We are told that during forty years in the desert, the Israelites’ shoes and clothing miraculously never wore out. Verses used to substantiate this teaching are: “Your dress never grew old on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.” (Deuteronomy 8:4)
“And I have led you forty years through the desert. Your clothes have not grown old on you, nor have your shoes grown old on your feet.” (Deuteronomy 29:5)
“Yes, forty years you sustained them in the desert, so that “they lacked nothing”; their clothes did not grow old and their feet did not swell.” (Nehemiah 9:21)
Were their clothes and shoes supernaturally preserved? Or is it just one more story of the Lord supplying all of his needs, no matter what the need is?
Guess what else I found out about their provisions in the desert? We find that the Israelites had plenty of clothes and changes of clothes when they left Egypt. (Ex. 12:34, 35) They had their own clothes on their shoulders and even borrowed clothes from the Egyptians.
We know that sheep, goats, oxen, and cattle would provide a constant supply of materials for making shoes and clothes.
We also know that they had skilled craftsmen in all kinds of work. They were able to fashion the gold, silver, bronze, and wooden items that made up the temple. They made the veil in the temple. They were quite accomplished bricklayers and masons in their last employment in Egypt. There were stone engravers who made the pectoral of the priests. They lived in tents, so there had to be tentmakers.
Their skills in weaving and clothing were evident when the Lord commanded them to make the garments of the priests. (Ex. 28:1-8) “And you shall make sacred garments”… And these are the garments they will make: a breastplate, an ephod, a mantle, an embroidered tunic, a miter and a belt. ..fine twisted linen.” (Exodus 28:15) They could even make linen breeches. (Exodus 28:42) They had all the supplies and skills to make new clothes.
The Lord gave them guidelines that prohibited the mixing of various materials, such as wool and linen. (Deut. 22:11) Why would the Lord instruct them how to make their clothes if they were not making their clothes?
Of course, there were no JC Penny or K-mart stores to buy new clothes at that time, so most people had to rely on their own craftsmanship. Nor can we rule out the possibility of trading with the Moabites and other nomadic tribes. They even had war spoilers. (Deuteronomy 2:34-36)
What about the children who were born and grew to adulthood during the forty-year journey? Are babies born with clothes and shoes? Did the outfits that fit babies magically expand as the child matured? Did the shoes also miraculously stretch as the feet grew? Or were there always enough supplies to make replacements?
We should also think of damage to clothing as an accidental rip or tear. Was the material resistant to wear? Nobody wore a hole in the elbow or knee area of their garment for forty years? Did each sandal hold up and never break a strap?
Nehemiah states that during the forty years in the desert, they lack nothing. (Neh. 9:21) It seems quite obvious that the Lord God of Israel never allowed his garments to grow old on them. He also did not allow his feet to swell and bruise from worn shoes. He provided for his every need by providing all the necessary materials in abundance. He says that for forty years they lacked nothing! (Deuteronomy 2:7)