READ: Deuteronomy 8-9 /
Psalm 103
Verse
chosen for meditation: Deuteronomy 8:3
3 And he humbled you and
let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your
fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread
alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
REFLECT
This
verse has one of the Bible’s most famous sayings, probably because Jesus quoted
it when Satan tempted him. The word “bread” here refers to food in general. The
saying is not to deny the goodness of material things and certainly not suggesting
that we have no need for food. What it does suggest is that life in its fullest
sense requires something more than physical nourishment. To be fully alive, we
need something more than any material thing. This something is the connection
to God, our source of life.
This
verse speaks not only to those suffering with lack of physical needs, like the
Israelites in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:1-6), but also to those living the
good life. Here, Moses urged the Israelites to remember what God did during their
ancestors’ time in the wilderness. Remembering is key here (also in
previous chapters) as these reminders are also to prepare them for the good
life ahead. Doesn’t that sound strange? As one ushers into an abundant life,
wouldn’t one be free of worries. Why then, the need to remember God even more?
This is clear when we read Moses’ cautions in Deuteronomy 8:11-20. Life in the
promised land would confront them with materialism (v12-13), forgetfulness (v14-16),
pride (v17-18) and idolatry (v19-20).
We
see then that both the wilderness experience and life in the promised land are
tests. In the wilderness, the people were tested by hunger, and they often
failed the test. They refused to trust God and hoarded more than they needed. Yet,
God’s providing did not fail them, so they learned about God’s grace. In their
dependence, they learned that life itself comes from God. However, in the promised
land, this is arguably a more difficult test, as they will have more than
enough food. They’ll be full and contented, and this material contentment leads
easily to spiritual degradation.
RELATE
I
do not know how life here in Singapore compares to life in the promised land. Many
of us have more than we need, and we thank God for some of these material
blessings, yet this affluence has its perils. The warnings of Moses strike
close to home and I fear that many of us (myself included) are already well
ahead on the path of forgetfulness. It’s not that we disregard God in our
lives, but do we really remember God the way Moses called for? Take for
instance, our attitudes towards the wilderness story. We may acknowledge God’s
providence, even heed the lessons in these stories and say “yea, we know God
will not forsake us and will provide”. But do we hold on to those truths about
the nature of our God as if we are living those moments in the wilderness
ourselves, so that when testing times (including times of abundance) do hit us,
those truths come to the forefront immediately to encourage us, to calm us and
to guide us on the right path.
The
people that Moses were addressing were one or two generations after those
liberated from Egypt, and we have seen how easily they forget, much less us,
who are thousands of years from that period. In an abundant life, once we feel
we have “arrived”, we forget where we came from. We live like we don’t need
God, regardless of our involvement in church activities or the prayers we
speak.
We
have a local example that is very relevant. I remember around a decade ago,
when there was increasing influx of foreign workers and netizens were unhappy,
making cynical comments online. It felt like we were progressing towards xenophobia.
I had friends who viewed these workers with disdain too. That was when I said “You
know what? I’m a foreign worker too since I’m Malaysian”, in which they responded
“No, you’re different!” and left it at that. No, it’s not different. The more I
thought about our history as a nation, the more ridiculous I felt this fiasco
was. Isn’t Singapore made up of an amalgamation of immigrants? Our ancestors
came from everywhere to this sunny island and helped build this nation from
scratch and we are still depending on foreigners to continue that building work.
I realised then how our forgetfulness of our roots could cause us to fall into this
depravity. Part of it is the result of an abundant life, forgetting how hard it
is to get here. An abundant life dangerously leads us to claim credit for the
prosperity we are experiencing. It can lead to a mindset of “what I have is
what I worked hard for” (like in v17). Because we think we work for our own
prosperity, we will tend to look out for ourselves first. We don’t see how others play a part in our
prosperity. This xenophobia can happen just because we forget a mere century of
our nation’s past. If we forget the wilderness lesson of dependence on God’s
grace, we develop a false sense of self-sufficiency and independence, which
leads to death (v19-20).
REST
Dear Lord, help us remember that we do not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from your mouth. Help us know that
this applies when we are prosperous too. If we are poor, the food that
satisfies our hunger is important, but our spiritual belonging is more
important. If we are rich, let us not be defined by our possessions, lest we
continue chasing after them, but continue to remember that these come from you.
Amen.
Chris
Chong
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