At first, I didn’t really understand of what it really means in Deut 8:3, living by every word coming from God.What does it mean by a man live by every word coming from God???
And why did Jesus say in Matthew that as resisting Devil's temptation?
So, I had to look at the original context of the Deuteronomy text, which was Exodus 16. And then, it totally made sense to me even what Jesus meant by it in Matthew 4:4 and how the original audience in New Testament time might have understood of what it meant as well.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 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. 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. (ESV)
One of themes that the book of Deuteronomy shows is 'to Remember' as God was renewing His covenant with people of Israel who were about to enter the promised land, Canaan. They had to remember how God delivered them out of their slavery in Egypt and led them so closely as providing every need. Furthermore, they also had to remember how unfaithful their parents' generation was toward God's covenant in previous years, about 38 years in the wilderness time. It shows a clear contrast between God's faithfulness and unfaithfulness of people of Israel.
In this context of the book, Deut. 8:2-3 recalls the event of Manna and explains the purpose of it. It says in Ex 16:4 that God will test them whether they will walk in God’s law or not. What we know out of Exodus 16 is that when people didn’t follow exactly according to the instruction of God, the word of God, then manna was gone bad while it was totally okay when God said them to save manna for the Sabbath day. Therefore, it shows that God was teaching them to follow every His word, which Jesus also taught us that in Matthew 4:4 as quoting the text from Deuteronomy 8:3 while resisting the Devil. Following God's commandments was something that they had to learn through this event of Manna.
Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." (ESV) But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
God was more interested in teaching them to follow His ways than interested in providing food to them if we look at carefully how He provided Manna to them and how Jesus responded after fasting for 40days. God's test, disciplining people of Israel to trust God and to keep His commandments during the wilderness time in the Old testament was being reappeared in Jesus wilderness experience for 40days, although it is recorded in Matthew as that the Devil tempted Jesus not God tested him. Jesus passed this temptation as quoting the passage from Deuteronomy 8:3.
I have always thought about how God's awesome provision was as thinking of the story of manna for the people of Israel in the wilderness. It has encouraged me to keep on believing His provision.
However, I have never thought about the purpose of manna in a way that Moses mentioned in Deut 8:2-3, which was to test people of Israel, so that they might know that man does live by every word coming from God not by bread alone. It shows that God wants us to learn not to focus on the material blessings we get from God but to focus on Himself and to learn His ways to follow. What would mean to focus on Him and to follow His ways? Perhaps, it means that we need to build up a good relationship with Him first. When we know Him better, we would be convicted better to walk in the ways of Him.. And God has clearly recorded of His ways in both in the Old Covenant and New Covenant, to love God with all our strength and to love people as ourselves.
As meditating this, I question to myself if I am focusing on God's provision or blessing part only or I am focusing God Himself and His ways to follow. It is sill not so easy to fully trust in His provision as being a missionary even if I have been living like this for more than 9 years. Yet I found myself that it is more difficult to fully trust God's guidance and to follow His ways in my daily life. And It is so easy for me to focus the material things rather than the precious relationship that I am having with God, a daughter of Heavenly Father.
I am hoping and praying that I could be disciplined in this area better, so that I won't stay being a child who is looking at only a gift, which his/her father brings, but I would become a grown up child who knows the father heart of God, giving every good gift to His children, and wants to follow His ways, loving God & people, out of the relationship that I have with Him.
I wonder how long I have to walk through in God's training or disciplining course of wilderness... Perhaps my life time...
Deut 8:5-6 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.
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