Deuteronomy 8:1-20
Q.1. What were Israel’s wilderness experiences meant to achieve? Why was it important for each new generation to remember the past? – (Dt.8:1-5; 18-20)
Moses was very clear as to God’s intention for the wilderness journeys – … that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not … Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. (Dt.8:2 & 5). However, the chief purpose for the discipline and training was – … that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord (Dt.8:3). All these truths apply to God’s dealings with us, His children. Life without an acknowledgment of God becomes arbitrary and uncertain. As our Creator, God knows best. He sovereignly leads us through all our experiences for His purpose. Jesus drew on Dt.8:3 in order to repulse the attack of the Devil. This revealed how Jesus lived and triumphed. Blessed is the person who lives according to God’s Word and remembers the lessons of history. High achievers strut the stage of life, falsely imagining that it is their brilliance that has brought them privileges and prestige. Wise is the person who recognizes that – … it is He (the Lord God) who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day (Dt.8:18). We must never forget God’s goodness and His sovereign grace.
Q.2. How good was the Promised Land? What is the danger of forgetting the lessons of the past? – (Dt.8:6-17)
Not only had God sustained them on the journey, but He had also prepared a good land for His people. This land had all the agricultural and mineral bounty that was needed to make the nation great. In such a land of plenty it would be easy to forget the Giver, and to become boastful about the Father’s generosity. Ease and comfort can quickly lead to pride, and a failure to remember God’s history of faithfulness. Not only was the warning timely, but it would also prove to be prophetic.