The Jewish Background to the Lord’s Prayer (Part VII)
08 Oct 2023
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil (‘v’al t’vienu lide nisayon ela tatzilenu min hara’)
(See previous articles in this series here.) Just as we observed with 'Thy Will Be Done …. Thy Kingdom Come’, so we also encounter a Hebrew parallelism in the current verse, where we find a petition complemented by a plea. In this case the second line - the plea - explains the implications of the petition.
Being tested
In the Hebrew language ‘temptation’ is invariably associated with the sense of a ‘test’ or ‘trial’. In Pirke Avot, an early Rabbinic text, there is a discussion around ten tests that Abraham encountered and overcame. In the New Testament we read of the three tests that the adversary endeavoured to tempt Jesus with. Whether that was an attempt to make Him stumble or ascertain if He could actually be killed is an ongoing debate amongst scholars. Either way, they were tests.
Here in the Lord’s prayer, there is a clear indication that our inclination as humankind is toward sin. Equally, there is a clear indication that the best way of avoiding sin is to ensure that you are not put in a position where it can test us. A saying from Judaism speaks of this: ‘A man must never bring himself into the grasp of temptation, because when David the King of Israel brought himself to the test he stumbled’.
A man must never bring himself into the grasp of temptation, because when David the King of Israel brought himself to the test he stumbled.
James taps a similar vein in chapter 1: ‘When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death' (13-15).
Jesus teaches us to pray that we may be led away from temptation so that our sinful nature is not tested.
Saved from evil
We now move into the second half of the parallelism and the plea to be saved from the force of evil, which is almost invariably linked to temptation. It is also stepping up to another level - prayers of 2nd Temple Judaism reveal a sense of the sheer power of evil, with its ability to overcome an individual and control them. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain prayers against this. A Psalm scroll discovered in Cave 11 carries a desperate request: ‘Let not Satan nor an unclean spirit rule over me’. The Testament of Levi features a similar prayer: ‘Do not let Satan rule over me to lead me astray’.
Professor David Flusser noted the similarities between these texts and Psalm 119: ‘let no iniquity gain dominion over me’ (v.133). In Hebrew the prayer requests are identical, other than that ‘iniquity’ replaces ‘Satan’. But these prayers are far deeper than a request to avoid an inclination to sin. Rather, they relate to a powerful and very real evil force that is actively seeking to control the praying person’s life.
These prayers ... relate to a powerful and very real evil force that is actively seeking to control the praying person’s life.
A similar Dead Sea Scroll prayer puts it this way: ‘Do not lead me into trials that are too difficult for me’. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10: ‘No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide you the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it’ (v.13)
Each of these pleas recognises our human frailty as well as God’s omnipotence, and they cry out for God’s protection. Paul articulates the recognition that only God can deliver from temptation, only God can provide the means of escape.
Standing against evil
There is similar urgency in a raft of rabbinic prayers aimed at standing against evil. Rabbi Judah the Prince recorded:
‘May it be your will, O Lord our God and God of our Fathers, to train us in Your law and to make us cling to Your commandments. Do not bring us into the grasp of sin and not into the grasp of trespass and iniquity and not into the grasp of temptation and disgrace. Do not let the evil inclination rule over us but remove us far away from an evil man or an evil companion.’
The Talmud states:
‘May it be pleasing before You, O Lord our God and God of our Fathers, to deliver us from insolence and insolent men, from an evil man and from contact with evil, from evil inclination, from an evil companion, from an evil neighbour and from Satan who destroys.’ Also:
‘May it be -pleasing before You, O Lord my God, to make me lie down in peace and give me my portion of Your Torah. Train me to do Your Commandments and do not train me to do transgression. Do not bring me into the grasp of sin, nor into the grasp of iniquity, nor into the grasp of temptation, nor into the grasp of disgrace. May the good inclination rule over me. May the evil inclination not rule over me and deliver me from contact with evil.’
Jewish scholars propose that these prayers were originally written in the first person singular, making them very personal. Then, at a later time they were reworked into the first person plural for public worship. They certainly make sin into a very personal and real entity.
These prayers were originally written in the first person singular, making them very personal.
Whether or not they influenced this prayer we do not know, but at the very least they identify a train of thinking that saw evil as a potent force that needed addressing.
Surrender to His will
This final parallelism is directly related to the earlier petitions in that it directly concerns God’s reign and the execution of His Will on heaven and earth. I am not surprised that the early Christians are reported to have made this a key prayer in baptisms. This is a prayer of surrender to the Divine Will and Power.
Praying this prayer has forgiven those who have wronged them, actively seeking God’s forgiveness for themselves and God’s reign in their lives. This final petition is more related to a portent evil force than to the mastery of our own flaky will.
Nick Thompson worked extensively in national newspaper marketing teams in the 80s and 90s. He currently lives in North Lincolnshire and works in software development and football. He is a Trustee of Prayer for Israel and a member of the Prophecy Today Editorial Board.
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Nick Thompson