Weaning from the World and Living on the Word

Deuteronomy 8:1–20 NKJV

“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. 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. 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. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you. “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.

Egyptian Bondage and Wilderness Wandering

God delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage under Pharoah. Israel had been in Egypt for 430 years, 400 in which they were slaves (Ge 15:13). During that time, Pharoah had become, in effect, their god, and Egypt had formed their worldview. They depended upon Pharaoh to supply all of their needs. They had acclimated to the culture of Egypt. They had adopted the worship of Egypt’s gods. They had forgotten the God of their fathers. As a result, they had lost sight of their identity, their covenant, and their distinction in the LORD. They had to be reintroduced to the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, the LORD called them out of Egypt to bring them to the Promise Land. But first, they had to be weaned off of Egypt to embrace a new way of life. They must learn to trust in the LORD rather than Pharoah. They must learn to live by the word of God rather than according to their need.

God had given the land of Canaan to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) by covenant. Inheriting the Promise Land was conditioned upon Israel’s obedience to God’s word, i.e., the word of His covenant. The journey straight from Egypt to Canaan would have taken about ten days. Instead, God led them into the wilderness to Mount Sinai to betroth Israel to Himself in covenant. There Israel received the law of God’s covenant as a holy nation set apart for Him. Because Israel believed the evil report of the ten spies and refused to believe God’s promise, they received the judgment of their own words, “Or if only we had died in this wilderness!” (Numbers 14:2, 28-29, 33-34) The LORD sentenced them to wander forty years in the wilderness according to the forty days the twelve spies spied out the Promise Land. All of the men of Israel who were were twenty years old and above would die in the wilderness. The only exception was Joshua and Caleb who gave a good report of faith to go up and possess the land. They would live to lead the people of Israel into the Promise Land forty years later. So, why did God lead Israel by way of the wilderness? Moses set forth the reasons.

To Humble Them

Pride and our own selfish desires are the greatest barriers between us and God.

God allowed them to experience human needs to reveal their weakness and vulnerability.

He allowed them to experience difficult circumstances.

He allowed them to hunger.

He allowed them to thirst.

To Test Them

To Know What was in Their Heart (Deuteronomy 8:2)

God is omniscient. He knows all things past, present, and future. He knows all things revealed and hidden.

God knows what is in a person’s heart prior to testing.

1 Kings 8:39 NKJV

then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men),

The Hebrew word for “know” is yada that refers to knowing something experientially.

God does not test the heart to discover what is in the heart but to reveal what is in the heart.

To know whether they would keep His commandments or not.

Will they obey Him not only in the good times but also in the hard times?

To Teach Them

He alone is their Source. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

He uses various changing resources, but He alone is the unchanging Source.

To live by the Word of God. (God’s revealed will and promises) (Deuteronomy 8:3)

To look to Him for Living Water.

To fear Him (Divine Correction) (Deuteronomy 8:5-6)

To Prepare Them

To prepare them to properly handle the blessings of the Promise Land.

Without proper preparation, the blessings of the Promise Land would be their undoing.

To avoid the dangers of forgetting the LORD.

Through disobedience.

Through pride.

To remember where they came from, what the LORD did for them, and where their blessings came from.

It is the LORD who gives us the power to gain wealth for the purpose of confirming His covenant.

Charisma, wealth, and power may get you to the top, but only character can keep you there.

Conclusion

There are promises yet to be possessed.

God is faithful to bring us into our inheritance.

Don’t be surprised by wilderness detours.

God is humbling us to wean us off this world.

He is testing us to show us what needs to change.

He is teaching us to live by the word of God.

He is preparing us not only to receive His blessings, but also to maintain His blessings.