“But he answered, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’’” – Matthew 4:4
What sustains you day to day?
The passage in Matthew 4:4 is an interesting one and one I have heard used in many different ways. The quote is from Jesus when He was being tempted in the wilderness. He, however, is quoting Deuteronomy 8:3.
“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.” – Deuteronomy 8:3
I think the usage of the passage I heard more than any other is that we should be reading the Bible more. While I completely agree that we should be reading the Bible (and probably reading it more than we do), is that really what this passage is about?
For Jesus, He is being tempted to turn stones into bread after having fasted for 40 days. I get hungry about 40 minutes after I eat, so I can only imagine what it’s like after 40 days, however, this temptation isn’t really about food. It’s about realizing and trusting that God is the one who sustains you.
For the Israelites, they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. Life was going to be good. It was going to be easy to forget God and think they were providing for themselves. So, God had given them a very powerful object lesson. He put them in a position where they had no food and no way of getting any. Then, He provided the food. By God’s command, the people of Israel had food every day.
What Really Sustains Us?
You may say,
“I have a job. I buy food. I do this or that which provides for me and my family.”
On the one hand, that may be true, but it misses the underlying truth. God is the reason you breathe every second of every day. That was what God was teaching Israel. Whether they had plenty or were in need, whether they were capable or incapable, no matter what their situation, it was God who sustained them and they could trust Him to do so.
After all, He had created them (and all of us) with His Word. He sustains us all by His Word. He gives us new life through His Word.
So, just like Israel and just like Jesus, we can realize it is God who sustains us day to day by His Word and we can trust Him to do so. As Jesus would put it a couple of chapters later in Matthew:
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Matthew 6:31-33
Heavenly Father,
You sustain me every minute of every day. Help me to remember that. Help me to trust You in that. Help me to seek You first and not be anxious.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
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