good, some people will do it, no matter how wrong or damaging it may be. Leading one’s life based on pleasure— I do things that feel good, and I do not do things that I don’t feel like doing—is a path that leads to a shamble of a life. Additionally it destroys those around us who are connected to us or depend on us, such as family members. Many people do not realize they are doing this.

The best life is one that is based on doing good things and not doing bad things—not doing what feels good and avoiding what feels bad. So how do we know the good from the bad? Aren’t good and bad relative to what a person believes? What is true for you is only true for you, and I have my own truth.

No. That is what the devil wants you to believe so you are lost. To lead a truly great life, you must know what is right and wrong and act according to this—not live by the pleasure principle, Do what feels good and avoid what does not feel good. To know what is right and wrong—and how you should live your life—read the Bible and do what it says.

Temptations and Trials

A temptation is an opportunity presented to a person to do something pleasurable that is not a good thing to do. If it is a good thing to do, it is not a temptation. If on a diet, eating chocolate is a temptation. Eating broccoli, if you like it, is not considered a temptation.

A temptation is a pleasurable thing that has an inherent potential negative consequence that goes with it. Being well versed in the Word of God greatly helps us make informed, correct decisions when faced with a temptation. The more people read their Bibles and engage in prayer, the more they are prepared to respond the right way when temptation is presented to them.

God also promises this to those of us who love and follow him.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

For those who love and follow God, God will present you with an off-ramp when you are on the road to temptation. If you have fallen into temptation and you wonder why God did not save you from the fall, you have to ask yourself two questions:

1. Am I following God faithfully in my daily life?

2. Did I look at all for God’s off-ramp or his provision of escaping the temptation when I saw the temptation presented to me? No one ever forces us to engage in a wrong behavior. It is completely our choice. We always have the opportunity to walk away before we do it.

A trial is a difficult and often unpleasant situation that we find ourselves in. God said he allows certain trials in our lives to develop us as Christians. A trial has multiple purposes:

1. It reveals flaws in us that we need to improve and which we would not know existed if not for the trial. For example, let’s say a man is rich and successful, and he is friendly to everyone around him. At some point, this man loses his job and is no longer rich and successful. As a result, now he is nasty to those around him. The trial of losing his job shows that he was only nice to others when things were good in his life. This man realizes that he is not a nice person when things are not going well in his life. He does not like this and decides that he needs to be nice to others, no matter what his life’s circumstances are. He then begins to work on being nice to others even though he is going through this difficult time. If it were not for the trial, this flaw in his character would not have been revealed to the man so he could work on it.

2. It develops strength, endurance, and skill in overcoming problems in a person’s life. The person can now use these tools rather than just trying to run away from a problem.

3. It teaches a person to turn to and depend on God for help. We need God. We were never meant to do things on our own without him.

How people respond to the temptations and trials in their lives often affects the directions people’s lives take. The best way for Christians to successfully respond to temptations and trials in their lives is to follow these easy steps:

1. Read the Bible and pray daily. Incorporate what the Bible says into your daily life.

2. When faced with a temptation or a trial, go straight to what you know in the Bible, and incorporate this into your plan of action to respond to the temptation or trial. If you read the Bible regularly, you will always find a response from God on how you should handle the trial and temptation you are facing. There is so much applicable information in it that you will never have to wonder what to do.

3. Always do what you know is the right and good thing to do.

4. Do not make your decision when facing a temptation or trial based on the pleasure principle!

When facing a temptation or a trial, don’t act based on what does or does not feel good. When facing a temptation, acting on what feels good rather than on what is the right and good thing to do usually leads to destruction. When facing a trial, acting based on avoiding what does not feel good often leads to failure. When people are in a trial, they often look for what will end their unpleasant-feeling situation—not for what is the good and right thing to do. You need to know what is the good and right thing to do and then do that. Ending the unpleasant situation, instead of doing the right thing to do, should not be the course of action.

For example, a student in college may have a big, important exam