Jesus again appeals to Deuteronomy to counter the temptation to worship Satan (Deuteronomy 6:13), because Jesus would receive his kingdom only at the conclusion of his earthly ministry (Matthew 28:18). Jesus consistently appeals to Deuteronomy because it summarizes both God’s covenant love and his commands. Like Israel, Jesus is the son called out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1), but now in complete obedience.
Jesus rejects Satan’s final proposal to worship him with a reference to Deuteronomy 6:13. It would in fact be by not worshiping Satan, but rather by conquering him, that the Messiah would establish his dominion over the whole earth. Moreover, the time for the kingdom had not yet come (see Matthew 28:18).1 All the words spoken by Jesus during his temptation are from the book of Deuteronomy, where the law of God is reiterated and a summary of all that God had done for his people is given. The nation of Israel also serves as a type for the Son of Man (Hosea 11:1). Just as God had guided and protected Israel, so he guides and protects the Messiah through his word—a word to which Jesus clings throughout the temptation and through which he preserves to the very end.2
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”