Read Deuteronomy 8
Highlights:
A good land to be possessed; warning against forgetting the Lord; judgment upon the Canaanites; Israel's rebellion and Moses' intercessory prayer; second tables of stone; the Lord's requirements of Israel.
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 (Deut. 8:3).
After entering Canaan, the new generation would be especially tempted to become proud that they had possession of the promised land. They would then be tempted to forget God while enjoying the abundance of the land.
The desert wanderings were to teach the Israelites to lose confidence in self and to cause them to daily depend on His Word and realize that man does not live by bread alone but by the Word of the Lord.
Moses assured the new generation that obedience to the Word of God would bring them into a land of prosperity. However, if in their prosperity they forgot God and served false gods, then God would remove them from their inheritance.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He quoted from Deuteronomy (8:3) saying: Man shall not live by bread alone (Matt. 4:4). In each of Christ's three testings in the wilderness, He over came Satan by quoting Old Testament Scripture. These are examples of the power of the Word of God to overcome the enemy (Deut. 6:13-16; 13:4).
One of the most remarkable facts of modern times is that the Bible, although it is hundreds of years old, is now the world's "best seller." By the time most textbooks are ten years old, they are out of date.
God has preserved His written Word through many centuries and through it, He speaks to our generation today. The Christian who desires to please His Master will let the Scripture be his daily food and meditation.
All the Bible is essential for man's complete spiritual food and growth. Nothing can be omitted without seriously impairing the whole. As we read the Bible, His power and life become a part of us.
This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever (John 6: 58).
Thought for Today:
The Bible is the Bread of Life — our source of strength that enables us to accomplish His will.
Christ Revealed:
Through the shittim (acacia) wood used to make the Ark of the Covenant (Deut. 10:3). Acacia wood, a desert growth, is symbolic of Christ in His human form. When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law (Gal. 4:4).
Word Studies:
8:2 prove, test; 8:14 thine heart be lifted up, you become unmindful of God; 8:18 establish His Covenant, accept His agreement with His qualifications; 9:5 perform the word, accomplish His promise; 9:6 stiffnecked, stubborn, self-willed; 10:6 stead, place; 10:15 seed, descendants.
Prayer Suggestion: Children, ask the Lord to enable you to honor your parents (Eph. 6:1-3).
Optional Reading: Luke 19
Memory Verse for the Week: Philippians 2:13
