Living by the Words of God

Christ taught us that we should pray for our daily bread. By this, we learn that we depend upon God for the simplest things that we take for granted. He is the source of everything we need, and not our own self-sufficiency.

How much God instructs His people to trust in Him alone, to call upon Him for salvation and for everything short of it!

Moses described to Israel how that God had taken away their normal means of survival by redeeming them out of Egypt. That left them in the wilderness with no source of nourishment. God then miraculously fed them with manna.

This was to teach the Jews that they didn't live by mere bread, but by the Words of God - His commandments, His provision, His constant sustaining of their very lives.

In learning that lesson in the wilderness, and observing that mighty work of power by God, it was hoped that Israel would continue to rely upon her God in the good land, and never take for granted the blessings that God would provide there.

Hebrews makes it clear that the creating and upholding power of God resides in the Second Person, the Lord Jesus! But He is also the manifestation of God to us in the flesh, and the means by which God speaks to His people.

Thus, in Jesus, God's Word became flesh amongst His creatures.

When Satan tempted Jesus in His hunger, Christ rebuked him with Moses' text. Thereby, the Savior proclaimed His human reliance upon God's Word for provision, just as His people are to rely upon it. He resisted the temptation to human self-sufficiency, even as we must also.

Ultimately, it is Christ's gospel words that are everlasting life for every person who trusts in His offering for our sins at Calvary.