But why would the Spirit compel Jesus to go into the desert to face the devil? The answer takes us back to the previous chapter and the Gospels’ presentation of Jesus’ baptism and revival of God’s kingdom as a new exodus event. In the Old Testament, Israel, the son of God (Exod 4:23), passed through the sea (Exod 14–15) and then ventured out into the wilderness on the way to Canaan to re-establish Yahweh’s kingdom. But Israel’s faith and loyalty to Yahweh faltered (Judg 2:11–15). They were eventually seduced by the hostile divine powers (“demons”) whose domain was the wilderness (Deut
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