“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.”
Sound familiar? I came across this well-known verse in
Deuteronomy last week. I’ve seen many explanations
of this verse saying this means that we need to read our Bibles. But as I look
at the verse in context, I don’t think that’s the main point, though it’s
certainly a good thing to do.
Moses is talking to the second generation of Egypt-freed
Israelites, explaining that God used their 40-year journey through the wilderness
to test them and humble them and find out their character, and teach them to
obey Him. “Yes,” Moses says, “he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then
feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He
did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by
every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3). Moses warns the
people to be careful when they enter the land and become prosperous, that they do
not become proud and forget the God who redeemed them, led them through the
wilderness, and brought them into the promised land, and whom they had
covenanted to love and obey.
The verse is addressing pride and humility, and our tendency
to take credit for ourselves rather than depend on God. Humans were not
designed to be just physical creatures—we don’t live on bread alone. Rather we
were designed to worship and love God, and we fulfill our purpose by recognizing
our dependence on God for everything—we hang on His every word, we live by His
breath, we exist because He wills it.
I think Jesus was saying the same thing when he quoted this
verse to Satan during his Temptation. Satan tried to play on Jesus’ hunger and
appeal to His pride by tempting Him to provide for his own needs. Jesus said,
essentially, “I am more than my physical hunger, and I depend on God for
everything, not my own power.”
Of course, part of our dependence on God involves spending
time in His presence, learning to know Him, listening to Him, and, yes, reading
His Word, so we can make that application,
but there’s more. So much more. All our strength, our success, our energy, and
all our blessings come from Him. In Him,
we live, and move, and have our being.
(I've embarked on a marathon of Bible reading this summer with my church--to read the entire Bible in 90 days. More notes to follow!)
