“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. 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. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.”
Deuteronomy 8:2–5 (ESV)
It’s not always this way but, sometimes, after coming through a desert experience, God gives us a clear view of why He ordained it, how He changed us and how He carried us through it. Moses got such a de-briefing just as his literal forty-year desert experience was completing. What a bewildering period. But, God explains why the test was necessary. We can draw great encouragement as we walk through our own tests, ordained by this same God, for our sure benefit. He knows exactly what He’s doing.
When we ask why God allows suffering or difficult seasons in our lives, Deuteronomy 8 gives us a glimpse into His purposes. God’s testing is not without purpose. In this passage, we see that He used Israel’s wilderness experience to humble them, reveal what was in their hearts and teach them to depend upon Him.
God’s Purposes in Testing
Deuteronomy 8 gives us three reasons God uses testing in the lives of His people:
To humble us
To know what is in our heart
To establish a new appetite for living
Humility
The Lord often begins by humbling us. We shouldn’t have to keep re-learning this principle, but it’s one of the surest constants of walking with God. His hand forged the harsh vastness of space and also formed the wings of gnats. So, for our advantage, He knows just where to place His finger on our lives to bring us low. The wise, timely and faithful wounds from God are like none other. His thoroughness shows He will stop at nothing and knows us intimately.
When God does the humbling, we are left with a quiet contentment of who we actually are in relation to Him. The striving stops. We can enjoy living under God’s lead instead of charting our own path.
Difficult circumstances can strip away the things we rely upon and remind us of our dependence on God. What feels bewildering to us is never bewildering to Him.
New Heart
God’s desert hardships revealed what was in the Israelites’ hearts: distrust, suspicion, fear, insecurity and hatred. Once He bubbled the filth to the surface, He purified them.
“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.”
Proverbs 17:3 (ESV)
God, Himself, bent down low and bore with these people to transform their hearts. For their sake, He tested them so that they would know (in their hearts) that He was their God:
Days without water
Days without food
Threats from enemies
Discomfort in the wilderness
Obscurity
Prolonged timeframe
God’s testing revealed what was already present in their hearts. The wilderness brought their fears, distrust and insecurity to the surface, where God could deal with them. Our own difficult seasons can do the same.
New Appetite
If you’ve ever embarked on a high-protein/low carbohydrate diet, you know that the early days are rough while craving sugar and carbs. But, in time, an internal switch is thrown. Junk food and empty calories lose their appeal. You’ve acquired a new appetite.
God wanted to create a new appetite in the Israelites. Instead of them feeding their souls on “bread” alone (food, riches, comfort), God wanted them satisfied by Him alone. His test would purposely cause them to be hungry and confused (“manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know”). They weren’t necessarily just spoiled; the test was hard.
God wants to create a new appetite in us too. Instead of feeding our souls on the things of this world (riches, comfort, power, position, reputation, false security), God wants us to be satisfied by Him alone. To live by the Word of God, instead of the bread of this world, takes real maturity. It’s seldom acquired by sheer willpower. God often uses bewildering circumstances where we have no choice but to depend on Him. Under the new diet, we discover deep satisfaction from feeding on Him alone.
This is also part of learning how to trust God in difficult times. Trust grows as the things we once depended upon prove insufficient and we discover that God Himself is enough.
Our Response
Accepting the test is easier when we see God’s magnificent support undergirding it all. He reminded the Israelites that while they endured, He provided supernatural protection: “Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.”
Elsewhere in Scripture, God says He encircled them and protected them like one protects the pupil of his eye, and as a mother eagle cares for her young (Deuteronomy 32:10–12). God closes this de-briefing with Moses by asking him (us) to dig deep and remember this testing is normal for those He loves. Verse 5 makes it all bearable, doesn’t it? We are His children. Discipline is what a watchful, loving father does. He has great purpose in it.
So, why does God allow His children to walk through testing and suffering? Deuteronomy 8 reminds us that difficulty does not mean God has abandoned us. He can use testing to humble us, expose and transform our hearts, deepen our dependence on Him and teach us to live by His Word. And, all the while, He remains present and provides for His children.
Article 12 of The Westminster Confession of Faith reminds us just how breathtaking it is to be a child of God:
“All those justified…enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God…”
have His name put upon them
receive the spirit of adoption
have access to the throne of grace with boldness
are enabled to cry, “Abba, Father”
are pitied
are protected
are provided for
chastened by Him as by a father
yet never cast off
but sealed to the day of redemption
inherit the promises
heirs of everlasting salvation
These astounding gifts assure us that God’s wise testing will bring us new life--never destruction--under His care. Let’s be encouraged!
The wilderness may be bewildering, but it is never outside the watchful care of our Father. He knows exactly what He’s doing.
Continue Exploring: Why Does God Test Our Faith?
God's work in our lives is not always easy to recognize, especially during seasons of uncertainty and difficulty. In Stories From the Desert, Part 1: The Debrief — Why the 40 Years?, Jay Hohfeler explores Deuteronomy 8 and how God used Israel's wilderness experience to humble His people, reveal what was in their hearts, and teach them to depend on Him.
Watch the teaching: Stories From the Desert, Part 1 — Why the 40 Years?
Explore the full series: Stories From the Desert
