You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, 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... Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him (Deuteronomy 8:2-3,5-6).

Do you feel as though your life is one big wilderness experience, filled with trials and hardships. Then, consider this, one of the purposes in Israel's wilderness experience was that God might test and humble them. He deliberately brought trials and hardships upon them in order to refine them so that they might become what He wanted them to be, a people that simply and wholeheartedly trusted and obeyed His Word. How have you responded to the trials and hardships God has brought into your life? Do you bitterly complain and forget God's Word or do you embrace the Spirit of Christ, who cried out to the Father, "Not my will but Yours be done," (Matthew 26:39; cf. John 6:38) demonstrating perfect obedience through that which He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). 

There is so much I crave in this life, but I know that the only thing that really matters is my relationship with God through Jesus Christ and obedience to His revealed Word. 'Seek first God's kingdom and righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33).

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In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He 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 (Deuteronomy 8:16-18).

If you recall from the other day, we learned that God is a "jealous" God (cf. Deuteronomy 5:9; Exodus 20:5), and He will not share His glory with another (cf. Isaiah 42:8), neither the false gods of the nations, nor you, His creation. If there is a simple rule for biblical faith, it must be this. God always works consistent with what most glorifies His Name. That is why idolatry is so odious to Him. Even if the idol-worshippers were very moral and had a rule of law similar to the Mosaic moral code, God would still destoy them, because God demands exclusive worship. 

This was true in the Old Testament and it is true in the New Testament. Israel was rejected in the New Testament not because they were immoral or dispassionate in their faith but because they rejected God's unmerited way of salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ:

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:1-4).

Friends, how important it is for us to rightly know the LORD and carefully discern His Word. All your good works and good intentions are meaningless if you are not aligned with God's way, as it is revealed in His Word. As the Lord Jesus Himself declared,

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you;depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:21-23).

Thus, it is not even in the performance of great miracles that counts but simply discerning and obeying God's will. What is more, in the very same section, Jesus warned against false prophets, who teach something other than simply discerning and obeying God's will. They likely attracted followers with counterfeit prophecies and miracles, but Jesus declared them lawless because they did not follow God's way.

But how can people discern such false prophets if not by these signs? Jesus said that they will be known by "their fruit."But what is fruit? Does it refer to invocations of God's Name or the performance of signs and miracles? Apparently not, since Jesus just said that those who do these things could still be rejected as lawless. Then, does fruit refer to good moral character? If this were the case, how are we to react to Paul's confession of constant sinful tendencies in Romans 7:24-25, where he simply cries out, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Was he immoral and, therefore, a false teacher?

No, dear friends, fruit in Matthew 7 does not refer to miracles or character. It refers to teaching. The parallel language in Luke 6 makes this clear:

For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart (Luke 6:43-45). 

When Jesus confronts the Pharisees, He does not rebuke them for immorality but for their wrong teaching. And in doing so, he uses this same language of fruit:

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; forthe tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37).

Fruit has to do with what is spoken, and the context suggests that the nature of this speech is wrong teaching. Therefore, how are we to know false prophets from true prophets? By their teaching. If their teaching aligns with God's Word, they are true. If not, they are false. 

Consequently, this is very much like the test for prophets in the Old Testament. There were just two tests. First, did what they prophecy come true?

But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).

Second, even if the prophecy happens to come true, then they must be tested with respect to their teaching, whether it aligns with what God has revealed in the Law:

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).

Now, am I just spouting off biblical teaching without an application? There is a direct application for us today. The group IHOP, led by Mike Bickle, and a string of other self-proclaimed prophets are false prophets. How do we know? By their teaching. They justify failed prophecies, spiritualize failed predictions of Christ's second coming, and when they get exposed in any fraudulent or false pronouncement, they simply distance themselves from the prophecy or the guilty prophet. Yet, they do not remove the root of their error.

What is more, rather than following good biblical hermeneutic, they regularly distort Scripture to support their aberrant practices, like "slaying in the Spirit," and demonic experiences, where people lose control of their bodily functions, so that they "bark like dogs," "cluck like chickens," and shake uncontrollably. Even though there is nothing in the Scriptures to support this, they claim, "It is the Holy Spirit." You shall know them by their fruit.

Many verses touched my heart again this morning as I was reading through today's reading but I would like to share one simple verse with you today.  It says, "..man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."  As most of all already know, this is what our Lord, Jesus, said in response to Satan in the wilderness when He was tempted to turn rocks into bread since He was hungry.  Importance of reading and meditating on His Word cannot be said too much.  Many times I find myself lazy about this important spiritual exercise, drifted away with this world to satisfy my sinful nature instead of the Spirit.  This verse was said and written just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land because Moses knew how forgetful they were especially when things were going well.  He constantly says here these words, "Be careful....", "Observe...",and "Remember..."  Brothers and sisters!  Let us not be weary in this particular spiritual exercise-eating this Healthy Spiritual Food everyday.  This is my prayer for you that we all grow together in Christ so that we may truly live our lives for Him alone!!!  Have a great day in the Lord!
 

Friends,

I read in Deuteronomy 8:2 that God took Israel through the forty years in the wilderness "to humble" and "to test" them. Verse three even says that He allowed them to be hungry. Moses writes in Deuteronomy 8:5, "You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you." This is very much like what we read in the New Testament in Hebrews 12:7, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?" His purpose is to "know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not" (Deuteronomy 8:2). God wanted to show His people that "man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 8:3).

As I read this and meditate on it, I get the impression that a significant way in which God leads believers, whether in the OT or in the NT, is through suffering. In fact, Hebrews 5:8 says that even Jesus "learned obedience from what he suffered." What significant thing does hardships do? It makes us humble. We are reminded that we are "dust." Moses recognized this in his psalm: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). God will not yield His glory to anyone or anything else (cf. Isaiah 48:11).

Part of this humility is to acknowledge that there is nothing in us to induce God to love us. Israel was not chosen because they were a great people - they were the smallest (cf. Deuteronomy 7:7). They were not chosen because they were righteous - they were perpetually rebellious (cf. Deuteronomy 9:6-7). Let none of us think that there was anything in us to compel God to choose us for salvation either. Consider Paul's assessment of us before we were saved:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Apart from God's effective grace, we were just as stiff-necked and rebellious as Israel. All of us were "deserving of wrath." All of us without exception were unrightous, worthless and falling short of what God required:

There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one (Romans 3:10-12).

But by an act of the Spirit, we were reborn (cf. John 3:3-7; 6:2,3), and by the gift of grace, we were enabled to believe (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). Perhaps one of the most profound verses in the Bible is Ephesians 2:5, "Even when we were dead in trespass, [God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)." Do you see this?! God made us alive while we were dead. He didn't wait for us to understand the Gospel and believe, for how could we since we were "dead in our trespasses"? He had to regenerate (that is, rebirth) us first, and then we not only could but would believe. God made us alive by the Holy Spirit, and then we believed, and so we are saved.

Let no one think that they chose God by their free will. Our free will was what made us dead in our trespasses in the first place. By our free will, as children of Adam, we became unrighteous and worthless and deserving only of wrath. But praise God that He overcame the weakness of our wills by the power of His Spirit, so that we who were dead are now alive and can both believe and obey the will of God. Thus, it was not that we chose God, but He chose us.

And the reason for making us alive in Christ? As Israel (cf. Deuteronomy 7:8), so with us, there was nothing in us to motivate Him but rather it was "because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy..." (Ephesians 2:4).  All the reason was simply in God Himself.  To God alone be all the glory!

Therefore, in every hardship we are called to trust God. And in every success, we are to praise God. God is the One who goes before us to overcome insurmountable obstacles. And God is One behind us to enable and empower every successful endeavor (cf. Deuternonoy 8:18). He is the One who alone saves us, and He is the One alone who will accomplish that salvation for us by bringing us into His kingdom to be with Him forever. So, whether we eat or drink or whatever else we do, let us do it all for the glory of our God (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:31).

My favorite verse in the song Amazing Grace is

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed.

It all begins with a reverent fear of the Lord. Solomon in his wisdom wrote The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Deut 10:12-13 begins with the fear of the Lord also.   ¹² And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?  It is this fear that causes us to obey, and through obedience we show our love, and because of love, we serve. But with familiarity, we become too comfortable and lose this holy fear.  As we loose fear, we stop obeying and stop loving and stop serving.

The word "fear" has a negative connotation for many people.  Even a quick survey of the Book of Proverbs shows fear of the Lord in a positive light.  Fear of the Lord is associated with knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), secure fortress (Proverbs 14:26), fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27), better than great wealth (Proverbs 15:16), a good night's sleep (Proverbs 19:23) and much more.

Let us remember to Fear the Lord for He is above all created things and He is the One who directs our path in the way we show go.

In Deut. 10:12 it says to, "serve the LORD your God with all your heart".  A brother recently told me that he did a bible search for the word heart as it pertains to either "turning toward God" or "turning away from God".  He mentioned there were over 500 references.  He went on to say that works out to about a reference every 2 pages of the (NIV) Bible.  Amazing!  I think this confirms what God wants from us - our wholehearted love.  Blessings.

Chad wrote... In this reading the Lord tells the Israelites that they are to remember the Lord when they enter into the Promised Land and not to forget Him when they have eaten and are satisfied.  The Lord also tells them that it is not out of their own righteousness that they were to possess the land but rather the wickedness of the people that lived there.
 
It is so easy to get complacent when things are going well in our lives and to become prideful and forget that it was the Lord that provided us our possessions.  We all need to look back periodically and remember the work that the Lord has done in our lives and to think of that always so that when we are doing well we can give praise where it is due.

Yujin responded... Excellent observation, brother Chad! There are about 25 references to "remember" (e.g. Deut 5:15; 8:2; 9:27) and "do not forget" (e.g. Deut 4:9; 6:12; 8:11) in Deuteronomy. It is a key theme. Isn't it interesting that we often excuse our forgetfulness as something incidental and "outside of our control." Yet, here, forgetfulness is a great evil and is not excused but will be judged (cf. Deut 8:19). This warning coincides with practical instruction given in Deut 6:4-9, which shows them how to remember and not forget:

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

These three chapters are chalked full of timeless advice and perspective for man.  Verse 3 is a familiar verse found multiple times in the New Testament (Mat. 4:4, Luk. 4:4), "...man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."  And again in verse 11-14, "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 hreds 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, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."  Finally in verse 18, "But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth..."