Deuteronomy 8:3 says, "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."
We started our study on this verse yesterday when we talked about God humbling us. Today we look at the phrase, "and suffered thee to hunger." The word here for suffered means, "to smite, pound, as if beating out, to thrust off, down, cast off, etc."
I had always looked at this word as in giving permission so that God had given permission and allowed them to suffer. There is nothing wrong with that interpretation for God had "suffered" Job to be afflicted. It seems to me, though, that this definition implies the idea of suffering through affliction. Would God afflict the righteous?
I know that question does not fit with many people's theology, but do we have an example of this in the Bible? Psalm 141:5, "Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities." We are also told in Proverbs 27:6, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."
This phrase also tells us that God suffered or afflicted them with hunger. Hunger is a craving that, if it be extreme to the point of starvation, would drive a man to kill for food. Christ dealt with this weakness of the flesh when he fasted and hungered for forty days only to be challenged by the Devil himself at Jesus' highest point of physical weakness. God was teaching His people a lesson on being satisfied with Him.
Job learned this lesson in Job 23:12, "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."
There are more television programs now than ever before on food preparation and cooking. We have become a slave to our refined palates. We are fascinated and tantalized by spices, herbs, and seasonings to extraordinary levels. As a matter of fact, eating is not about sustenance anymore, but the experience. I enjoy a good meal as much as anyone, but our real craving should be about God, His Word, and His glory. Mark 15:43 tells of Joseph who craved the body of Jesus. He would receive nothing from this craving, but He wanted to honor His Saviour more than anything.
When He supplies our hunger need and fills our famished stomachs, we recognize His mercy, respect His grace, and reverence His provision. The relief from the affliction of hunger causes us to sing His praises and to share His love with others. May we love and learn to be hungry!