He Did It Because
Deuteronomy 8-10
Coming out of a personal 35-year wilderness experience, these words hit home. “Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey His commands. Yes, He humbled you by letting you go hungry…” (I can relate; I’ve experienced days of real hunger—physical, spiritual, and emotional) “…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. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell.” Deuteronomy 8:2-4 NLT This detail of the Israelites’ clothes never wearing out has always amazed me; but, then again, God has always provided for me and my family, as well. During our wilderness experience, we never went without. God always provided what we needed.
“He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’” Deuteronomy 8:17 NLT And what wealth is that? “It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking….” Deuteronomy 8:9 NLT What an enticing thought!