Israel should live obediently in their relationship with God. They need to remember what God has done and respond properly.
“The entire commandment that I command you today you must diligently observe, so that you may live and increase and go in and occupy the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors (Deuteronomy 8:1).
God wants His people to have an abundant life in the Promised Land. There, they will live long and grow in number.
The Lord’s constant faithfulness to the Israelites during their time in the wilderness should have inspired them to follow all of His commands.
Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments.
He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
The clothes on your back did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these forty years (Deuteronomy 8:2-4).
The life-giving manna pales in comparison to what God says to his people. When Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 4, he contrasts spiritual food with physical food.
Times of testing, humility, and relying on God’s word are part of a disciple’s journey with the Lord. These tests aren’t for God to discover what’s in us but for us to understand our relationship with Him.
We need humility to accept God’s word and direction, rather than thinking we know it all. This helps us follow God’s life-giving word, guiding us to the best life possible.
Do the Next Right Thing
Like any good parent, God sometimes speaks sternly to us or punishes us. But His actions come from love.
Know, then, in your heart that, as a parent disciplines a child, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
Therefore keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him (Deuteronomy 8:5-6).
If we follow His guidance and live by His commands, we can expect a wonderful life with Him and the best life possible.
A couple of years ago, I read a commentary on Deuteronomy and gained the best understanding of the fear of the Lord by my way of thinking. It’s made up of three parts.
(1) First, we have a relationship with God based on His love and our faith.
(2) Second, we humbly submit to Him, acknowledging that He knows better than we do.
(3) Third, once we hear from God, we follow His directions obediently.
Living in the fear of the Lord and practicing it daily leads to the best life possible.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 