God's Lineman Organization Ministry

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

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Gary

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““Carefully follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase, and may enter and take possession of the land the Lord swore to your ancestors. Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these forty years. Keep in mind that the Lord your God has been disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. So keep the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams, springs, and deep water sources, flowing in both valleys and hills; a land of wheat, barley, vines, figs, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without shortage, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you will mine copper. When you eat and are full, you will bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. “Be careful that you don’t forget the Lord your God by failing to keep his commands, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. When you eat and are full, and build beautiful houses to live in, and your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases, be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. He led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flint rock for you. He fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your ancestors had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end he might cause you to prosper. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm his covenant he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them, I testify against you today that you will certainly perish. Like the nations the Lord is about to destroy before you, you will perish if you do not obey the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 8 is a powerful chapter where Moses is reminding Israel not to forget God after they enter the Promised Land. The main message of this chapter is do not forget God when life gets good. Israel had spent 40 years in the wilderness. God allowed them to experience hunger and hardship, but He also provided manna for them. God wasn’t allowing Israel to suffer for no reason. He was teaching them that they needed Him more than they needed physical things. The wilderness revealed whether Israel would truly trust God. This is the same for us today. It is easy for us to think that we had anything to do with the blessings we receive. For example, when we get a promotion at work it is easy for us to start to think that our work ethic and our drive were the reasons we got the promotion. According to this chapter, that mindset is a very dangerous mindset to have. We must never forget that God gave us that work ethic and drive that got us that promotion. It is God who gave us our health, our abilities, and the very reason we can even draw breath. When we start to forget that, it is important for us to stop and humble ourselves before God. Pride is the very downfall of man and also what got Satan kicked out of heaven.

Another thing to recognize about this chapter is that Jesus connects Himself directly to Deuteronomy 8. After Jesus was baptized, He went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days. Satan tempted Him by saying: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. Jesus says, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness and repeatedly failed to trust God. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness and remained completely obedient to God. Where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded. Israel complained about hunger. Jesus trusted His Father while hungry. Israel tested God. Jesus refused to test God. Israel struggled with obedience. Jesus remained obedient. Moses knew that prosperity could cause Israel to become proud. He tells them in verse 18 that “the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth.” He was simply saying don’t let God’s blessings become more important than God Himself. Jesus shows us that following God was more important than satisfying His immediate hunger. Jesus showed us how following God is more important than getting what we want right now.

Israel’s wilderness experience wasn’t the destination. It was preparation. God used the wilderness to develop their faith, dependence, humility, and obedience. The wilderness can teach us things that prosperity sometimes doesn’t. When you are struggling, don’t assume God has abandoned you and when you’re blessed, don’t assume you no longer need God. We must remember what God has done for us, we must remember how He carried us through the hard times, and we must never forget Him when things get easier. Everything we have ultimately comes from Him. One of the biggest traps is to become proud and think we did it all ourselves. Keep trusting Him, obeying Him, and depending on Him. Love y’all! Have a great day!

Related devotionals:

  1. Deuteronomy 1:1-46
  2. Deuteronomy 2:1-37
  3. Deuteronomy 3:1-29
  4. Deuteronomy 4:1-49

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