Deuteronomy 8:1-6, “The whole commandment that I
command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply,
and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your
fathers. (2) And you shall remember the whole way that the
LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might
humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep
his commandments or not. (3) And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed
you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he
might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by
every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (4)
Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these
forty years. (5) Know then in your heart that, as a man
disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. (6) So
you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and
by fearing him.” (ESV)
We can often be
guilty of failing to take note of God’s faithfulness and provision with regards
to the little things, the areas that we don’t always pay attention to, or even
consider. We rightly see and give thanks to God for the large, super-natural
and unexpected provisions, but then forget the hundreds of hidden provisions.
This generation
of Israel had witnessed some of the most spectacular provisions of God, and for
a good number of them, they had been brought up on God’s faithful supply of
food. For those forty years they had seen the pillar of cloud and fire, they
had picked up manna from the ground and caught the quail. They witnessed God
part the Red Sea, fight off their enemies, save them from pestilence and
protect them time and time again. But did they ever think about the clothes
they wore and the sandals upon their feet? Travelling hundreds and hundreds of
miles, through rough, hot, rocky and unforgiving terrain can take its toll on
clothing and shoes. Yet we read that God’s gracious, good, divine and
supernatural power and faithfulness even extend to things such as these,
clothes and shoes. God’s goodness, His faithfulness, His care and provision
towards us doesn’t just see to our larger, greater and more visible needs, it
also extends to the myriad of unknown and unseen aspects of life.
God’s constant
faithfulness towards us is beyond what we know, however it is also there to
teach us several important lessons.
Firstly, we are
completely dependent upon for everything. Moses tells the people that God had
to humble them and let them hunger. God took the Israelites to the point of
great need, to the point where they had come to the end of their own resources,
ability and strength. Once they had reached this point, He then worked to show
His power and faithfulness. Why did God wait until this point? It is often
necessary for God to take us to our end, because we are slow to trust in Him
and are tempted to take the credit for ourselves. When the people of Israel had
no food left, and God then sent the manna, none of the people could take credit
it for it. Furthermore, God wisely, only gave enough for each day so that the
people had to rely upon God daily, rather than on their own efforts. This is
where the truth behind verse 3 lies, “that he might make you know that man does
not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth
of the LORD.” It was not the bread made by their own hands that the
people lived, by rather by the command of God who sent the manna each day to
them.
Secondly, God
would have the people of Israel understand that He is not required or obligated
to be faithful towards them and supply for their every need, especially to the
extent that He did during their wilderness years. As Moses says to them, God
was testing their hearts, unfortunately, their parents had failed this test
miserably and proved to be constantly disobedient, stubborn and rebellious. Yet
what is remarkable is that whilst the people of Israel were faithless and
abandoned God, God remained faithful and continued with them. Sadly, God’s
faithfulness and patience towards us can often be presumed upon, expected or
even lead us to think that God is obliged to supply our needs. This could not
be further from the truth, God is not required to do anything for us, or to
even supply our most basic needs. Rather it is because of who God is, His
nature, attributes and character that He is a faithful, patient and loving God.
However, God could choose at any time to no longer provide for us and no one
would have any right to accuse Him. We need to be quick to give thanks to God
for His faithfulness and guard ourselves from every presuming upon it.
Third, whilst
God is not required to be faithful towards us, we are required to be obedient
towards Him. It is tragic how many times we can be guilty of trying to
blackmail or manipulate God, how we look for excuses for our sinful behaviour. “God
if you had given me what I asked for, I would not have had to take matters into
my own hands to get it!”, “God if you do this, if you give me this, then I
promise to obey you.”! How we need to cast ourselves upon God’s mercy for
living and thinking in such a manner. The simple fact is this, God is God, we
are His creatures and we are created, commanded and required to obey Him,
irrespective of whether or not we receive something in return for our
obedience. The fact that God is faithful, patient and good towards us each and
every day should give us all the more cause and reason to joyfully obey God,
but it should never be the grounds or basis of our obedience.
Fourthly and
most importantly God’s Word is life, it is the source of all life and the
sustainer of all that which lives. God’s word brought all things into
existence, we are told in Hebrews 1, that God upholds the Universe simply by
the word of His power. Scripture teaches us that at His command, at His word,
the rain falls, the seasons change, the sun rises and the earth produces our
food. Such is the power of God’s word that it can speak both life and death.
God’s word is not just the source of physical life, it is also the source of
eternal life. One of the well-known titles, or names for Jesus is the Word.
John tells us that Jesus is the Word, Jesus is the very revelation of God, full
of grace and truth, Jesus as the Word has come to make God known to us and that
by believing in Jesus we will receive life. When God says through Moses, “man
does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the
mouth of the LORD”, God is not just referring to physical life, but
also to real, spiritual and eternal life, that come through God the Son, the
Word.
Unfailing, ever-faithful, most gracious God, we thank
You this day for Your constant and abundant provision in every aspect of our
lives. Forgive us for the many times we have expected it, presumed upon it or
even demanded it. We pray further that You would forgive us for failing to be
faithful to You, despite our many promises to obey and declarations of love for
You. We thank You that You don’t treat us as we deserve, but are exceedingly
patient and gracious towards us. We praise You for granting us all we need for
life, providing our daily needs, and most of all for Christ, the Word, who has
become our life. May we cling to You with a steadfast devotion and a faithful
obedience. Amen.
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