Deuteronomy 8:3: “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”

February 23rd, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The Israelites food in the wilderness was decreed, commanded by the Word of God. They were sustained by manna, an unusual food they had never seen or tasted before, because it came directly as a result of God’s command. Therefore, ultimately it was not the manna or bread that kept them alive, but God’s Word. This verse should sound familiar to us because it was the one quoted by Jesus when He was tempted in the wilderness. We remember that Satan first tempted Him to turn stones to bread. And what temptation could be more natural to a man who had been fasting for 40 days than to satisfy His hunger? Jesus countered this temptation with these words of the Second Law: “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Just as it was not ultimately manna, or bread, that kept God’s people alive in the wilderness, neither is it ultimately food that keeps us alive.

Satan was tempting Jesus to take a short cut. Something like, “You are God, and You are hungry, so just do it.” At the heart of this statement was a suggestion that God was holding something back that was good, and that Jesus should use His power to get it for Himself. Satan was intimating that Father God was not being fair or kind. This was the same subtle suggestion he used to tempt Eve in the garden in Genesis 3:1: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” Satan often says this to us: “Use your powers to get for yourself what Father God has failed to provide for you. You deserve it. Do it for yourself.” Sound familiar?

Things haven’t changed much over the years have they? Every person who has every lived has heard this whispered in their ear. Maybe you’ve already heard it today. It reminds us of the importance of spending time in the Word of God so that when temptation comes we are ready; we are fed and nourished. The Word of God is a more critical source of nourishment than physical food, nourishing our spiritual needs in a way that benefits us eternally. Physical food merely provides temporal relief from physical hunger, which returns again and again.

“LORD, feed our spirit and soul as we study Your Word. Prepare us to be useful servants in Your Kingdom today.”

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Deuteronomy 8 KJV

¹ All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. ² And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. ³ And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. ⁴ Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. ⁵ Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. ⁶ Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. ⁷ For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; ⁸ A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;  ⁹A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. ¹⁰ When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. ¹¹ Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: ¹² Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; ¹³ And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; ¹⁴ Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; ¹⁵ Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; ¹⁶ Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; ¹⁷ And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. ¹⁸ But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. ¹⁹ And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORDthy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. ²⁰ As the nations which the LORDdestroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.