In the miracles that Christ performed to feed the people, bread was always involved. One example can be found in Matthew 14:13-21. On that occasion He fed five thousand people. Another example is recorded in Mark 8:1-9, where bread was once again given to feed four thousand people. It is quite evident that bread in those days was a major staple of life. It wasn’t like the bread we have today, made with bleached white flour, with the nourishment all but eliminated by the polluting hands of man. Rather, the bread common to man in Jesus’ time consisted of whole grains with the full benefit of the wheat germ and enzymes God has placed in wheat, barley and other whole grains.
This may give us a better understanding why David, when he and his men were literally famished, was given the showbread to eat, since it had valuable and lasting sustenance. This incident is referred to in Luke 6:3-4 by Christ. Historically, we read about the event in 1 Samuel 21:1-6.
From a physical standpoint, bread is a critical part of a person’s diet. We realize, of course, that “bread” in the Bible can and does include “food” in general — it does not literally have to exclusively mean, “bread.” This is magnified by the model prayer in Matthew 6:11: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We see here that it is daily bread or sustenance that we are to pray for.
However, physical bread is not enough. A further remarkable statement is made by Christ regarding bread in Luke 4:4: “But Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”‘”
It is evident that man’s physical existence is linked to physical bread or food, but his eternal existence is linked to the spiritual bread, the Word of God–in other words, the Bible.
We need to eat this spiritual bread daily just as one prays daily for his physical bread. We need to digest God’s Word, think about it, ponder it and make it a necessary part of our very being.
At the time of Christ, no man would consider not eating bread for a prolonged period of time, unless he was fasting. We should not go prolonged periods without reading and meditating on God’s Word. Rather, we should follow David’s example, when he stated in Psalm 119:15-16. “I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget YOUR word.”
The way we do this is by daily Bible study and by making the Bible a part of our thinking, our being, our way of living.
Remember: Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
