Not by Bread Alone

Matthew 4:1-4 & 11 Jesus was in the desert for forty days without food or water. The children of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years. They had been without for only three days before they started bitterly complaining and God provided them with manna from heaven and water from the rock. When Jesus answered Satan’s temptations, He answered him from Deuteronomy 6 and 8. In that section of scripture, Moses is reviewing their journey through the wilderness, reminding the people of their disobedience and rebellion. It seems as though Jesus is going back and doing right what Israel did wrong. Moses reminds the people in Deut. 8:3 “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" When Israel came out of Egypt and stood on the shore of the Red Sea, complaining, Moses said to them, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.” (Exodus 14:13) Read the account and see how God delivered His people through Moses’ declaration of faith in the promise that God had given him. God does not supply His children’s needs through empty words of promise. He knows we are human and can’t live on “air”. As we trust in Him and His promises and call upon Him with praise and thanksgiving, He will add substance to His promises and meet our needs. Does that mean no hunger or pain? Not at all! Let the pain and hunger fuel our trust in a faithful God. Jesus suffered hunger and thirst in His wilderness. He proclaimed His faith in the “every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In Matt. 4:11 “Then the devil left, and angels came and attended Him.”