Matthew 6:13 ends the Lord’s Prayer:
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
[But let Your kingdom be,
and let it be powerful
and glorious forever. Amen.]
This verse on the surface seems very good since it’s asking
God for protection from being led into evil and if you get mired into something
bad one asks for deliverance from that problem. We tend to say this without
much though but there are a few problems when I read this verse. First is it
implies that God leads us into evil or at least tempts us. In reality it’s our
own simple human condition. There are more than enough shiny things that
distract us from the word of God that often we do not need help being drawn
into wrong actions. I don’t think God tests us in the way this implies, but I do
think He does test us from time to time.
It’s the difference between refining and burning up
something. Refining is putting heat to a metal to ensure the impurities are
burned off or separated from the pure metal. You have to be careful not to
apply too much heat as that it burns off what you are refining. That is the
difference between God and Satan!! One is trying to refine you while the other
is trying to roast you.
I read this and often think to the prayer of Jabez where he
asks to be kept from evil and therefore not having to be delivered from it. I
would much rather just not have to deal with evil in my life, but at the same
time it’s all around. Big oil comes to mind in how our economy is so closely
tied to it, if they decide to jack the price up the economy tanks. You may say
why would someone purposefully ruin a “good thing” for themselves. Think about
who controls oil right now and what the extremists from those countries say.
Evil could have an effect on you without being directly tempted by it.
Either way I don’t wish to deal with it either way!!
Now the last part in “[]” at the end is not in the original
manuscripts and popped into the book around 130 AD. This is known as the
doxology and the origination is not known. If we look back into 1 Chronicles
29:11 we see the words ending that prayer:
All that is great and powerful and
glorious and victorious and majestic
is Yours, O Eternal One.
Indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth
belongs to You.
The kingdom belongs to You, O
Eternal One, and You are the head of it all.
Many believe this was added in “congregational” prayer
and eventually was added back into the Gospel. Things like this sometimes
concern me as the ominous words in Revelations 22:18 warning not to add anything
has been violated. Also, with most translations, there are words added to help
us understand the original language. I question each case as a corruption of
the scripture. At the same time if we understand what is said because of the
subtitle changes in language over the years, that this is a good thing. SO I
DON’T KNOW … but accept the additions as pure in intent.