Deuteronomy 8 | Wilderness, Want, and the Pursuit of God's Provision

After a generation wanders the wilderness for 40 years Israel is preparing to finally enter the Promised Land. A new generation has the 10 Commandments ratified for them in chapter 5, is instructed how to teach God’s works and words to future generations, and are reminded they are God’s chosen people not because of their goodness but because of His grace. Now they are being reminded of God’s commands and character and how it applies to their purpose. They are to Love/Follow/Obey the God who saved them from slavery and sustained them in the wilderness and the outcome will be life and fruitfulness.

PART I | Wilderness & Want | Deuteronomy 8:1-3

In verse 3 we are told the wilderness and hunger they experienced was not accidental but was purposeful to intentionally drive God’s people to greater reliance on God not just for daily bread but that we indeed live by the very Word of God. Jesus will later quote this verse (in Matthew 4:4) when tempted by satan after spending 40 days fasting in the wilderness. We often find ourselves in places of wildness and want thinking this must be a pause to God’s plan and our purpose. Yet here we see these are often graces from God who is drawing us into deeper reliance and relationship with Him for our lasting joy.

PART II | Sustenance & Satisfaction | Deuteronomy 8:4-10

While do not live by bread alone but by the Word of the Lord, bread, clothes, etc are still needed. God knows what we need. Even in wilderness and want God sustained His people supernaturally as shoes didn’t break and clothes didn’t wear out for FOURTY YEARS. I have often thought about this at times when our big family (we have 6 kids) were sustained in both ordinary and extraordinary ways causing us to both rely on and rejoice in the Lord’s good provision. Each of the more noteworthy instances was during times of wilderness or want where provision seemed improbably at best. Yet it still easy to forget God's goodness during the next inevitable time of need or deep want. 

God’s sustenance for us and discipline of us are because He is a loving Father, so we respond as His grateful children with obedience. While God sustains us in wilderness and want, flourishing and satisfaction are His desire for us and our ultimate destiny. God is leading us to and has promised us an eternity with him in a good land where we will be whole and satisfied in His presence and provision where we lack nothing but are finally and fully free to worship, praise, and enjoy life with God and His people.

PART III | Remembrance & Reliance | Deuteronomy 8:11-20

When we are in wilderness and humbled, we can and should respond to God with reverence and reliance. In desperation we cry out for deliverance, God answers with salvation and sustenance. We might move to a place of sweetness and favor and begin to think we have earned or deserve what we are enjoying leading us to prideful entitlement rather than humble worship. Put simply, I think we can easily blame God when our circumstances are difficult and credit ourselves when our circumstances are favorable. Entitlement can easily move to idolatry especially when the “idol’” is ourselves. We are never the hero of our story, God is. The antidote to entitlement and idolatry is remembering who God is and what He has done for His glory and our Joy.

*Series Note: I am currently in a Masters in Applied Leadership program at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. In our Bible Survey class we are to select a chapter from our assigned weekly reading to mediate on and write a brief devotional. These blog posts are adapted from these weekly assignments.