NET Bible | Enduring Word Commentary

The Holy Spirit did, not the devil. Therefore this testing was of God's doing, not the devil's.

God doesn't tempt us to do evil but He may orchestrate periods of trial and tribulation to test our character. This is not necessarily to prove anything to God but rather to prove something to ourselves and anyone watching us, including spiritual beings.

Jesus needed to be tempted in order to allow Him to identify with humans who are under constant temptation. He did experience temptation by being fully man (needs references). Perhaps He was tempted to demonstrate His holy and sinless character.

Yes, the longest recorded food fast is 382 days, though five days is about it for no water. The Bible says that after the fast, Jesus was hungry, not thirsty, so He likely had water.

It is symbolic of Israel's forty years in the wilderness. Moses also fasted for 40 days and nights two times. Forty days is about how long a human can fast without doing any permanent bodily harm.

By quoting scripture (from the OT), thereby demonstrating the power of God's word in fighting off evil.

This was a temptation for using God's gift for selfish purposes. It would have meant doing a miracle outside of God's will.

It shows that the devil can quote scripture, in this case Psalm 91, for his own nefarious purposes.

No, even though the devil is said to be the ruler of this world (John 12:31, John 14:30, John 16:11, 2 Cor 4:4, Eph 2:2), he is more like a squatter with a lot of influence rather than the landlord. Ultimately, all authority belongs to God.

It is traditionally thought to have been three years, one in obscurity, one of popularity and one of increasing rejection.