And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet. You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 29:5-6)

Can you imagine wearing the same outfit and same pair of shoes for forty years? It sounds like many of God’s people were compelled to do so which then prompts a few questions. What happened as the children grew? What about those who might have gained weight (assuming one gains weight while wandering through a wilderness)? Maybe Moses’ point is to emphasize that, in spite of the limitations prescribed by life in the desert, they did not lack for what they needed. Some how, some way, God made certain that everyone — whether growing children or expanding waist lines — had proper clothing and shoes.

At the same time, as the very next verse suggests, He didn’t always give them what they may have wanted. The statement, “You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine” suggests that the wilderness experience had been difficult. When it came to food and drink, they didn’t have a wide variety of fare to choose from which, from time to time, caused them to grumble and long for what they had in Egypt. Yet as Moses points out, this was to serve a purpose: “that you may know that I am the Lord your God.”

I take that to mean He required that every connection to Egypt, including any desire for the food Egypt provided, had to be broken. Furthermore, they were to learn that He alone was their provider and would always give them what was in their best interests, even if it was not what they preferred. This being so, you and I need to keep this principle in mind, especially as they days grow more perilous. Our Father knows what we have need of and will give us our daily bread. He can and will use what we already have to sustain us through difficulty. However, He may not always give us the things we have grown accustomed to “in Egypt.” In the end, anything He allows us to experience is to remind us that He alone is our source — He alone is God.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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