Introduction
Last week we talked about some of the problems associated with fasting. It's common misuse has left a bad taste in our mouths and has discouraged many of us from attempting it for ourselves. Then we looked at some Scriptures which showed that fasting is not just a thing of the past. Starting with Jesus' temptation, we then began to try and determine the purpose of Biblical fasting. And this is what we found: fasting puts food in its proper place. Life comes from God, not from food. In this week's devotion, we will explore the larger context of Jesus' Old Testament quote in Matthew 4:4. Recall that this is a quote from chapter 8 of Deuteronomy, which recounts the journey that the Israelites took through the desert after they fled from Egypt. The original account of this event is given in Exodus 15-16, which is where we will begin this week's devotion.
Give us this day our Daily Bread
During their 40-year journey through the desert, the Israelites were totally dependent on God. After their escape from Egypt, the Bible says that “For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water” (Exodus 15:22). When they finally came across some water, they couldn't drink it because it was bitter. As a result, the Israelites started grumbling. Soon thereafter, God provided for them by making the bitter water turn sweet (Exodus 15:25). In response to their lack of food, the grumblings continued: “If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (Exodus 16:2-3). But again, God provided for them by raining down bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4), which they called “manna” (Exodus 16:31). God promised to rain down manna from heaven every morning (and quail every evening). The manna was God's daily provision of bread for the nourishment of the Israelites.
ccc Exodus 16:13-20 describes the Israelites' first encounter with the manna: “...in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.' " The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.”
ccc The Israelites' reaction to the manna is interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, it illustrates how the Israelites were totally dependent upon God. There was no natural source of food in the desert. By raining down manna from heaven, God Himself was their source of food. The Israelites could collect as much manna as they wanted, but they couldn't store it up for the future because it wouldn't keep—by the next day it had already spoiled. God didn't allow the Israelites to keep any of the manna until morning because He wanted them to rely on Him. The Israelites' disobedience is an indication that they didn't trust God. They wanted to be self-sufficient. They wanted to be in control. Since they couldn't create their own bread (as God had done for them), they decided to take control by storing some of it up for the future as a safety net.
ccc Another reason this story is so interesting is because it is relevant for us today as well. In our case, we are not storing up manna, but rather wealth. We store up wealth for a variety of reasons (e.g., emergencies, retirement), and, in so doing, we feel secure because we have created for ourselves a safety net. There's nothing wrong with having a savings account or a retirement fund, but how would you feel if you suddenly lost it? Or how would you feel if God asked you to give your excess money to the poor instead of saving it for yourself? (See e.g., Matthew 19:21.) Most of us, I think, feel quite uncomfortable with this idea. Like the Israelites, we like to have a safety net. But a safety net (wealth in our example) is just an idol if we trust in it more than we trust in God. It gives us a feeling of security, but our feelings are false. Wealth, health, and all of our assets can be lost in an instant. God is our only true source of security in this life.
Examining Jesus' Quote
In the last devotion, we saw how Jesus used an Old Testament quotation to respond to the devil's temptation to turn the stones into bread. The quote comes from chapter 8 of Deuteronomy, which provides an explanation as to why God tested the Israelites in the desert: “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you” (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).
ccc This text describes how God imposed fasting on the Israelites. He caused them to hunger (and thirst), but in the end He provided everything they needed—not only food and water, but also durable clothes and healthy feet. Why did He do this? The passage of Scripture above associates hunger with humility. Fasting, then, is a way of humbling ourselves before God (see e.g., Ezra 8:21, Psalm 35:13). As we have already discussed, fasting in and of itself is meaningless. Our fasting should not be mindless but rather, when we fast, our focus should be on God (see e.g., Zechariah 7:4-6). In the same way, fasting in and of itself does not generate humility. So how do we cultivate an attitude of humility?
ccc When we fast—and even when we don't—we need to recognize our total dependence on God. Being dependent and asking for help is itself a humbling thing. The more we see ourselves from God's point of view, the more humble we will be. The truth we need to recognize is that God is so much bigger than we are. In Isaiah 55:9, He says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The way we live our lives reveals whether or not we truly believe this about God. How do we react in the face of great troubles—with fear or with faith and trust? How do we react when things are going well—with gratitude or with boasting and pride?
Fear & Pride vs. Gratitude & Trust
Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” When life looks bleak we have two options. Since we are unable to help ourselves we can either (1) worry, fear, and despair or (2) “lean not on [our] own understanding” but instead choose to trust in God. The first option—worry—results in grumbling. This was the Israelites' reaction to their lack of food and water in the desert. Faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, we sometimes do the only thing we feel we can—we complain about our problems. We feel trapped by our inability to change our situation. Our problems become the focus of our life. Have you been there? I know I certainly have! It is important to keep in mind, though, that fear, worry, and despair are the same as unbelief. We can't worry and, at the same time, be trusting God. Faith and fear are mutually exclusive.
ccc The second choice—trusting in God—causes us to lean more on Him. When we trust in God, He becomes “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). In our helplessness we do the only thing we can do—pray, fast, and seek God with all our heart. When we do this, God becomes the focus of our life. When we seek God wholeheartedly and lay our needs before Him, something miraculous happens. God becomes our refuge—He looks out for our best interests (Romans 8:28). He changes our hearts and answers our prayers—although not always in the way we expect. Although at first we may be worried and fearful, as we seek Him, our anxiety turns to peace (Isaiah 26:3, NKJV): “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
ccc When life is going well, it is tempting to take credit for whatever success we are experiencing. In this case, our two choices are (1) to boast about “our” success or (2) to give credit to God. The first reaction is pride; the second is humility. In Deuteronomy 8:10-14,17-18, God warns the Israelites about the dangers of success: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God... You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”
ccc Everything we have—including our talents—comes from God. Some people are really good at learning and reasoning. Some people have built up thriving businesses, capable of producing great wealth. Some people are great athletes. Some people are fashionable. Some have “street smarts.” Since all of these gifts come from God, taking credit for our talents and our wealth makes no sense. “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). When things are going well in our lives, the appropriate reaction is to acknowledge God with praise and thanksgiving: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Summary & Conclusion
It may seem as though we've strayed from our topic of fasting, but all of the themes in this devotion are related. Let's review. God imposed fasting on the Israelites to humble them. Dictionary.com defines the verb to humble in the following ways: (1) “to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase,” (2) “to destroy the independence, power, or will of,” (3) “to make meek: to humble one's heart.” Was it the hunger that humbled the Israelites? Perhaps in part—but it was more than that. The Israelites were especially humbled as they came face to face with the truth of their situation: they were helpless—they needed God. In the desert they had no food. Leaning on their own understanding of the situation, the Israelites concluded that they were going to starve to death. (Not a happy prospect!) Their reaction, however, was one of pride. A humble reaction would've been to seek God—to lean on Him. Instead, the Israelites looked only to their own strength. Helpless to save themselves, they grumbled in reaction to their worry, fear, and despair. Like the Israelites, the more we focus on our problems, the more insurmountable they become in our minds. We stop believing that God can help us, and we lose sight of how big God is. We forget that God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). The story of the Israelites' reaction to their hunger in the desert is the perfect example of how not to fast.
ccc God put the Israelites in a low and humble position to emphasize the gap between them and Him. Whether we realize it or not, that gap is always there—even when life seems to be going well. But, as you have heard, pride comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18). The Israelites had to be driven to a desperate situation before they could recognize their humble position before God. We see it in the Bible time and time again. The Israelites followed God and things went well. They became proud, started relying on themselves and following their sinful desires, and then things were bad. Then they sought God and repented and, once again, He delivered them. All you have to do is to read through the book of Judges to see this obvious pattern of pride and humility—of success and defeat (e.g., Judges 2:11 & 2:15-19, 3:7 & 3:9, etc).
ccc As we have seen, fasting is a Biblical way of acknowledging our humble position before God. Fasting is a way of saying, “God, I am totally dependent on you—I can't do this on my own.” It's a way of saying, “Lord, if you aren't with me, I know my plans won't succeed” (see Acts 5:38-39). But we shouldn't begin to think that humility is something we save only for a day of fasting. Humility should characterize our entire lifestyle. Every day of our lives we should resubmit ourselves to God. Every day we should earnestly seek Him and trust in Him as the source of all good things (see Hebrews 11:6). And even in the desert of life when things seem hopeless, we should “not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and [our] heavenly Father knows that [we] need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to [us] as well” (Matthew 6:31-33).
ccc This week, I hope you will join me in seeking God and learning to rely on Him anew. I also encourage you to read and ponder 2 Chronicles 14:2-16:14, which is yet another example of how God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Here are some questions to consider:
3. When trouble came (2 Chronicles 14:9), how did King Asa respond? (See 2 Chronicles 14:8-15.) Describe his response in the context of this week's devotion. How does his response compare with that of the Israelites' in Exodus 16:3?
6. What did these three chapters teach you about seeking and relying on God?
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