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“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
— Matthew 4:4
Let us look at what the Word of God says.
Matthew 4:4, John 6:63, and Hebrews 4:12 together form a threefold revelation about the Word of God:
The lyrics you have given are not merely poetic. They echo the central New Testament revelation that the believer does not truly live by natural means, but by the Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Christian life is not sustained primarily by what we eat, what we feel, or what we see, but by what God speaks.
The theme is very simple, but very demanding:
To live by His Word means His Word becomes our daily food, our inner life, and our surgical instrument.
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### Matthew 4:4 – In the Wilderness of Testing
> “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)
The background is critical. Jesus has just been baptized in the Jordan (Matthew 3), the Spirit has descended upon Him, and the Father has publicly affirmed Him:
> “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
Immediately after this, the Spirit leads Him into the wilderness *to be tempted by the devil* (Matthew 4:1). For forty days and forty nights He fasts. Physically, He is at His weakest. Then the tempter comes with a very reasonable suggestion:
> “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” (Matthew 4:3)
Jesus is hungry. He has the power to perform miracles. The devil attacks at the point of physical need and identity.
But notice: Jesus does not engage in conversation. He does not argue philosophically. He does one thing:
He quotes Scripture.
“It is written…”
He takes Deuteronomy 8:3—words God spoke to Israel in the wilderness—and applies them to Himself:
> “…man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
Israel failed in the wilderness. Jesus triumphs where Israel fell.
He demonstrates how the Son of God lives: by the written Word, spoken by God, believed and confessed.
### John 6:63 – After the Bread Miracle
> “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.
> The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
> — John 6:63
In John 6, Jesus has just fed the five thousand with literal bread. The crowd wants more bread, and even wants to make Him king by force (John 6:15). But Jesus presses them deeper: they must feed on *Him* as the bread of life.
Many are offended. They want physical provision, not spiritual reality. Then He lays down a principle:
This takes Matthew 4:4 to a deeper level:
We do not merely live by words as information; we live by words as Spirit-empowered life-units.
### Hebrews 4:12 – The Word as Divine Surgery
> “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
> piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,
> and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
> — Hebrews 4:12
The context of Hebrews 4 is God’s “rest.” The writer warns against unbelief and disobedience like Israel in the wilderness. Then he introduces the Word of God as the instrument through which God examines, judges, and divides the inner life of man.
The same Word by which we live (Matthew 4:4), the same Word that is spirit and life (John 6:63), is also the Word that penetrates, exposes, and discerns us. It is not a passive text. It is a living agent under the authority of the living God.
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### 1. “Word” – *Rhema* and *Logos*
In Matthew 4:4, the phrase is:
> “every word that comes from the mouth of God”
The Greek word here is ῥῆμα (*rhema*).
In contrast, another word used in the New Testament is λόγος (*logos*)—the eternal, general Word, the message, the reason, the mind of God expressed.
Both are true of Scripture, but here the focus is:
We live by the Word God is actively speaking and applying to us—His *rhema*—especially as it springs from the written *logos* of Scripture.
This means the Bible is not a dead book. The Holy Spirit takes the written *logos* and makes it a *rhema*—a living, spoken word to our present need.
### 2. “Living” and “Active” – *Zōn* and *Energes* (Hebrews 4:12)
> “For the word of God is living and active…”
From *zaō* – to live, to be alive.
The Word of God has the quality of divine life. It is not static. It reproduces life, it sustains life, it confronts death.
From which we get “energy.” It means effective, operative, at work.
The Word does not just sit in your Bible; it operates in your heart, in your circumstances, in the spiritual realm.
So when the lyrics say:
> “Your word is living, powerful,
> sharper than any sword—
> feed on it daily, live by it fully.”
They are aligning with Hebrews 4:12. The Word you feed on is not like reading history or philosophy. It is God’s own living energy working in you.
This deepens our understanding:
---
Let us now move stanza by stanza, bringing Scripture to interpret Scripture.
### Stanza 1: The Wilderness Principle
> Jesus answered,
> “It is written:
> Man shall not live on bread alone,
> but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
This stanza takes us straight back to the wilderness. Notice three key elements:
1. “It is written” – Jesus anchors His response in the written Word.
2. “Man shall not live on bread alone” – Bread represents all natural resources: food, money, career, relationships, security.
3. “But on every word that comes from the mouth of God” – The source of real life is what God speaks.
> “…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.”
Spiritual reality:
The wilderness of testing exposes what we really live by.
If we panic when material supply is threatened, it reveals we have not truly learned to live by the Word.
---
### Stanza 2–3: “We Live by Every Word…”
> We live by every word
> that comes from the mouth of God.
> Not bread alone, but His living word—
> it feeds our soul, it makes us whole.
Here the lyrics move from Jesus to us: “We live…”
This is vital. Matthew 4:4 is not only about Jesus; it is a pattern for the entire Christian life.
#### “Every word that comes from the mouth of God”
Not some words. Not favorite verses. Not promises without conditions.
Every word.
Truth is not found in isolated phrases, but in the totality of God’s counsel.
To live by every word means:
#### “It feeds our soul, it makes us whole”
The Scripture yourself gives this image:
The Word is food. Without it you remain undernourished, unstable, and spiritually weak.
“It makes us whole” suggests the Word’s healing and restorative ministry:
If we are not whole in our soul—fractured emotions, wandering mind, unstable will—it is often because we have not let the Word do its daily work in us.
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### Stanza 4–5: The Spirit and Life Dimension
> The words I have spoken to you
> are full of the Spirit and life.
> Every word I say to you is Spirit
> and brings true life.
This stanza directly echoes John 6:63:
> “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.
> The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
Two major truths:
1. “The flesh is no help at all”
The Greek literally says “the flesh profits nothing.”
Anything that originates purely from our human nature—unaided, unrenewed—cannot produce eternal life. It may look impressive but it does not carry God’s life.
That includes:
2. “The words… are spirit and life”
They are not mere syllables. The Holy Spirit is the breath of those words.
When Scripture is approached without the Holy Spirit, it can condemn without transforming. With the Spirit, it becomes life.
His words abiding in us is the condition for effective prayer. Why? Because those words carry the Spirit who aligns our desires with God.
Therefore, to “live by every word” is to:
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### Refrain Repeated: Establishing a Lifestyle
> We live by every word
> that comes from the mouth of God.
> Not bread alone, but His living word—
> it feeds our soul, it makes us whole.
The repetition is not accidental. It reflects a biblical pattern. The Holy Spirit often repeats truths because we resist them.
Israel’s primary sin in the wilderness was unbelief in what God said.
Hebrews 3:12 calls it “an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”
To counter this, we must not simply know these truths; we must confess them, repeat them, establish them in our heart and mind.
---
### Final Stanza: The Sword of the Word
> Your word is living, powerful,
> sharper than any sword—
> feed on it daily, live by it fully.
This stanza brings us clearly to Hebrews 4:12:
> “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…”
Here is a vital balance:
1. Feed on it daily – The Word as food (Matthew 4:4; Jeremiah 15:16).
2. Sharper than any sword – The Word as weapon and surgeon (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17).
The same Word that nourishes us also:
The Word separates what is merely soulish from what is truly spiritual.
The Word exposes our real motives, not just our actions.
Many want comfort from the Word but resist its cutting edge. Yet we cannot be made whole unless we submit to its surgical work.
To “live by it fully” means:
---
Living by His Word is not a theory. It is a disciplined, daily lifestyle. Let me outline four practical steps.
### 1. First, We Must Esteem the Word Above Natural Bread
Job makes a remarkable statement:
> “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”
> — Job 23:12
This is the heart of Matthew 4:4. We must come to the place where we honestly say:
“God’s Word is more necessary to me than food.”
Practically:
### 2. Second, We Must Receive the Word as *Rhema* – Personal, Obeyed, Confessed
James 1:22 says:
> “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
The Word becomes *rhema* when:
Practically:
### 3. Third, We Must Let the Word Separate Soul and Spirit
Hebrews 4:12 says the Word divides soul and spirit. Many believers are led more by their soul than by their spirit—by emotions and opinions rather than by God’s truth.
Practically:
> “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!” (Psalm 139:23)
This is painful at times, but it is the pathway to true spiritual maturity.
### 4. Fourth, We Must Feed Daily and Systematically
“Feed on it daily, live by it fully.”
Natural life requires daily food. Spiritual life is no different.
Practically:
A believer who only hears the Word occasionally (for example, only in church) will be spiritually weak and vulnerable. A believer who feeds daily and obeys will be strong and discerning.
---
### Proclamation
Declare this aloud, thoughtfully and firmly:
> I affirm today that I do not live by bread alone,
> but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
>
> The Word of God is my necessary food.
> I treasure the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.
>
> The words of Jesus are spirit and life to me.
> As I receive His words, the Holy Spirit works in me,
> giving me life, strength, and understanding.
>
> The Word of God is living and active in me.
> It is sharper than any two-edged sword.
> It pierces to the division of my soul and my spirit.
> It discerns the thoughts and intentions of my heart.
>
> I submit myself to the authority of God’s Word.
> I choose to feed on it daily and live by it fully.
> I renounce living by feelings, opinions, and human wisdom.
> I choose to live by what God has spoken.
>
> God’s Word feeds my soul and makes me whole.
> By His Word I overcome temptation,
> by His Word I walk in His will,
> and by His Word I am being transformed
> into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
>
> This I confess in the name of the Lord Jesus.
> Amen.
### Prayer
Lord God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
I thank You that You have not left me to live by bread alone.
You have given me Your Word—living, powerful, and sharp.
I ask You now for a fresh hunger for Your Word.
Deliver me from spiritual laziness and distraction.
Cause me to value Your words above my daily food.
Holy Spirit, breathe upon the Scriptures as I read.
Make the written Word a living *rhema* in my heart.
Use the sword of the Word to divide soul and spirit in me,
to expose my wrong motives, to correct my ways,
and to lead me into the truth.
Lord Jesus, You said Your words are spirit and life.
Let Your words dwell in me richly.
Strengthen me to answer every temptation as You did—
“It is written.”
Bring me into wholeness by Your Word—
in my mind, my emotions, my will.
Establish me as one who truly lives
by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
I ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
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