Deuteronomy 8:3 Not By Bread Alone

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Deuteronomy 8:3 Not By Bread Alone

Deuteronomy 8:3 NLTse Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

As the prophecies of Jesus progress in sequence through the Bible, they become much easier to locate. The first series of prophecies teach how to locate the parallel New Testament texts. In essence, they teach the serious Bible student valuable Bible study fundamentals, equipping them with tools necessary to understand all scripture. Once again the process is easy because Jesus quoted the scripture so plainly.

Luke 4:3-4 NLTse Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, change this stone into a loaf of bread.” (4) But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.'”

As we progress through the Bible studying the prophecies Jesus fulfilled, we run through a series of lessons. As we look back and compare the precious studies, we can see a common thread, a process is being repeated. God has a way of teaching with repetition. In this series we find each study points to what can be learned when we study the details in the texts Jesus referred to. The same is true here. What appears to be a simple prophecy on the surface actually contains a number of unexpected lessons.

Lucifer was created in Heaven. He held the position as God’s anointed one. No one knows how many years Lucifer served God and watched Jesus minster to all of His Creation in Heaven. There is no doubt, Lucifer knew God and had a relationship with Him. Why did Satan confront Jesus by asking, “If you are the Son of God?” Why did Satan act as if time or his will erased those memories?

Can you ever forget one you loved? Can you ever forget someone you loved and has never hurt you, but gave you more than you could ever ask for? What did Jesus feel when Satan tried to appear as if he forgot about the relationship they shared in Heaven?

When Jesus heard Satan’s comment, His heart tightened inside His chest. He left the pain of loosing one of the closet friends He ever had. Lucifer was always next to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It took some time for Jesus to regain His composure. The thought of loosing one who was so close tore apart a portion of the Savior. Jesus showed His emotions in the scripture He used to provide an answer.

Deuteronomy 8:2-20 NLTse (2) Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. (3) Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors.He did it to teach you that peopledo not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (4) For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. (5) Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. (6) “So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. (7) For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. (8) It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. (9) It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. (10) When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. (11) “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. (12) For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, (13) and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! (14) Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. (15) Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! (16) He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. (17) He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ (18) Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. (19) “But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. (20) Just as the LORD has destroyed other nations in your path, you also will be destroyed if you refuse to obey the LORD your God.

All Satan asked Jesus to do was prove He was the Son of God. Why did he ask a question he already knew the answer to? Satan was out to do more than tempt Him. Satan wanted to hurt Jesus in the worst possible way. Satan knew what relationships meant to Christ. Satan knew Jesus lived on love and depended on close relationships. By pretending he didn’t know Jesus was God’s Son, Satan was telling Jesus he did not remember their relationship in Heaven. It is the same as a father finding a long lost son, and the son pretending he didn’t know who the father was. Imagine the heartbreak of a father spending his time and fortune, giving up everything to find his son. Then when he finally crossed paths, the son pretends he does not know the father.

Jesus pointed to more than the simple answer, “He did it to teach you that peopledo not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Jesus directed Satan to the entire scripture when He said, “every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The beginning of the lesson begins with, “remember.” Jesus wanted Satan to remember his days of standing in God’s court. Jesus wanted Satan to remember it is up to him to prove his character. Everyone will be judged as an individual. Satan knew that. Jesus also reminded Satan that God disciplines everyone based on their individual actions. God does not discipline as a dictator, but as a loving father, calling His sons and daughters back. Jesus wanted Satan to remember who His creator is.

Time spend with the Spirit in the wilderness was used to prepare Jesus for this encounter. Not only did Jesus answer Satan’s challenger to turn stones into bread, He addressed Satan’s comment when he suggested he forgot about their time together in Heaven. After those two points were satisfied, the prophetic words continued with unexpected bearing and meaning. Words spoken to Moses generations ago now enabled Jesus to answer the next temptation Satan had planned.

Attention is drawn to the word land, repeated a number of times in the prophetic statement. God was not only warning Israel, but wrote this prophecy to warn Satan. “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.” Once again this warning is repeated so the point could not be missed. Then the most important point is repeated again. ” Do not become proud at that time and forget the LORD your God. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful.” The statement was repeated so many times, there was no reason for Satan to proceed with his next temptation, but he did.

Luke 4:5-8 NLTse Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (6) “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. (7) I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” (8) Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'”

Satan failed to look and remember the scripture Jesus pointed him to. Satan also refused to remember the instructions, testing, calling, and talks he had with God and Jesus in Heaven when his rebellion first began in Heaven. For some reason Satan wanted to forget who his creator was. Not even the clothes he was wearing, the clothing God gave him, reminded him of the lessons he should have learned in Heaven. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone– red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald– all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. (Ezekiel 28:13 NLTse).

Jesus’ answer provided Satan with more than he wanted to hear. It was Jesus’ role to deliver the message from the Spirit.

Deuteronomy 6:4-18 NLTse (4) “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. (5) And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. (6) And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. (7) Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. (8) Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. (9) Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (10) “The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. (11) The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, (12) be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. (13) You must fear the LORD your God and serve him. When you take an oath, you must use only his name. (14) “You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, (15) for the LORD your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth. (16) You must not test the LORD your God as you did when you complained at Massah. (17) You must diligently obey the commands of the LORD your God–all the laws and decrees he has given you. (18) Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so all will go well with you. Then you will enter and occupy the good land that the LORD swore to give your ancestors.

Jesus reminded Satan who his Creator is. He also reminded Satan it was his role as the ordained and anointed mighty angelic guardian to not only learn but to teach. Satan claimed he had kingdoms and authority to give Jesus, but that was not true. Jesus reminded Satan he did not build cities, produce food, or supply water for them to grow. All of this is a gift from God. Jesus told him, be careful not to forget the LORD. Jesus knew the kingdoms were not Satan’s to give and their meeting at that moment was a battle over the authority, and Satan was loosing. Satan had one more chance and he carelessly calculated the result.

Luke 4:9-12 NLTse Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! (10) For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. (11) And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.'” (12) Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.'”

As with the first test when Jesus answered the Satan’s second question with the first scripture quoted , Jesus answered Satan’s third temptation with the second scripture quoted. Satan did not realize how his choice of scripture not only lost the battle, but condemned him.

Psalms 91:1-16 NLTse Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (2) This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. (3) For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. (4) He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (5) Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. (6) Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. (7) Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. (8) Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. (9) If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, (10) no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. (11) For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. (12) They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. (13) You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! (14) The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. (15) When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. (16) I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

How could Jesus answer questions before Satan asked Him? It was the power of the Holy Spirit working with Jesus as He spent time in the wilderness fasting and preparing. This also illustrates how unprepared Satan was for his confrontation with his Creator. When Satan quoted texts, he overlooked the very next verse that condemned him by accurately predicting the outcome of their meeting. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

This encounter tells much more about the details of what many people refer to as Jesus’ temptation than most people choose to learn. This story shows how we are to live by EVERY WORD that comes from God’s mouth. When we look beyond the simple lessons commonly taught, learning to rely on God’s Spirit like Jesus did, He will provide us wanders beyond belief. God’s Word will fully equip us for every battle on our journey through the wilderness. But when we rely on the insight of others, we will most likely miss the messages God has placed in His Word.