"And thou shalt remember all the way Jehovah thy God led 4) thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldst keep His commandments or not. And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with the manna, which thou hadst not known, and which thy fathers knew not; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread alone, but by everything that goeth out of the month of Jehovah doth man live" (Deut. 8:2, 3; J. N. D.).
"To humble thee! " That is what God was doing with His people of old; that is what He is doing with His people now; and that is what He will ever be doing with His people. They must be humbled. God cannot delight in a proud spirit; He cannot take pleasure in a stiff neck; He will not bless an independent soul. Our wills must be broken, our thoughts must be set in order, our ways must become as His ways, our self-sufficiency must be superseded by His sufficiency. But God does not arbitrarily humble His people; it is all for His glory manifested in their blessing.
It takes actual experience to make certain truths good to our souls. It is good to see others converted and manifest their joy in a new-found Saviour, but it was many times more real to us when we so found Him for ourselves. It is well to understand something of what the apostle meant when he said, " for me to live is Christ; to die, gain:" but to go through the school of experience and have that truth thus made good to the soul is more blessed.
What matters it if our fond ambitions are not realized, or our earthly hopes shattered, or keenest disappointment pierces the heart, or failures rob life of its allurement ? Ah, brother, these are the things of the wilderness that should humble us, and make some corresponding truth more real and precious to our heart. God has nothing for us but the manna- not a thing besides. But how sweet that Manna becomes after the heart is humbled and brought to that place where earthly appetites are taken away and Christ becomes everything to the soul. " To humble thee!" Our Father, we bless Thee for these words. Lord Jesus, we bless Thee for Thine example of humility; give us grace to pattern after Thee.
"I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." F. H. J.