Deuteronomy 8:1-3

Tested to reveal the heart

When Jesus was tempted he used the Scripture to confront and defeat the temptations that Satan was throwing his way. Jesus quoted from the Old Testament when He said man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

The context of the verse is found in this passage. God had a purpose in brining the children of Israel through the wilderness, at that was to see what was in their heart. It is easy to say we will serve God when everything is fine and we are not tested. The testings are what shows what is in our heart.

What did the children of Israel do when they where hungry? They could not go to the store or the restaurant. They were dependent upon God, they cried out and he fed them with Manna from heaven. They lived by the Word of God. We live in a society that is self reliant. We want to live by our own hands. Maybe that is why we are dying? Maybe that is why we are unsatisfied? We are not living by the Word of God, but by the bread that perishes.

Testings reveal if the Word of God is in our heart. God wanted to see what was in their heart. What is in your heart today? Are you living by and through the Word of God or are you feeding only and the Manna that perishes.