LESSON 1:
This will likely be a brief series
of Bible Study Lessons, very brief maybe!
I am calling our
verse, Deuteronomy 8:3, the best “diet” verse in all the Bible!
The reason I’m saying that is
obvious. This is the very Scripture Jesus quoted to the devil,
who was tempting the Lord to transform stones into bread, and
eat a meal!
Remember, at
that time Jesus had not eaten in forty days! That’s nearly six
whole weeks!
“Come on Jesus,”
the devil taunts, “eat a bite of food!”
Here’s
Matthew’s account.
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted
forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And
when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of
God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered
and said, It is written,
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh
him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the
temple, and
saith unto him ….”
Matthew 4:1-5
Jesus quoted
Deuteronomy 8:3, resisting the devil’s offer!
Jesus had
determined not to create His Own meal! But to wait on His Father
in Heaven to feed Him!
Which God did,
I think, shortly after the Temptation time had ended.
Matthew 4:11
adds: “Then the
devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto
him.”
What did those
angels do?
They “fed” the
Lord, that was the kind of “ministering” they did! The verb
“diakoneo” means just that too, “to serve tables!” To offer food
and drink to one’s guests!
Jesus to the
devil, “I’ll wait on the food. I shall not create a miracle by
making stones into bread. I will do no supernatural thing to
meet my own needs! I can still eat later!”
“Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God.”
Wow!
I suspect Jesus
did not have an ounce of excess fat on His body! What do you all
think?
Puts me to
shame!
I’m way too
“flabby!”
Let’s study our
Lord’s “diet verse,” for a day or two anyway!
Here
it is:
"And
he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with
manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know;
that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread
only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth
of the LORD doth man live."
Deuteronomy 8:3
There is a
whole philosophy behind these words.
God is actually
saying that He allowed Israel to be “hungry” from time to time!
And that such
hunger tends “to humble” a person!
That’s probably
one of the ideas behind the spiritual discipline of “fasting”
anyway!
To humble our
souls!
To help rid us
of our pride!
To show us
better how to trust God!
And then, to
see how beautifully He provides our every need!
He, God in
Heaven, even invented a new kind of food for Israel!
Manna!
By now you may
be thinking that this is the craziest Bible Study you’ve ever
read!
Maybe so.
But Jesus made
it work for Him!
And He did not
go hungry for long!
Plus this,
Deuteronomy 8:3 somehow links “physical food” and the “Word of
God!”
Or maybe it
“contrasts” the two, rather than “linking” them.
We’ll see.
You all look
the verse over today, if you have an opportunity.
Copy it from
here, paste and print it. Then ponder it throughout the day.
“And he humbled thee, and suffered
thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not,
neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that
man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”
Deuteronomy 8:3
What’s the
relationship between hunger, food and the Word of God?
How did Jesus
use these words to defeat the devil? At least on that one
temptation, to turn a rock into a loaf of bread.
And after Jesus
had fasted for forty days too!
Can I use this
same thought pattern to turn down a piece of apple pie?
Or too many
servings of potatoes?
Lord, help us
study this Verse of Scripture, one Jesus used “like a sword” to
stop the devil that day long ago!
Anyone want to
study this with me?
--- Dr.
Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2, "HUMBLED" BY THE LORD:
The Verse must be
important!
Of course all the Bible's 31,102
verses are important!
But Jesus did not quote them all, not while
He was living on the earth two thousand years ago.
However, our Text today He did quote!
To the devil!
And Satan had to admit defeat, too!
"And
the Lord humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers
know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the LORD doth man live." Deuteronomy 8:3
The verb "humbled" is interesting. In Hebrew
it is spelled "anah." It has a range of meanings, including "to
afflict, to oppress, to be brought low!" In the King James Bible
"humble," really "anah," is translated "to force, to trouble"
and even "to weaken!"
But why would God "humble" His people this
way?
The surrounding verses, the "context" of
Deuteronomy 8:3, explains.
It's all happening to help the Israelites
better "obey" the Lord God! "All
the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe
to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the
land which the LORD sware unto your fathers." Deuteronomy
8:1
Notice incidentally that "observing" or
"keeping" God's commands will bring "life" to His people, real
life, "abundant" life Jesus said! This is not teaching a
"salvation by works" philosophy. Rather, these people are
already "saved," to put a New Testament term into Old Testament
Scripture. This kind of obedience brings deeper and more
meaningful "life" than ever before! And add to this "life" two
more things, both physical fertility and military victory!
That's quite an array of "blessings" for
reverencing God's Word, just doing what it says!
But, to do this, people often need to be
"humbled!"
At least I do!
There's something about man's "default"
lifestyle that's too often filled with vanity and pride and
one's self-ego!
God "humbled" Israel ... to bless Israel!
No wonder then!
That James and Peter both write things like
this. "But
he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the
proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." James 4:6
"Humble yourselves in
the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." James
4:10
"Likewise, ye younger,
submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be
subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God
resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." 1st
Peter 5:5
"Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in
due time." 1st Peter 5:6
Even the Psalmist thinks so, too!
"Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the
humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear
to hear." Psalm 10:17
And Solomon! "A man's
pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in
spirit." Proverbs 29:23
Wow!
Back to our Verse:
"And
the Lord humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers
know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the LORD doth man live." Deuteronomy 8:3
It's just that the "way" God used to make the
Jews "humble" is so interesting, the Lord's "method."
He allowed them "to hunger!"
To "suffer to hunger" translates "raeb,"
really "to be famished!" To be very hungry! One
textbook says "to be voracious!" In Latin "vorare" means "to
devour!"
Did you ever think of that kind of "ministry"
for hunger?
Listen to the Psalmist again. Though keep in
mind these Lessons are not about "fasting." That's not my point.
"I chastened my soul with fasting."
Psalm 69:10, linking "hunger" with "humility" again.
Maybe the next time we get about half
rebellious on God, lukewarm, nearly backslidden, He needs to
make us a little bit "hungry!"
Or better yet, maybe our making
ourselves that way, "hungry," voluntarily eating
less, might induce a bit of humility in our lives! Making
us realize how very dependent we are upon the Lord!
This is not a weight loss scheme, either!
It's a plan, a God originated plan, to help
us better obey His Word, keep right attitudes, and grow in the
Lord!
Oh well, this may be one of Brother Bagwell's
eccentric ideas! But I think it's based on the Word of God!
And Jesus used this very concept to refuse
that first temptation the devil "threw" at Him way back in
Matthew 4 and Luke 4, two thousand years ago.
Maybe today, to be more spiritually
sensitive, I will not eat quite as much!
Less food from the table, but more food from
the Word of God!
I think that's where Jesus was "headed" with
this Verse!
Read it one more time.
"And
the Lord humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers
know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the LORD doth man live." Deuteronomy 8:3
God's Word, our very food!
There's more to this than at first meets the
eye!
I'll guarantee you that.
Of course God did not let the Jews stay
"hungry" too long! He will not have you "hurting" your body, not
by semi-starvation!
The Lord soon provided His people with
"food!"
A new kind of food!
Called "manna," but that's a topic for a
future lesson!
Ask the Lord to "feed" you today, from His
Table! From the milk and bread and meat and honey of His
precious Word!
He will be delighted to do so!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, THE MANNA:
When we are focusing on a single Verse, it can easily be printed
at the top of the Lesson each day. Within the first paragraph
anyway.
"And
the Lord humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers
know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the LORD doth man live." Deuteronomy 8:3
Yesterday we tried to understand why God
"humbled" His people, even allowing them to go hungry!
The preceding Verses explain a lot of that, I
think. For example, "All the commandments
which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye
may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the
LORD sware unto your fathers." Deuteronomy 8:1 gives two
or three reasons, but we saw those yesterday. God "humbles" us
to help us better obey His Word, thereby producing "real life,
fertility, and victory!"
Today I'd quickly like to look at Verse 2
with you. It adds to the "why-we-are-humbled" list!
"And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led
thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and
to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart,
whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no." God
allows us those "humbling" life experiences "to prove us!" And "nasah"
means "to test, to try." Twelve times it is even "to tempt!" God
wants to see if we are "real!" To see if we will quit when the
hard times come! "Nasah" here is also a piel infinitive! Ongoing
"proof!" Intensive, too!
Let a man get hungry, real hungry, with lots
of other pressure on him too, and the real person
will then come out! No one will have to wonder any longer,
"What's he truly like, his actual character?" God said it, "I
want to know what's in thine heart!"
It's all about God's Word! Not only "knowing"
the Scriptures, but also "keeping" them, obeying them!
Following their precepts.
But, good news, once the "test" is over, the
Lord fed Israel lavishly!
Now back to our Text Verse, Deuteronomy 8:3,
part of it. "And the
Lord humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and then fed
thee with manna."
After the "test" comes the "celebration," if
we've passed!
Israel was hungry!
God keeps His promises!
Look!
On the ground!
It's edible!
Food!
From Heaven!
Daily!
We shall hunger no more!
That noun, "manna," is strange. It literally
means "What is it?"
Probably because the Jews, upon first seeing
the white, round, sweet tasting substance all over the ground,
for miles in every direction, wondered out loud: "What is it?"
I have no doubt that "manna" was the most
nourishing, we'd say "vitamin packed," food that ever existed!
Prepared in the kitchens of Heaven!
Psalm 78:19 poses a question:
"Can God furnish a table in the
wilderness?" Let Brother Bagwell give the answer, "Yes!"
God served Israel with "manna" for dozens of years! Every day
but the Sabbath! And the day before the Sabbath, double portions
fell everywhere!
What's the Lesson for us, though?
Simply this, when trials come our way, even
more so, when we're hungry and need some nourishment, start
looking for God's "manna" to fall!
By that I mean get into the Word of God
and learn something! Obviously I am applyng
"manna" as a picture or symbol of type of the Word of God. Jesus
did just that, as did Moses before Him!
Our Verse again, God wants to make us know
... "That man doth
not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."
Manna, a reminder of God's Promises!
His Words!
His faithfulness!
All I'm saying is this. Let "hunger" be a
motivation to put you "in" the Word of God! I tried this little
plan yesterday, at a large theological library, and it
works!
When one is a little bit hungry,
physiologists say, our minds are keener! We are not as sluggish
in our thinking and reasoning as we are when we've just eaten a
big meal!
We can ingest data much more easily!
Any Preacher knows that you don't heavily
feed a crowd, then bring them into Church, hoping to teach them
a weighty Bible Lesson! It won't work! Many of them invariably
will "go to sleep" on you!
We just simply need some "humbling" times,
and if that includes "hunger," so be it!
I'm sort of here advocating a little bit of
voluntary "hunger," just to impel me into the Scriptures!
That way I not only lose an ounce or two,
eventually a pound or two, but I also gain new insight from
God's Word!
Eating manna, Bread from Heaven, the Word of
God Itself!
God's view of food, one of its functions
anyway!
"And
the Lord humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers
know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the LORD doth man live." Deuteronomy 8:3
Wow!
Thank you, Lord.
I will eat a lighter breakfast this morning.
Then study, study, study!
Today I fly home from Boston airport,
Massachusetts. An hour to the airport, a hour for security, then
waiting on the plane to board, a two and a half hour flight
home, an hour train ride across Atlanta ... all time to study
and learn God's Word!
What an opportunity!
I don't want my stomach to be "stuffed" then!
Then I'd just sleep a lot of that time,
losing it to "dreams" of some kind!
The Bible, the very words from the mouth of
God, in some way yet unknown to science, is nourishing!
Extremely so!
Somehow, somewhere there's a link
between physical food, or the moderate lack
thereof, and spiritual food, or the God given
abundance thereof!
I want to know more about that "link!"
Sorry, here it comes again.
"And
the Lord humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers
know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the LORD doth man live." Deuteronomy 8:3
I don't mean to make anyone feel
uncomfortable with these lessons. The Text has nothing to do
with your weight or supper last night either!
It does concern your "intake" today of God's
precious Word!
Better than manna!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4, THE WORD OF GOD:
Among the many things God said about the "manna," that
miraculous food from Heaven, we must include its "newness."
Unheard of until the first day it "fell," God
"invented" a new way to feed multitudes!
Deuteronomy 8:3 explains.
"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou
knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might
make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by
every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord
doth man live."
Notice the capitalized words.
Both verbs, "knewest" and "know," are of
course translated from the same Hebrew root. "Yada" means "to
have knowledge of" something.
The degree of knowledge involved can range
from mere acquaintance to absolute intimacy.
The Israelites had never before seen manna!
Who could have imagined such a thing?
And this amazing "manna" is compared to
"every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God!"
Then, in a sense, it is contrasted to our
earthly "bread." Our normal food, in other words.
But what is it about "manna" that is so
special?
That makes it analogous to the Bible?
Here are a few points of similarity ...
The manna came down from Heaven! So did the
Bible! Both were supreme gifts from God!
Both were primarily for God's people, not for
the Egyptians for example! And the Bible largely is penned to
the saints of God!
The manna had to be gathered individually,
family by family. So is it with God's Word! It does not come in
"instant" form! It must be studied and ingested and applied!
The manna met a daily need! So do the
Scriptures! Give us this day "our daily bread" applies to more
than dinner!
The manna was disliked by the "worldly" mixed
multitude! So is the Bible hated by the ungodly crowd,
especially the liberals and modernists who question its
authenticity!
The manna fell each morning not on the bare
ground, the dirt, but on the "dew" that first lay on the ground!
That "dew" is an emblem of the Holy Spirit, too! So is it with
God's Word! It can only be enjoyed and consumed and appropriated
by the power and illumination of God the Holy Spirit!
The manna was "white" in color, we are told.
And the Bible too is "purified," not stained in any way. In
fact, Psalm 12:6 says it is "purified seven times!"
And the manna was "sweet" to the taste! Well,
I do not have to tell you how that fact also applies to the Word
of God! David in Psalm 19 says it is "sweeter than honey!"
Once gathered, the manna had to be
"prepared," ground and baked specifically! It's that way with
the Scriptures too. Read them, then study and analyze and
exegete and revel in their beauty, all the while preparing a
sermon for tomorrow! Food for God's people!
These, among many other reasons, explain why
first Moses then later Jesus likened "manna" to the "Word of
God."
The Bible, our very "food!"
That's why the manna was given!
"That God might make
thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man
live."
Wow!
Have a healthy serving of God's Word today!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Not that we must choose ...
But a little less earthly food and a lot more
heavenly food, Scripture, would help us all!
Almost without exception!
LESSON 5, EVERY WORD:
The Verse is not a prohibition against
eating!
Yes, Jesus had fasted for forty days when he
quoted it, but our Lord soon ate some food, for sure!
In fact, He at times ate so often that some
of His detractors called Him a "glutton!" For example, Luke
7:24. "The Son of man is come eating and
drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber,
a friend of publicans and sinners!"
No, our Text Verse says that man shall not
live by bread alone!
"And
the Lord humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee
with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers
know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of the Lord doth man live." Deuteronomy 8:3
Eat, when hungry!
Do not overeat, though!
Jesus called such "over indulging" a sin.
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come
upon you unawares." Luke 21:34
Apparently, overeating is as wrong as
drunkenness or worry!
The noun bread, "lechem," can mean solid
food of any kind, not just wheat or barley.
No, for the Christian another diet is
required, in addition to the "physical" one! Another regimen of
eating!
"Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord."
The expression "every word" is represented in
the Hebrew Text by one word, "kol." It means "all, every, each,"
which naturally means "all God says!" Literally, every sound He
makes!
The word "proceedeth" is quite interesting. "Motzsa"
means "springing forth, issuing, exporting."
The words "of the Lord" occur in tandem 1,744
times in the Bible. As "mouth of the Lord" they can be found
only 11 times. Our Text, Deuteronomy 8:3, is the first such
appearance.
Most often, the "mouth of the Lord" speaks
things, always important things!
But a couple of times the Prophets quoted
from "the mouth of the Lord." We can do that too!
Once the "mouth of the Lord" gives a name! A
new name, by the way!
The "Mouth of the Lord" is the best Source of
counsel as well.
And rebellious mankind often disobeys the
"mouth of the Lord."
We, Christians today, must heed the "mouth of
the Lord."
And since God is not habitually speaking "out
loud" any more, that means "hearing" God through His precious
Word!
Overall, Deuteronomy 8:3 "downplays" physical
eating, though certainly not forbidding it. And it instead
"uplifts" the importance of all God said, that is, "the Bible!"
Even implying, no, outright saying it, there
is something about God's Word that sustains life itself!
By all means, eat some breakfast this
morning.
But eat some of God's Word, too.
It's the second one of these that will
help you defeat the Devil!
Jesus used it that way!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Dear Lord,
Please give us an insatiable "hunger" for Thy
Word! May we "crave" it and "long" for it again and again!
May it, like the "manna" from Heaven, nourish
our feeble souls!
In Jesus' sweet Name, Amen.
Just
one single Verse, but important enough for Jesus to memorize and
quote, with great success! That's Deuteronomy 8:3. Why don't we
learn it, too?
