When Jesus was baptized, God said,

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17, ESV

About six weeks later, Satan suggests,

But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Matthew 4:4, ESV
(Quoting Deuteronomy 8.3)

When God has told me that I have been adopted as his child (See
John 1.12-13), I don’t need to question. I must trust that His word is true. I may choose to live outside His will, but His love for me does not need to be questioned. We must trust “every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

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When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard about the destruction of Jericho and Ai, they were afraid and went out to trick the Israelites. Their story was plausible, and the Israelites “did not ask for the counsel of the Lord.” Even when it looks like we know the answer, we should “ask for the counsel of the Lord.”

In Joshua 5.12 we read that manna stopped 2 days after the Passover. God had provided the miracle of manna for 40 years. However, after the Passover, the Israelites ate from the produce of the land. In the desert, there was no food, so manna was necessary. In the Promised Land, there was food available, so manna was not necessary.

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”

Deuteronomy 4.29, NASB

Even when the Lord disciplines, He wishes for us to be reconciled to Him. He has promised that we will find Him when we search for Him.

Like father… like son: Isaac also lied to the king of the Philistines about his wife. The Lord protected Rebekah and the Philistines by allowing Abimelech to see Isaac caressing his wife.

Esau sold his birthright for a temporary pleasure that was considered a need. How often do people sell their birthright to live forever with Jesus for temporary pleasures?