Deuteronomy 8:3
Thoughts from Josh Talbot
Dive Deeper
“And He humbled you and let you go hungry, and fed you with the manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, in order to make you understand that man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 8:3
Behind the Scenes
The nation of Israel had been in the desert for 40 years. The hope of a promised land hung heavy over them. The generation that had entered the dessert had all died except their leader Moses and his right-hand-man, Joshua. They are a generation that had not known anything but life in the desert.
For 40 years they had to rely on God completely. They depended on Him to provide for their every need from the manna that fell from heaven every day to the clothes they wore that never wore out or became thread-bare. They were led by God, disciplined by God, and provided for by God. They had been waiting all their lives to receive the promise, for the time of discipline to be complete.
And it was finally time. God was ready to let them take the land He had promised. The time of cleansing, of teaching, and of growing His people was complete. This section of Deuteronomy is God’s way of preparing them for what they were about to encounter. Like any good father, He prepares them for what is to come, giving them boundaries, warnings, and information that they will need to succeed. He is shepherding them and loving them.
I find this passage so interesting because He tells them that God allowed them to be hungry so that they would be fed by Him. He points out that He allowed the struggle for a very important and life-giving purpose. The people needed to learn something that only a time of wilderness and hunger could teach them. They had to learn that He was enough, that He was all they needed.
Make it Real
I don’t know what “desert” seasons you have walked through. Maybe you’re in the middle of one now. But I do know this- God will never allow you to go through the desert for no reason. He sees you in your waiting and in your struggle. He knows exactly how hard it is. He isn’t doing it to be cruel. He is allowing it because some lessons can only be learned in the desert.
God often allows us to get to a place where He is all we have left so that we can see that He is all we needed in the first place. He allows us to feel the sting of the fall of every false idol in our lives so that we will see that He is the only one who can satisfy our souls. He allows the things of this world to fail us so that in the wake of that realization we more clearly see that He is the only infallible thing, He alone will never fail. He allows us to walk out the consequences of our misguided desires, our failures, and our unhealthy mindsets so that we can see His truth was there all along.
See at the end of the day, what God is most concerned with is not our comfort. God is more concerned with our hearts. He is more concerned with our souls. So, if your salvation, your integrity, and your understanding of Him can only be developed in the desert, He will willingly allow you to walk through that desert, knowing that in the end, you will be better for it.
But because we serve a good and merciful God, He will never leave you in that desert alone. Like the Israelites who were fed by “Bread from Heaven” every day and were cared for by the very hand of God, He will never leave you to wrestle through your desert alone. He will feed you; He will sustain you; He will be in it with you every step of the way. Because He is the Bread of Life. He is the sustainer and the supplier. No matter how hard it gets, you will always have Him. And in the end, He is always more than enough!
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Lord,
Thank You that you never allow a desert season that has no purpose. Thank You that You are always in it with me and You never leave me to starve in the desert. Thank You that You will sustain me through anything that You allow in my life. Thank You that I can rest in the promise that You never allow a struggle that has no purpose. I praise You for all You are and everything You do.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen