Remember the Lord

Every Word from God's Mouth

☐

In the desert God taught His people that they needed His words even more than they needed food. Many years later, Jesus showed what it looks like to live by that lesson.

The lesson. God fed Israel with manna “that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3).

A daily test. God said, “I will rain bread from heaven for you… that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not” (Exodus 16:4). Manna came every morning.

Jesus in the desert. “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Israel spent forty years there; Jesus spent forty days.

Very hungry. “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry” (Matthew 4:2). Fasting means going without food.

The temptation. Satan said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3). He wanted Jesus to stop trusting His Father. Satan wanted Jesus to use His power for Himself.

Jesus' answer. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus answered with Deuteronomy 8:3.

Where Israel failed. Israel grumbled when they were hungry. Jesus trusted God when He was hungry. Many Christians call Him the faithful Son, who obeyed where Israel failed.

Like us. Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He understands when we are tempted. We can pray to Him for help, and He gives it.

Sweet words. The psalmist said, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).

Joy in God's word. Jeremiah said, “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).

Growing up. Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).

Words of life. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

What to do. This week, read a few verses of the Bible before breakfast. Feed your heart before you feed your body. Ask God to help you understand what you read.

Deuteronomy 8:3 is one of the clearest statements in Scripture about the source of life. Jesus used it in the wilderness, and that shows us how to face temptation.

Manna as instruction. Manna was not only provision but teaching. Israel learned dependence one morning at a time, unable to store it (Exodus 16:19-20).

Exodus 16:4. The manna was explicitly a test: would Israel “walk in My law or not”? Daily bread and daily obedience went together. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for daily bread for the same reason (Matthew 6:11).

Matthew 4:1. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. The test was within God's purpose, as Israel's had been (Deuteronomy 8:2). God's purposes are not defeated by temptation; He can use it to prove faith.

Forty and forty. Israel spent forty years in the wilderness; Jesus spent forty days. Both were tested by hunger, and both were in the wilderness at God's direction. Israel grumbled against God, but Jesus trusted His Father and did not sin.

The first temptation. “If You are the Son of God” (Matthew 4:3) questions what the Father said at the baptism, that Jesus is His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17).

Three quotations. Jesus answers with Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16 and 6:13. Every reply comes from the chapters Moses preached on the plains of Moab. Jesus did not argue with Satan in His own words; He relied on what was written.

Luke 4:4. Luke records the same answer in shorter form: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

The faithful Israel. Israel is called God's son (Exodus 4:22). Many Christians see Jesus living Israel's story over again and succeeding where Israel failed. Matthew 2:15 already applies Hosea 11:1, about God calling His son out of Egypt, to Jesus.

Hebrews 4:15. Christ's temptation was real. Because He was tempted “yet without sin,” He is a High Priest who understands us. You can bring your own temptations to Him with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).

John 6:27, 33. Jesus later calls people to “the food which endures to everlasting life” and names Himself “the bread of God.”

Psalm 119:103; Jeremiah 15:16. Scripture often pictures God's word as food: sweet, nourishing, joyful. Reading the Bible is described as eating, not just studying.

1 Peter 2:2. Growth in faith depends on regular feeding on the word, as a baby depends on milk.

Application. Which temptation do you face most often? Find one verse you could use, as Jesus did, to answer it, and learn it by heart this week.

Remember and Give Thanks

☐

Moses knew that hard times were not Israel's only danger. Good times could be dangerous too, because full people can forget the God who fed them.

Bless the Lord. “When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:10).

Beware. “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God” (8:11). Beware means be careful and watch out. Moses knew that full stomachs can make forgetful hearts.

A proud heart. The danger came “when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God” (8:14). A lifted-up heart is a proud heart.

A proud thought. Proud people say, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth” (8:17).

The truth. “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth” (8:18).

Every gift. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). Nothing good comes from anywhere else.

Paul's question. “And what do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Everything is a gift. Even our talents and our strength come from God.

God feeds everyone. “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season” (Psalm 145:15).

Don't forget. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). Benefits means good gifts.

Proud or humble. “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Humble people know they need God.

Thank Him always. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Content in Christ. Paul learned to be content when he had much and when he had little. He wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

What to do. This week, before every meal, name one thing you are thankful for. Thank God out loud.

Deuteronomy 8:10-18 turns from the lessons of hunger to the dangers of plenty. Moses' warning still fits today: comfort can make people forget God.

Grace after meals. Jewish tradition bases its prayer after meals on 8:10. Thanksgiving was built into daily life. Many Christian families pray before meals for the same reason.

Do not forget. The word forget stands at the center of Moses' warning in 8:11-17: the heart that is lifted up and forgets the Lord (8:14). Forgetting God is where pride begins.

Signs of prosperity (8:12-13). Houses, herds, silver and gold are not condemned. The problem is the heart “lifted up” (8:14). Prosperity is a test of the heart, just as hunger was.

Remembering the past (8:14-16). The cure for pride is memory: Egypt, the terrible wilderness, water from the flinty rock, manna. Remembering what God has done humbles the proud and comforts the anxious.

“To do you good in the end” (8:16). Even the testing was for Israel's good. Hardship and blessing both came from a loving God. You can trust Him with your own hard seasons in the same way.

The boast (8:17). “My power and the might of my hand.” Self-made success is the lie that steals glory from God. Every talent, opportunity and breath is received from God.

The covenant purpose (8:18). God gives power to get wealth “that He may establish His covenant.” Blessing serves God's purposes, not merely our comfort.

The warning (8:19-20). Forgetting God leads to idolatry, and idolatry leads to judgment. God warns His people plainly because He loves them.

1 Corinthians 4:7. Paul applies the same logic to spiritual gifts: if you received it, why boast? Gifts are given to serve others, not to make us proud.

1 Timothy 6:17. The wealthy are to trust “in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy,” not in “uncertain riches.”

James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:6. Humility is the posture that receives grace. Those who humble themselves under God's hand will be lifted up in His time.

Philippians 4:11-13. Contentment is learned in both plenty and need, through Christ's strength. Paul wrote this from prison, showing that contentment does not depend on what is going on around us.

Application. What good thing in your life are you most tempted to take credit for? Thank God for it by name this week.

📖

Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.