Bible Stories About Temptation
For verses on faith under pressure, see Faith and Courage. For what follows failure, see Forgiveness. For worry and a guarded heart, see Anxiety. Quotations are from the World English Bible (public domain).
The Bible tells many stories about temptation: the pull to take something now, hide a wrong, or take a shortcut when it would cost someone else. In Genesis, the serpent asks Eve whether God has really said what she thinks, and Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of stew. Joseph refuses Potiphar’s wife and is thrown in prison.
Stories
Eve and the Serpent
Genesis 3. Misinformation and doubt — the question “Is that really true?”.
Esau and the Birthright
Genesis 25:29–34. Impulse spending, instant gratification, and sports-betting apps.
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
Genesis 39. Workplace temptation and affairs.
Achan and the Hidden Plunder
Joshua 7. Hiding theft and fraud.
David and Bathsheba
2 Samuel 11–12. Phone and online lust, and the abuse of power.
Samson and Delilah
Judges 16. Addiction, and repeatedly ignoring warnings.
Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness
Matthew 4; Luke 4. Shortcuts to success, social media fame, and appetite.
Peter’s Denial
Matthew 26:69–75. Social fear, peer pressure, and hiding what you believe.