Independence (from God)
<p><b>Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV) </b>
<sup>3 </sup> 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 man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
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<p>Why/how did being dependent on and getting fed by God's daily miraculous provision (manna) teach the Israelites that a person doesn't live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God?</p>
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<li>The "bread alone" represents a person's efforts and capabilities to meet his own survival needs.</li>
<li>The "every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" represents God's provision for a person's survival needs.</li>
<li>The Israelites' becoming hungry proved to them, taught them, that they didn't have the capability to reliably keep themselves alive. It taught them, regardless of whether they were willing to admit it, that they were, in fact, dependent on God.</li>
<li>The daily manna taught them that their dependence on God was a good thing because God was willing and able to take care of them.</li>
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