Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) gave three answers to HaSatan (the devil) after His 40 days in the wilderness. What was Yeshua trying to say with, “Man should not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)? In His refutations of HaSatan while being tempted, Yeshua quoted heavily from the Torah reading עקב Ekev/Eikev (“consequence,” Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25).

What did Yeshua want His disciples to learn from this account, recorded in Matthew 4:1–11? As I see it, anytime Yeshua cited scripture, it is a reference for the entire passage, not merely the verse itself. Yeshua’s apostles taught and wrote in the same manner. They didn’t write out entire passes of the Torah or the Tanak. They cited a reference, and expected their disciples to go to scripture and read it in context.

Yeshua gave three basic answers to HaSatan’s temptations. As He was rebuking HaSatan, this parashat was very much on the Messiah’s mind. All of Yeshua’s answers were rooted in Torah, and He pulled many lessons from Parashat Ekev, not just the small snippets He quoted.

Matthew 4; Deuteronomy 8: Will you let God feed you?

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”” (Matthew 4:1–4 NASB)

Yeshua quoted Deut. 8:3:

“You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:2–3 NASB)

What is the lesson of “not living by bread alone”? The point is that we are not to forget God. Moses tells the children of Israel that the point of these tests were so the children of Israel would know what was in their heart.

Yeshua understood He was being tested and by quoting this text is letting HaSatan know that He knows He is being tested.

HaSatan already knows the answers. He knows the Bible. He’s memorized every syllable of it. He knows it, believe me, he knows it. Yeshua is not trying to teach Satan something he doesn’t already know.

The point of the testing in the wilderness so Yeshua would know what in His heart. It was recorded so that we would know what is in His heart as well.

If HaShem tested His own Son, He will test you and I as well. We also see in the Book of Hebrews that Yeshua was tested or suffered in order to learn obedience on the deepest level.

Let’s make note that HaShem did not put Yeshua to the test when He was 10 years old. Our tests and our experiences change in time; hence, we won’t be tested only once in our lives. God will test us periodically throughout our lives.

God tested the children of Israel so they could see what was in their hearts, how they react when life is difficult.

Our problems are different from those experienced by the children of Israel in the wilderness. We have our own frustrations, but we can all related to feeling that we don’t have what we need or desire in life. Our perception can be skewed, and God will test us to see if we understand the difference between desires and needs.

Will you challenge God?

“Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him,