Now, we will turn just slightly. God tells us in that even though bread sustains life, it cannot truly satisfy, and this is where we start to differentiate between physical and spiritual bread. In Deuteronomy 8:3, God tells Israel that His working with them in the wilderness, including the provision of manna, was to teach them that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Jesus quoted this in His answer to Satan when Satan tried to tempt Him with something that was necessary for life and even good, but which was far less important than spiritual truth.
In Isaiah 55, God chides His people, asking, Why do you spend money for what is not bread. . . ? (Isaiah 55:2). Then He continues with a parallelism: . . . and your wages for what does not satisfy? The bread He is talking about that they should have pursued is not made from wheat or barley. One cannot purchase from a store, nor make from scratch, the bread that truly satisfies. Instead, the chapter talks about seeking God, calling upon God, and returning to God. The true bread comes from God, sustains life spiritually, and satisfies in a way physical bread cannot.
Those without spiritual bread have a gaping hole in their lives. There is a void, longing to be filled, and they try to stuff it in various ways. They become adept at living for the moment, and staying busy and distracted so they don't have to feel that emptiness. Being still is uncomfortable. They are restless because they do not have God's peace.
However, nothing physical - no matter how thrilling or stimulating - can ever truly fill the void or satisfy spiritual hunger. And yet the natural man sets his mind on things that seem like they will satisfy because they are exciting. Physical things register with the natural mind as more exhilarating than what the Savior offers.
We know what our priority should be, our lives show what is truly most important to us. We should consider whether we can truthfully proclaim with the psalmist, O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1). If we are honest with ourselves - which we should be, as much as possible - we will acknowledge that we often long for material things, experiences, circumstances, entertainments, achievements, and status, more than we do for spiritual bread. If so, it is because we don't yet really trust that it can satisfy and sustain us, because we are still fleshly. It is something to evaluate.
