Man Does Not Live on Bread Alone

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 (Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV).

Those who have never gone hungry in their lives will never know the blessedness of having food in plenty. So God had to teach the Israelites the value of the food they had. They had come from Egypt where they had enjoyed a choice variety of food. But in the desert they had a lack. So they hungered. But then God satisfied them with manna which was a daily provision from heaven.

Three things need to be noted here:
First, God caused the Israelites to hunger to humble them so that they will learn to appreciate His provisions thankfully.

Second, He did not despise their basic need of food showing that He never forgets to take note of genuine needs.

Third, God gave them manna which neither they nor their forefathers had known. By this God proved that His resources are limitless and that He can provide in ways not yet known.

But the greatest lesson of all was that man has greater and more important needs than food: They were provided manna only on a daily basis. So they had to seek it every day morning. Through this exercise they were taught that they needed to listen to God’s Word on a daily basis to survive.

Yesterday’s provisions are not enough for today. So one has to eat the bread of God’s Word daily. And there is a need for us to depend on God daily not only for our bread but for every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. In short, manna inspires us to gather daily the living bread from heaven.

More Manna:

Elijah Was Afraid and Ran for His Life

I’ll Draw Water for Your Camels Too

As When Children Come to the Point of Birth

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