Israel is again reminded of all God did for their ancestors as he brought them out of Egypt and into the wilderness, wandering. This was not only a punishment for Israel for not listening when God sent them to the land of Canaan, a land that flowed with milk and honey, and they came back complaining, but it was also a time for God to humble and test Israel, to see what was in their hearts and if they would obey his commands.
8: 2-3 “Remember that the Lord you God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
8:14 “Be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.” I have found in my own life that when things are going wrong and I am faced with challenges, I reach out to God and pray for things to change. After some time has passed and things are going well, it can be easy to forget all that God has done in my life and begin going my own way. I need to stay focused on God, not only during the challenges of life, but when things are going well – and not forget all that He has done for me, and continues to do for me!
8: 16-19 “He fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end he might cause you to prosper. You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm his covenant he swore to your fathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them, I testify against you today that you will perish.”
It took me awhile to understand that God is not just talking about other Gods, but things that we have turned into idols, or other Gods, social media, food, drugs, alcohol, sex, money . . . the list goes on. When life brings us challenges, where does our attention go to? When we are bored, where does our attention go to? When all is well, what are we focused on?
Today, I am focused on God. Through all of the ups and downs of the day, I will keep my focus on God. I will be careful not to sway off the path he has laid out for me and to recognize when I stop hearing his voice, allowing it to get replaced by my own.