Deut 8:1-5 "Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, 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. 4 Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5 You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you. NKJV

In Deuteronomy Moses reminded the children of Israel all that God had done for them, as well as expressing his concerns about their future. While it was hard for them (and us) to understand, God kept them humble and tested them constantly so that he may know what was in their heart, and whether or not they would obey him. One particular way He did this was by giving them manna daily (except on Saturday – he gave double amounts on Friday). From this they were to learn these great lessons (that we need to learn as well).

GOD IS ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM (AND US) DAILY. They did not provide this food – God provided it for them all along the Wilderness wanderings. They did have to work at picking the manna up every morning, but God was the one who provided for them. As He did for them, so He will do for us. If we seek His will, put Him first, and give Him the glory by constant and continual thanksgiving, God has promised that he will provide and take care of us daily. He does not promise to give us all we WANT; He does promise to provide all we need daily.

GOD HUMBLED AND TESTED THEM THROUGH THIS DAILY SUPPLY OF MANNA. He humbled them by making them consider the fact that they did nothing for this manna. He fed them. He took care of them. There was nothing that they could point to in this matter of daily bread and say with pride “I did that – I provided that – I fed my family with what I did.” They saw their utter and complete dependence on God all through the Wilderness. This is what makes the events of Numbers 13-14 so hard to swallow – they saw that they depended on Him daily – why did they not believe when He said He would be with them in taking the land of Canaan? Further, this was a test. Would they obey? Would they gather only enough on a day by day basis? Do we not see that God wants to humble us, and test us by our obedience to His will?

GOD EMPHASIZED THAT MAN DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY THE WORDS OF GOD. Jesus quoted this verse in Matthew 4, when He was tempted by the devil. Even though He was hungry, Jesus emphasized that He trusted His Father to take care of His needs, and He would not resort to the temptation of trying to make his own way – He would continue to trust the Father in all! How often do we try to take care of legitimate needs in illegitimate ways? How often do we try to meet our own needs, rather than trusting in God.

Does this mean we do nothing, but sit back and enjoy? Nope! Remember, they still had to go out every day – obey the Lord – and collect what was needful for their families. In the same way, God has provided salvation – we have to respond and obey. Do we trust God for what we need? Have we learned anymore than the children of Israel?