Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭9‬
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

I find many times in scripture, Jesus (or the disciples) will quote a small portion of a passage from the Old Testament, and because the Jews were taught these books in school, it seems they would all have on recall, by this small sentence, the whole story. This is likely the case with this brief quote from the passage in Deuteronomy. I have included a large chunk here. As we dig in, we begin to see that Jesus likely had this passage memorized. The complete phrase is “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” The context was that in the desert, when the Israelites were hungry, God provided them manna, a type of heavenly bread. He was disciplining them for not believing in him when they were afraid to go into the promised land and face giants; but he also loved them and took care of them in the desert. Not only did they not hunger, but extraordinarily, they did not have swollen feet, though they walked day after day for 40 years. Also, their clothes did not wear out. All three of these things were miraculous evidence of God’s hand in their midst.

So, as Jesus comes out of 40 days of fasting in the desert (symbolic because the Israelites were for 40 years wandering in the wilderness, waiting to enter the Promised Land); he is tempted by the Devil to use his eternal power for selfish reasons, to feed himself. And Jesus was ready for this temptation. Instead of stepping in to take control and satisfy his hunger … HE TRUSTED GOD AND HIS TIMING. He referenced God’s ongoing provisions for the Israelites in the desert as where he put his hope. He referenced the fact that God’s word is power, and by his word he provided manna, clothes that lasted 40 years, and either super soft ground or supernatural healing for the feet of these wanderers. God also provide a fire by night and a cloud by day to protect them from attacks from their enemies and to guide them. If God could do all of that, then he would provide food for Jesus when the time was right. And so Jesus would not supersede God’s hand or his will. We have this example laid out for us to learn from. When we are tested, it is helpful to have: 1) prepared for the inevitable test by having a quick recall of God’s Word and his provisions for us, 2) confidence in our faith that he will provide for all our needs, and 3) the discipline to not step in and supersede his will or plan by acting on our own, for our comfort.

Lord, thank you that you always know what is best for me. You love me and see the struggles I go through and already have a plan to address them. You allow me to be tested to discipline me and strengthen my faith, just as we test our muscles and they stretch and are sore, but they repair stronger still! Help me to be prepared for the tests that come and to rely on you and your Word for my strength. Praise your name as you are always faithful to provide at just the right time!