THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE WEALTH A Charge to Remember

WORD

2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

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.

4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. DEU 8:2-4

God knew his people. Time and again, they had been unfaithful and tended to trust idols. Before they entered the land God had promised to give them, he charged them through Moses to remember him and all he had done for them. God humbled them so they would understand that man does not live on bread alone. He provided food that no one had seen before and could not store for the next day, so that they would depend on him totally for daily nourishment. He disciplined them as a father to his son because he wanted them to walk in his ways and receive his blessings. Today, we will look at three things God admonished his people to remember about their time in the wilderness.

Remember God’s guidance

And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. DEU 8:2

For forty years, God guided and sustained his people in the wilderness. God used their journey to humble and test them, to expose to them what he already knew was in their hearts. Moses charged the Israelites to remember how God had been faithful to them. Today, God guides us, humbles us, and allows our hearts to be tested, even as we wait for his promises to be fulfilled. How can we recognize and remember God’s guidance in our daily lives?

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.” EXO 16:4

Rashi

A day’s portion every day—A day’s eating every day shall they gather on its (that) day, and they shall not today gather what will be needed tomorrow (cf. Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 16:4).

That I may test them, whether they will walk in my law—Whether they will observe the commands associated with it: viz., that they will not leave any overnight, and that they will not go out on the Sabbath to gather it.

5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you . . . 1PE 5:5-6

John Gill

Humble yourselves, therefore—Or be humbled before God, and in his sight; quietly submit to his will; patiently bear every affliction without murmuring, repining, or replying against him; be still under the rod, and despise not the chastening of the Lord; mourn over sin as the cause, acknowledge your vileness and unworthiness, and stand in awe of his majesty, considering yourselves as

Under the mighty hand of God—A phrase expressive of his omnipotence which cannot be stayed, and it would be madness to oppose it; and which is able to cast down the proud, and dash them to pieces, as well as to exalt the humble. His hand, upon men, in a way of chastisement, presses sore, and, in a way of punishment, presses down, and crushes to pieces; but to be under it in an humble manner is safe and profitable; such are hid as in the hollow of his hand, and are safe as in a pavilion, and comfortable under the shadow of his wings; and such humiliation and submission to him, and putting themselves under his mighty hand and care, is the way to exaltation:

That at the proper time he may exalt you—The Arabic version reads, “in the time of exaltation”: when his time to exalt is come, either in this world, or more especially at the appearance of Christ and his kingdom. The Vulgate Latin version, and two copies of Beza’s, one of Stephens’ and the Alexandrian, read, “in the time of visitation”; and so the Ethiopic version, “when he shall have visited you”; which seems to be taken out of 1Pe 2:12 sooner or later such who are humbled shall be exalted; it is the usual way and method which God takes to abase the proud, and exalt the humble; for humble souls honour him, and therefore such as honour him he will honour; and this he does in his own time, in a time that makes most for his glory, and their good; oftentimes he does it in this life, and always in that which is to come.

Rashi

Whether you would keep his commandments—That you would not put him or doubt him (i.e., his ways).

Remember God’s provision

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. DEU 8:3

The Israelites were taught that God was their source. When they were hungry, God fed them by sending manna and quail (Exo 16). They did not know what manna was, only that God was giving it to them to keep them from starving. All that time in the wilderness, God was faithful to provide for them. God provides for us today as he did for the Israelites. His blessings are not limited to material things. He wants us to live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. He wants us to have a meaningful and abundant life. How have you seen God provide for you and your family?

Yoma 74b:14

Apropos the verse: “And he humbled you and caused you to hunger, and fed you with manna” (Deu 8:3), the Gemara expounds related verses. The law states: “Who feeds you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you” (Deu 8:16). What affliction was there in eating the manna? Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi disagreed on the matter. One said: There is no comparison between one who has bread in his basket and one who does not have bread in his basket. The affliction in eating the manna lay in there being no leftover food for the next day. Each day the people worried that they might not have any food to eat the next day. And one said: There is no comparison between one who sees the food and eats it and one who does not see the food and eats it. Though the manna could taste like anything, it always looked the same and did not look as it tasted. Being unable to see the food that they tasted was an affliction.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. PSA 37:3

Rashi

Trust in the Lord, and do not say, “If I do not rob and steal,” or “If I give charity to a poor man, how will I sustain myself?”

And do good—Then you will dwell in the land for a long time.

And befriend faithfulness—You will eat and be sustained from the reward of your faithfulness, that you believed in the Holy One, blessed be he, to rely on him and do good.

29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.

30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. LUK 12:29-30

John Gill

For all the nations of the world seek after these things—That is, the Gentiles, as in Mat 6:32 who are frequently, in the Jewish writings, called, in distinction from the Jews, “the nations of the world.” This is an argument used to dissuade from an immediate and anxious concern for food and garments, because it is heathenish, and therefore very unbecoming the disciples and followers of Christ: it need not be wondered at in those that know not God, and do not acknowledge his providence, and are strangers to his covenant and promises; but must be very unsuitable to the characters of such who know that godliness has the promise of this life, and of that which is to come:

And your Father knows that you need them—And therefore it is needless to be so anxious about them: the Persic version reads, “all these things,” and so some copies; that is, meat, drink, and clothing, all the necessaries of life (see Gill on Mat 6:32).

Remember God’s preservation

Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. DEU 8:4

Rashi

Your clothing did not wear out—The clouds of glory used to rub the dirt off their clothes and bleach them so that they looked like new white articles, and also, their children, as they grew, their clothes grew with them, just like the shell of a snail which grows with it (cf. Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:11; Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 850).

And your foot did not swell like dough, as is usual with those who walk barefoot—that their feet become swollen.

God was faithful to his covenant with the Israelites. He was mindful not only of their greatest needs, but also of the small things that brought them comfort. It was a miracle in itself that forty years of wandering in the wilderness did not cause their clothing to be damaged. Aside from that, their feet did not swell during the journey. God may not have given the Israelites new clothes, but he preserved what they had for four decades. In the same way, God not only provides for our needs; he also preserves us and what he has already provided us with. He doesn’t leave us on our own—he sustains us. According to Pro 10:22, what does God do when he provides? How have you seen this to be true in your life?

The blessing of the Lord makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it. PRO 10:22

Rashi

The blessing of the Lord makes rich, etc.—One need not toil to gain wealth, for it is enough with the blessing that he blesses him.

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. GEN 12:2

Rashi

And I will make of you a great nation—Since traveling is the cause of three things—it decreases family life, it reduces one’s wealth and lessens one’s renown (lit. name), he therefore needed these three blessings: that God blessed him concerning children, concerning wealth, and concerning fame (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11).

And I will bless you—With wealth (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11).

So that you will be a blessing—Blessings are entrusted to you; hitherto they were in my power—I blessed Adam and Noah—but from now on you shall bless whomsoever you wish (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11). Another explanation: And I will make of you a great nation, this alludes to the fact that we say in our prayer “God of Abraham”; And I will bless you—that we say, “God of Isaac”; And make your name great—that we say, “God of Jacob.” One might think that we should conclude the benediction by mentioning the names of all the patriarchs—the text therefore states “so that you will be a blessing”: with you will they conclude, and not with them (Pesachim 117b).