Remember Who Butters Your Bread: A Warning from Deuteronomy for Christians Today

Listen to today’s passage – Deuteronomy 6 – 8 

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Deuteronomy 6 

Second Milers also read –  2 Corinthians 1 – 4; Proverbs 3; Psalms 11 – 15

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105

Read the “0303 Evening and Morning” devotion by Charles Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s passage – “Let’s Get Back to the Bible“

Childhood Wisdom: “Don’t Forget Who Butters Your Bread

When I was a kid, my grandparents commonly used to say: “Don’t forget who butters your bread.” It meant that I should remember to be appreciative to the person or people that provided the food that I ate, the clothes that I wore, and the home that I lived in. In our passage today, we see God warning Israel many times that once they got into their new land, they should not forget that it was God who had delivered them from slavery and gave them this wonderful, prosperous, and plentiful place that flowed with milk and honey.

God’s Warnings to Israel

“10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (Deut 6:10–12)

“20 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? 21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: 22 And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: 23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.” (Deut 6:20–23)

“2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. … 11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” (Deut 8:2, 11–18 KJV)

The Dangerous Cycle of Forgetting

In the passages of Scripture referenced above, God admonished the children of Israel not to forget the Source of all of their wealth and success. He was about to give them a land with houses and vineyards and farms; none of which they would have to build or work for. The Israelites would be walking into a great situation. It would be like you or I inheriting a beautiful home, fully furnished, with two cars in the driveway; and then we were given a profitable business to further add to our wealth. Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it?

The problem with all of this was that somewhere along the way the people would slowly begin to forget about where all of this blessing came from. At first they would appreciate it, but then they would begin to think that they deserved it and were entitled to it. Finally, they would come to the conclusion that they had earned through their own efforts. At the end of the cycle, they have bitten the hand that fed them, and they have completely forgotten Who it was that buttered their bread.

This Happens in Christian Lives Today

I have observed this attitude in many Christians today. People often come to Christ  when their lives are in a mess. They are sometimes in financial distress, or their marriages are falling apart; or both. They come to Christ and He begins to turn things around for them. At first, they greatly appreciate what God has done for them, but slowly and gradually they forget Who it is that is blessing their lives. They stop attending the church services, they stop tithing, and they stop serving. Somewhere along the line they think that they fixed their problems all by themselves. What happens next is not good. God has to stop blessing them, and they can end up right back where they started.

A Sobering Warning for America

America is doing the same thing. We are the wealthiest and most powerful nation on planet earth. Why? Because God has blessed us. It is not because we are smarter or better than other nations. We are just blessed. But we are quickly forgetting the Source of our blessing. Unless we get it turned around, it cannot end well for America. As a nation, we had better remember who butters our bread.

Final Thought / Application

Are there areas where you’ve started taking credit for what God provided? How can you course-correct?

This week, take a moment to list 5 blessings in your life and consciously thank God for each one.

 


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The Lord Bless Thee: A Reminder of God’s Love

Listen to today’s passage – Numbers 5 – 6

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Numbers 5

Second Milers also read – Acts 7 – 9; Proverbs 16; Psalms 81 – 85

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 61:1 – 3

Read the “0216 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “The Nazarite Vow“

Have you ever felt like God’s Word is full of rules and requirements, only to stumble upon a verse that suddenly reminds you how deeply He loves you? That’s exactly what happens at the end of Numbers 6.

“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”  (Numbers 6:24-26)

Quick Review of Chapters Five and Six
  • In chapters 5 of the Book of Numbers, God is instructing the children of Israel about what they should do if a man suspects that his wife has been unfaithful to him. The Bible talks about “the spirit of jealousy” that comes upon a man if there is something going on behind his back. I believe the same holds true for the wife. While we often view jealousy negatively today, the Bible shows God is jealous over His children, and a healthy, controlled jealousy in marriage can reflect that protective love. 
  • Chapter 6 discusses the rules concerning the vow of the Nazarite. When a person took this special vow of consecration in Old Testament days, he would not cut his hair or his beard, and he was not permitted to touch any alcohol, or come near anything (or anybody) that was dead. This vow was a vow of “separation unto the Lord”. The person that took this vow was declaring that his or her life was wholly dedicated to God. Usually, a person would be under this oath of separation for a period of time, not for his entire life. By the way, don’t confuse a Nazarite with a Nazarene, which is a person that comes from the city of Nazareth. Jesus was a Nazarene.
The Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24 – 26)

This morning, I was struck afresh by the prayer of blessing found at the end of chapter 6. It seemed almost strange for this beautiful prayer to be placed in this particular place. I mean, we have been reading a lot lately about commandments, sacrifices, rules, etc. Here, God tells Aaron that he wants him to pronounce this prayer of blessing over the people. I think God just wanted to remind the people that he loved them and that He was for them. I think we can learn a few lessons from this as well.

  • First, we need to be reminded that God loves us and wants nothing but the best for us. We sometimes picture God as an angry, cold dictator that is ready to pounce upon us when we do wrong. That is not God. He loves us and He wants to give us the richest blessings and a life full of abundance.
  • The second lesson that we should learn from this is that when we are trying to teach our children, we need to remember to let them know often that we love them. Yes, we need to give them all of the rules, commandments, and instructions; and yes, we ought to discipline them when they do wrong, but we also need to make sure that they know that we (and especially God) are in their corner, and that we want nothing but the richest blessings for their lives.
  • This principle extends beyond parenting and would also be a good lesson for preachers and spiritual mentors to learn as well. In our zeal to instruct, we sometimes come across as being uncaring and unloving. You have heard the old saying: “People do not care about what you know, until they know that you really care.” Well, we ought to really care, and we ought also to express that love and care often to the people that we are trying to help.

We ought to really care, and we ought also to express that love and care often to the people that we are trying to help. So this morning, why not follow God’s example? Speak blessing over someone in your life—your child, spouse, friend, or maybe your students—using these very words: “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

Carry that assurance today: Your Father is for you, and His love surrounds you.

Remember: Amid life’s rules, requirements, and corrections, God inserts this beautiful reminder—He loves you, He’s for you, and He longs to bless you abundantly. Rest in that truth today, and let it shape how you love others.

 

  


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