This passage comes to us from when Jesus was led by the Spirit to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. While rebuking each of the devil’s temptations, all three of His replies were taken from the book of Deuteronomy.
In this particular verse, Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. “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.”
It’s important to look back at this verse to gain the context for which Jesus chose this verse as His reply to the devil. We see that God sustained the Israelites in the wilderness with food that was previously completely foreign to them, manna. The next part of this verse is largely taken out of context when used today, so here’s what it really means: When we read in Deuteronomy that “man does not live by bread alone,” Israel’s food in the wilderness was only present and consistent because God commanded it to be so. Therefore, this verse is saying that ultimately it was not the bread that was keeping them alive – it was God’s word. He was teaching Israel to trust in Him to be their provider.
This verse is directly applicable to the circumstance in which Jesus found himself in the wilderness against the temptation from Satan. Essentially, Jesus is telling Satan by quoting this Scripture to him, “Every word that comes from the mouth of God is a more important source of sustenance than food.” How powerful and incredible is that?
God’s word nourishes our spiritual needs in a way that eternally benefits us. Following Jesus’ example, we should place at the top of our priorities the following: investing and reading God’s Word rather than turning to the world for temporary relief.
