Monday, May 24, 2004
Vincent of Lerins
Kellia: Deuteronomy 8:1-10 Apostle: Acts 21:8-14 Gospel: St. John 14:27-15:7
Deuteronomy 8:1-10, especially vs. 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 that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord." Dionysios the Areopagite,
reflecting on the nature of God, says, "'Tis the whole Being of the Supernal Godhead (saith the Scripture) that the Absolute
Goodness hath defined and revealed. For in what other sense may we take the words of Holy Writ when it tells us how the
Godhead spake concerning Himself, and said: 'Why asketh thou Me concerning the good? None is good save One, that is,
God [Mk. 10:18].'" Let us then expect only the good from God; at the same time, let us also understand that it is He Who
defines the good even as He gives what is the best for us.
In today's reading, the Prophet Moses reveals four things the People of God may expect from the Lord: 1) that He will
humble us, 2) that He will test us, 3) that He will discipline us, and 4) that He will bring us "into a good land" (vs. 7).
Moses further reminds us that God gives us these good things with a desire to evoke good thinking and wholesome actions
from us.
Some may take exception to the Prophet's proposal that humbling is one of God's "good" gifts to His Beloved, for surely
there is a painful, bitter side to being humbled. Notice what Moses reveals as God's purpose for humbling us: "to know
what was in [our] heart" (vs. 2). So that God might know? Not at all, for the Lord already knows what is in a man's heart
(Jn. 2:25). Rather, the Lord humbles us that we might discover what is in our heart, that we might face whether we are
inclined to keep His commandments, and that, with this knowledge, we might cleanse everything from our heart that is not
worthy either of us nor of our Creator.
God tests us also, Moses says (Deut. 8:2), and the Prophet closely associates God's testing of His People with His
humbling of us. God does test and humble us, not only that we should discern what is going on in our hearts, but also to
learn that "man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord"
(vs. 3).
God tested ancient Israel by leading them into a desert where they were totally without resources for food or shelter. In the
stark barrenness of Sinai, the Lord provided unexpected food, called manna, a source of nourishment they had not
experienced before. Furthermore, He took care that their clothing did not wear out (vss. 3,4). Testing and humbling are
Divinely provided educational experiences which rouse our minds to our utter dependence on God and heighten the acuity
of our spiritual ears so that we become attentive to the word of God in every situation, in every temptation (Mt. 4:3,4), and
in all our choices and decisions (1 Kngs. 3:9).
We may also expect discipline from the Lord that we may grow in our capacity to walk in His ways and fear Him (Deut.
8:6). Even when discipline is experienced as punishment, so long as it is received from the hand of the Lord, not in
bitterness or anger toward Him, it can guide us through the "narrow gate" and onto that "difficult...way which leads to life"
(Mt. 7:13). Finally, God's humbling, testing, and disciplining have the great value of awakening us to the truth that He is
bringing [us] into a "good land" (Deut. 8:7). For ancient Israel, Moses spelled out the evidence of the goodness of the
promised land, that they might remember (as we also should) "to bless the Lord [our] God for the good land He has given
[us]" (vs. 10). In Christ, we expect a "good land" that is "not of this world," but a kingdom rich in life, both now and ever.
"Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name: Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in
Heaven." (Mt. 6:9-10).
