Honey word of god

            The Word of God is self-described as being like milk, like meat, and like water.  But if we are to be technically correct, the Word does not say it is like honey; rather, it contrasts itself with honey in that, as sweet as honey is to the natural palate, the Word of God is sweeter to the spiritual palate.  This thought is mentioned in each of the two psalms (19, 119) that stand out as special paeans to the Word of God.  “How sweet are thy words unto my taste!  yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (119:103); “the judgments of the Lord are . . . sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (19:9b, 10b).

            Under the figure of water, we are reminded that the Word of God is essential for life.  Under the figure of milk, we are instructed that the Word of God is to be coveted above all else and that it provides all that we need to sustain spiritual life, particularly for infants.  Under the figure of meat, we are informed that the Word of God also provides nourishment to mature us and to make us strong.  But under the figure of honey, we are shown that the Word of God is infinitely sweet.  Yes, it is necessary for life; yes, it nourishes and strengthens us.  But the point of this figure is to explain that the Word of God is infinitely desirable:  its life imparting work is sweet to us; its nourishing and strengthening work are not merely to be endured; they are to be enjoyed.  When David (Psa. 19) and the psalmist (Psa. 119) describe the Word as “sweeter than honey,” they suggest at least two things.

            Sweet when we take it in.  There is no substitute for feeding on the Word of God.  We taste its sweetness when we attend a church that faithfully preaches the Word of God and carefully listen to its proclamation.  We taste its sweetness when we read it, meditate on it, and memorize it.  We taste its sweetness when we believe and obey it.  To such a palate, the Word of God is sweet. An accurate measure of our spiritual state is how the Word of God “tastes” to us.   Just as when we become physically ill we often find food distasteful, so when we are spiritually sick we lose our taste for the Word.  Should we find the Word of God distasteful, we are in a state of resistance or rebellion.  Those walking in the light find it infinitely sweet; sin makes it tasteless, even offensive.  And we should note that it is not just the “dessert” (the promises) that we find sweet, but all the Word—the commandments, the exhortations, the corrections, reproofs, and rebukes.  All alike are sweet because all come from the mouth of a God who loves us and intends His every word to bless us.  We may say with the utmost reverence, that the Bible is a sweet love letter from the Lord to His cherished children.

            Sweet when we give it out.  But the Word of God is sweeter than honey to our tongues, not only when we take it in but also when we give it out.  How sweet we find it to talk of our children and our grandchildren.  Our eyes light up and our faces glow with joyful enthusiasm.  So it is when the faithful saint speaks of the Word.  It is a joy to quote the promises; it is a thrill to recite the glories of our precious Savior and Lord and to exalt His name in the words of Scripture.  It is sweet to testify in the words of Scripture the way of salvation and to offer hope to a lost and sinful soul.  But it is also precious to instruct the ignorant or reprove the rebellious, knowing that the message of the Word of God is a message that offers deliverance and blessing for those who will hear.  It is wonderful to expound more fully the meaning of some text and to have a small share in opening the eyes of someone to some blessed truth in the Word.  All else that we speak of is temporal.  But when Scripture is on our lips, we are filled with the sweet realization that we are speaking eternal truth and fellowshipping with our eternal Lord.

From Thematic Bible

---

Bread » How prepared » Honey

Commerce » Articles of » Honey

the Diet of the jews » Articles used for » Honey

Exports » Merchandise » From palestine » Honey

First fruits » Different kinds of » Honey

Food » List of articles » Honey

Food » Articles of » Honey

Honey » Abounded in » Canaan

Honey » Plentiful in palestine

Honey » Was eaten » Plain

Honey » Was eaten » With the comb

Honey » Found in » Rocks

Honey » In the honeycomb sweetest and most valuable

Honey » Moderation needful in the use of

Honey » Was eaten » Mixed with flour

Honey » Often sent as a present

Honey » Illustrative of » The word of God

Honey » God the giver of

Honey » Was eaten » With butter

Honey » Was eaten » With locusts

Honey » Illustrative of » Holy speech of saints

Honey » Was eaten » With milk

Honey » Found in rocks

Honey » Illustrative of » Wisdom

Honey » Found in » Woods

Honey » First fruits of, offered to God

Honey » Illustrative of » Pleasant words

Honey » Not to be offered with any sacrifice

Honey » Esteemed a wholesome food

Honey » Abounded in » Assyria

Honey » Abounded in » Egypt

Honey » Loathed by those who are full

Honey » Exported from canaan

Honey » Illustrative of » Lips of a strange woman

Honey » Gathered and prepared by bees

Honey » Sweetness of

Honey » Found in » Carcases of dead animals

Honey » Found upon the ground

Honey » Abundant in assyria

Honey » Sent as a present by jacob to egypt

Honey » Samson’s riddle concerning

Honey » Not to be offered with sacrifices

Victuals » List of articles » Honey

HONEY propheticaly reffers to the word of GOD

REVEALATION 10:10

King James Bible
And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

Therefore after know the real meaning of honey in the, lets look at the 8 honey prophet interpretation and remember when you see the word honey just know that it is the word of GOD.

• HONEY CAN OPEN SPIRITUAL EYES

1 SAMUEL 14:27

King James Bible
But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.

Read the word of GOD it has the ability to open your spiritual eyes and see the things of the spirits.

• HONEY CAN ADD TASTE INTO YOUR LIFE

PROVERBS 24:13

King James Bible
My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste

Everytime you concentrate on your bible there is value adding up in your life. You may do anything possible but people can find you valueless, But the word of GOD gives you value and makes you valuable.

• SIGN OF DELIVARANCE

EXODUS 3:8

King James Bible
And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites

When you study the word of GOD it can take you from the place of the enemy to the place of delivarance.

• HONEY IS A SYMBOL OF HEALING

PROVERBS 16:24

King James Bible
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones

The word of GOD is healing, its like honey it can bring healing to your bones.

• HONEY BRINGS PROMOTION

DEUTORONOMY 32:13

King James Bible
He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;

If GOD gives you his word it means that your already promotted.

• AN EXAMPLE OF GOOD CHOICE

ISAIH 7:15

King James Bible
Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

The word of GOD gives the ability to make good choices that will benefit you.

• HONEY IS LINKED TO THE BEST GIFT THAT GOD CAN EVEN GIVE YOU

GENESIS 43:11

King James Bible
And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

When you have time to read the bible you can receive the best gift ever from GOD.

• HONEY HAS GOT A PROPHETIC ANNOINTING

MATHEW 3:4

King James Bible
And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

John food was the word of GOD and we all know that JOHN was a great a man of GOD who baptised JESUS.

What does “milk and honey” refer to?

Exodus 3:8 (NASB)

8 «So I have come down to deliver them from the [a]power of the
Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious
land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the
Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the
Hivite and the Jebusite.»

Honey.

Even today in the middle east, with its warm climate and plentiful of flowers has suitable conditions for beekeeping . So the reference to the land of Canaan as flowing with milk and honey ,imply that honey production was plentiful from those times.
During a military campaign, Jonathan the son of King Saul, when the army entered the forest ,they found honey flowing on the ground. Obviously the bees nested in the hollows of the trees, bees also make their nests in hollow cavities on mountain rocks.

From Google.

The Israeli Honey Production and Marketing Board says the trade can be traced back to 1882 in this Land of Milk and Honey. As of this year, there are 529 beekeepers keeping an eye on some 120,000 hives around the country. The bees produce approximately 35 kilograms of honey per hive annually.

https://www.livescience.com/6555-beehives-biblical-israel-discovered.html

Recently discovered beehives from ancient Israel 3,000 years ago appear to be the oldest evidence for beekeeping ever found, scientists reported.

Archaeologists identified the remains of honeybees — including workers, drones, pupae, and larvae — inside about 30 clay cylinders thought to have been used as beehives at the site of Tel Rehov in the Jordan valley in northern Israel. This is the first such discovery from ancient times.

1 Samuel 14:25-27 (NET Bible)

25″ Now the whole army entered the forest and there was honey on the
ground. 26 When the army entered the forest, they saw the honey
flowing, but no one ate any of it, for the army was afraid of the
oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard about the oath his father had made
the army take. He extended the end of his staff that was in his hand
and dipped it in the honeycomb. When he ate it, his eyes gleamed.»

Milk.

The fact that David was a shepherd and on one occasion, his father Jesse asked him to take supplies to his brothers in the army, as well as ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer, indicates that sheep herding and milk production was abundant in those days.

1 Samuel 17:17-18 (NET Bible)

17 «Jesse said to his son David, “Take your brothers this ephah of
roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly to the camp to
your brothers. 18 Also take these ten portions of cheese to their
commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are doing and bring
back their pledge that they received the goods.»

Sheep Farming in Israel

https://www.dairyschool.co.il › sheep-farming-in-israel

Sheep farming in Israel is some of the most productive in the world, with carefully developed breeds of sheep that produce high quantities of milk. This success is perhaps no surprise when you consider the history of sheep farming in Israel. In the Old Testament, Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, became a shepherd.

Many other important Biblical figures, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, and King David, kept flocks of goats and sheep. For early Jews, sheep provided wool, meat, and milk. Because flocks of sheep were transportable, shepherding was an ideal occupation for Jews as they travelled in search of a permanent homeland.

Conclusion:

When God delivered the Israelites from their bondage in the land of Egypt, he promised to bring them to a good a spacious land flowing with milk and honey. This indicates that milk and honey production was abundant in Biblical times in the land of Canaan.

Here’s what you need to know about the spiritual meaning of honey, symbolism and signs associated with it.

We may know honey as a sticky, sweet, organic staple produced by bees. We mix it with tea and pair it with pastry. But there is actually more to honey than meets the eye. 

Honey is said to be a suitable representation of abundance. If you think about it, honey is a product of the bee’s hard work. It’s rich and packed with many nutrients that promote healing, growth, and overall body wellness. 

With how honey is, many cultures around the globe incorporate it in their traditional food and beverages. It is also a popular supplement for medicine as honey can impact both physical and mental health. 

Spiritual Meaning of honey: What Does Honey Symbolize? 

Honey symbolizes abundance, healing, and even immortality. It is one of the foods in the physical world directly associated with that of the spiritual world. It is believed that spirits find honey delightful as it has a naturally sweet taste that appeals to their own. 

Sweetness is often connected to richness which means that honey brings good things in life. It could be a financial gain, a promotion at work, or any good news that draws abundance to your life. 

Your spirit guide could use honey to let you know the news ahead or to give a warning sign. While honey is everything but a bad omen, it’s still imperative to rely on your better judgment so you can avoid losing the blessings that are coming.

On the other hand, honey is also a symbol of healing and immortality. Because of its organic structure, honey contains plenty of nutrients and healing properties. 

It is shown to alleviate and heal wounds. It also has antibacterial properties and agents linked to blood clotting and combatting anxiety. There are so many more health benefits honey offers that people started to associate it with immortality.

Basically, it suggests that consuming honey may improve your health, that you can shun away death at some point. But, of course, this was an ancient myth also linked to the idea that gods and goddesses eat honey.   

Honey in Christianity 

There are several references made to honey in the bible. But the primary symbol of honey in Christianity is abundance. It holds the promise of God’s provision that no matter what happens, God will always provide. 

In one of the accounts of John the Baptist, it was mentioned that he survived by living through locusts and wild honey. The story highlights the dependency of humans on God’s provision. 

Moreover, honey is also treated as equal to the word of God. Again, this is in reference to the sweetness of honey. As the word of God is love, it is as delightful as honey in that sense.  

Honey in Judaism 

Honey is a pretty symbolic food for Jews. It is part of the seven spices mentioned in verse in the Grace After Meals praises.  

When Yahweh spoke to Abraham, He said that he would found a great nation living in a land flowing with milk and honey. In this passage, milk and honey are metaphors for abundance. By extension, honey also bears the promise of God. 

Moreover, when the Jews wandered the desert for 40 years, it was believed that the manna they ate had a similar taste to waffles fried in honey. 

Honey in Different Cultures 

Honey is recognized almost in the same light across cultures in the world. Its sweetness has consistently appealed to ancient tribes and neolithic civilizations. The perception and manner in which honey is still being passed from one generation to another. 

Honey in European Cultures

Various cultures consider honey as a symbol of goodness, wisdom, and knowledge. 

It is considered the oldest food product in the continent. Moreover, honey is also widely recognized as a healing agent. In traditional medicine, it is applied as a topical substance in wounds. 

Honey in Chinese Culture

Honey is considered a remedy for many ailments in Chinese medicine. According to their literature, honey is one of the five basic elements. It is also a major component of earth. 

It is also believed that honey can cure pollen allergies. This is because honey is yin as it is made by bees from nectar. And since pollen is yang, honey is able to offset it. 

Honey in Indian Culture

There is a high regard for honey among ancient Indians. At one point, its value skyrocketed that a curse was put on those who dare steal it from someone else. 

Since Hinduism, the main religion in India, encompass the belief in reincarnation, those who steal honey are cursed to become gadflies in their next life. 

Moreover, honey is considered one of the goodness in life. Therefore, in the subject of fasting, one of the foods they have to give up along with meat is honey. 

Honey in Dreams 

Dreaming about honey can be a good sign that something great is going to happen soon. Typically, it covers your health but it could also touch other aspects of your life. You may find opportunities at work or in your social life start to pick up. 

But of course, this depends on where you are standing in your spiritual journey. For example, if you have been busy with your work, seeing honey in your dream could be a reminder to look closely into your spiritual life. There could be something there that is not revealed through the physical world directly. 

Overall, dreaming about honey is mostly positive. For example, if you see yourself selling honey, it could mean that new success is on its way. 

In the same way, honey in your hands can mean that you are already enjoying the fruits of your labor. Success is already in your hand and it’s time for you to savor it. 

On the other hand, other types of dreams involving honey can be a warning sign. For instance, if you see honey spilling, it could be an indicator that your health is at risk. Perhaps it’s time to check your wellness or schedule an annual physical exam with your doctor. 

Summary 

The sweetness of honey is tantamount to the sweetness of life. As it is regarded to have heavenly taste, the connection between honey, the divine, and the spirit world is rather clear. Finding honey in your path can be a good sign of prosperous days coming in your light. Also, it is a divine reminder to always keep your health a priority. 

My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. (Prov. 24:13)

Breakfast cupboards are a fairly recent invention. When my eyes run along the shelf immediately above my toaster, I’m faced with a whole range of options that would have been unknown to people a few hundred years ago. Jams, jellies, marmalades, preserves, and fruit curds require so much sugar that they were practically impossible until sugarcane started being produced commercially.

The same is true of chocolate spread. Marmite wasn’t eaten anywhere until the 20th century, and in most parts of the world it still isn’t. Since plenty of people are convinced that it is the closest equivalent to what evil tastes like, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Bovril was invented in 1870. Modern breakfast cereals began 20 years before that. So the only two things on my breakfast shelf that would have been recognized by George Washington or Napoleon are oats (and I have no idea who in my family actually eats those, although I have my suspicions) and the richest, sweetest item in the cupboard: honey.

Dancing Bees and the Creator God

Honey is astonishing. If I were to share a potluck meal with Shakespeare, Genghis Khan, Muhammad, Cleopatra, Queen Esther, Tutankhamun, and Abraham, we would be baffled or disgusted by many of the contributions, but we’d all come together over the golden jar in the middle. Honey lasts through the centuries; it never goes out of date, so if an enterprising archaeologist were to find a sealed pot of Stone Age honey in a cave somewhere, you would be able to spread it on your muffin for tea.

And both of these things are true because of the truly remarkable thing about it: honey is unprocessed. In our world, virtually everything we eat is treated, sterilized, cooked, or pasteurized and then combined with other things to make it more palatable. (If you’ve ever tried cutting all sugar or salt out of your diet, you’ll know how difficult it is to live without them.) But honey is almost unique in having no need for additives, flavorings, or preservatives. It is luxuriously sweet and delicious.

We have bees to thank for that. They rummage around inside flowers to find nectar, sometimes collecting honeydew as well, and digest it as they fly. On returning, the foragers perform a dance that explains to the others where they have found the nectar. The dance factors in the position of the sun relative to the food source, the distance they have flown, the quality of the food available, and even the speed of the wind. They pass the nectar on to their colleagues in the hive, who pass it around from bee to bee until it’s digested enough to be stored.

This takes up to twenty minutes. When it’s ready, they put it in the cells of the honeycomb and gradually raise its sugar content by evaporating the water, using the heat of their bodies and continually flapping their wings to keep the air circulating. When the sugar level is high enough to ensure that the honey won’t ferment, they seal the cell with wax and move on to the next one. As far as I know, nobody has ever published an academic paper proving the existence of God from the existence of bees, but someone probably should.

Nobody has ever published an academic paper proving the existence of God from the existence of bees, but someone probably should.

The result of this foraging, dancing, digesting, storing, heating, flapping, and waxing extravaganza is an amber-colored, viscous liquid as sweet as granulated sugar. It is sticky, rich, golden, and delicious. It brightens the eyes and enlivens the soul (1 Sam. 14:27–29). That’s why we use it as a complimentary term for words (honeyed), smells (honeysuckle), and voices (mellifluous) and an affectionate term for people we love (“Hi, honey”). It’s also why we share our enjoyment of it with Samson, raccoons, skunks, the Egyptian pharaohs, honey badgers, Solomon, and Winnie the Pooh.

And God is the honey maker. A God with no stomach, no tongue, no sweet tooth, and no need for calories came up with the properties of honey before he created atoms. He invented its color and its texture, imagined the way it would seep into the holes of crumpets, and pictured the indescribable flavors that would result when it was mixed with sea salt and turned into ice cream. He conceived of its spreadability, longevity, and medicinal properties. He foresaw the elaborate dance of the bees and smiled. Then he spoke it all into being, and behold, it was good.

Honey Reveals God’s Sweetness

Scripture never talks about divine sweetness or uses honey as an illustration of God. It would be so easily misunderstood: it would fuel our tendency to domesticate God and imagine him as a comfortable addition to our cozy lives, a flavoring we can opt for according to our mood, a spiritual condiment. (A glance at the contemporary church suggests we don’t need more encouragement in that direction.) Yet honey appears 60 times in the Bible, and in most cases it represents one of three things. Each reveals something of what, if we were not careful, we might call the sweetness of God.

1. God’s Land and Rescue

Honey represents God’s land and rescue. If we read the story of the burning bush in Exodus 3, most of us focus (rightly) on those glorious three expressions of the divine name: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (v. 6), “I am who I am” (v. 14), and “the Lord” (v. 15). But the promise Moses receives that day, and later relays to the Israelites, is this: “I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (v. 8; see also v. 17).

This is a beautifully poetic way of describing redemption from captivity into freedom. Israel has known slavery and bondage, but the Lord is rescuing her into sweetness and abundance. She has eaten bitter herbs, but she will eat milk and honey. That promise is at the heart of the Old Testament story, which is why it is repeated so often (Ex. 13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Num. 13:27; 14:8; Deut. 6:3; 11:9; 26:9, 15; 27:3; 31:20; Josh. 5:6; Jer. 11:5; 32:22; Ezek. 20:6, 15). And it’s one of the most common biblical ways of describing God’s commitment to bless and rescue his people. When our circumstances are dire, we still worship a God who takes the vinegar of our situation and turns it into honey. Even when our present is bitter—and in this age it often is—our future is sweet.

2. God’s Law and Word

Honey represents God’s law and Word. David says the rules of the Lord that warn and guide us are “sweeter also than honey, than drippings of the honeycomb” (Ps. 19:10). The psalmist sings to God, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps. 119:103). Both Ezekiel and John describe visions in which they eat the scroll of God’s Word and it tastes as sweet as honey in their mouths (Ezek. 3:3; Rev. 10:9–10).

So reading and reflecting on Scripture is like plunging your spoon, your dipper, or perhaps even your hand into the syrupy depths of a honeycomb to scoop out and eat the contents. The Word of God is rich, tasty, satisfying, and enjoyable. It brightens the eyes and enlivens the soul. It doesn’t need any flavorings or preservatives to make it taste better, and you cannot add to it or take away from it. It lasts through the centuries and never goes out of date. You and I can take the portions of Scripture that archeologists have found in caves, even thousands of years ago, and they are just as enlivening today as they were when they were first written. In a world filled with processed products and hybrid wisdom, the words of God are pure, golden, and luxuriously sweet.

In a world filled with processed products and hybrid wisdom, the words of God are pure, golden, and luxuriously sweet.

3. God’s Gifts and Grace

Honey represents God’s gifts and grace. The first time we encounter honey in the Bible, it’s as a gift, given by one person to gain favor with another. This pattern recurs several times: from Jacob to Joseph (Gen. 43:11), from the people of Mahanaim to David (2 Sam. 17:27–29), from Jeroboam to Ahijah (1 Kings 14:3), and from Israel to God (2 Chron. 31:5). But when God gives honey to us, it’s not to find favor with us or to trade it for something else. God doesn’t need anything from anybody. Rather he gives honey—and his gracious gifts in general—simply to bless.

It’s hard to think of two more unmerited, one-sided gifts in the Bible than manna, which God produces out of the clear blue sky, and the water that gushes forth from the rock in the wilderness. The Israelites simply arrive somewhere, moaning and exhausted, and God provides immeasurably more than they can ask or imagine. So it may be significant that the manna tastes of honey (Ex. 16:31) and the water is later described as “honey from the rock” (Ps. 81:16). Honey, it seems, is a symbol of the abundant sweetness of God’s gracious gifts, which cannot be earned, horse-traded, bought, or exchanged. It can only be received.

We are called not just to learn about God but to experience him. We are invited to taste his sweetness and allow his golden richness—beautifully expressed in his rescue, his Word, and his grace—to brighten our eyes and refresh our souls. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Ps. 34:8).

This post is exploring the nature of God.  His character is so very central to all of creation that if we could see him, his divine nature would cause our life to jump out of its skin.  Not literally.  There are several words that describe him.  It will not be hard to read the words, but it may be difficult to accept their ideas and process them into our present knowledge. Philosophy says that.  But it doesn’t have anything to do with the information you may learn in this article.

Our objective is to show both the natural and moral attributes of God, and tell a story where spiritual honey comes from, applying them.  Maybe there are a few that you haven’t considered before.  If so, it may profit you to consider getting to know him better.  (just this information can be helpful)

We have found 12 attributes as natural and 11 attributes as moral, both lists make up his personal character. (Ref. The Open Bible Cyclopedic Index, Here’s Life Edition, Campus Crusade for Christ Int’l., Thomas Nelson, 1979)

“We have tried to measure God by ourselves, and realize we cannot.”  Says Professor Larry Richards in his Expository Dictionary of Bible Words.  Because, he says, one of his most powerful moral attributes, “vengeance, is associated with attitudes and emotions that distort the human personality”.  So we have mistakenly characterized him as a man.  But “God is not a man . . .” (Numbers 23:19a)

A BALANCED GOD-CONCEPT IS PRESCRIBED

“Only in God is it possible for love, compassion, and vengeance to be exhibited, along with holiness, in the same act.”  He said.

The text of Deuteronomy 32 verses 12 and 13 tells how ,”God made Jacob (Israel) to follow him where there was no strange god and ride on the high places of the earth, so that he might eat of the increases of the fields.  And made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” (Interlinear Bible)

NATURAL AND MORAL  ATTRIBUTES

The Book (New Living Version) we refer to here, can tell us simply, how God is incomparable, invisible, and inscrutable.  He is unchangeable, unequaled, unsearchable, infinite, and eternal.  He has omnipotence (all powerful), omnipresence (ever present), and omniscience (all-knowing).  He has foreknowledge.  Each of these descriptors are linked to the verses from The Book.  Again, these are God’s natural attributes.

The moral attributes of God

GOD IS GOOD

God’s goodness is described in five points:  abundant (Ex 34:6), great (Ps 31:19), enduring (Ps 52:1), satisfying (Ps 65:4), and universal (Ps 145:9).

His goodness is shown by three things:  material blessings (Mt. 5:45, Ac 14:17), spiritual blessings (Ps 31:19), and forgiveness of sins (Ps 86:5).

His children’s attitude toward his goodness:  rejoicing in (Ex 18:9), remembering (Ps 145:7), and being satisfied with (Je 31:14).

TEN ATTRIBUTES OF RIGHTEOUS GOD:

Hatred (Ps 5:5,6) Holiness (Re 4:8), Impartiality (1Pe 1:17), Justice (Ps 89:14), Long suffering (Ex 34:6,7), Love (1 John 4:8,16), Mercy (Lam 3:22,23), Truth (Ps 117:2), Vengeance (De 32:34-41), and Wrath (De 32:22).

Each of these characteristics are expressive of our Creator.  To be honest, we don’t have to think of them all, all of the time.  We need to consider, however, the fullness of God for a very good purpose.  We want to enable ourselves to grow spiritually through him and into him.

THE CONTEXT OF ‘WILD HONEY’

The Song of Moses begins:  “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.  My message shall drop as the rain; my speech shall distill as the dew, as the light rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb. For,

”I will proclaim the name (and presence) of the Lord.  Concede and ascribe greatness to our God.  He is the Rock; his work is perfect, for all his ways are law and justice.  A God of faithfulness without breach or deviation, just and right is he. . .” (De 32:1-4 AMP)

This song continues for 43 verses, and, “Then Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he, with Joshua the son of Nun.”

“When Moses finished speaking. . .he said to them, Set your minds and hearts on all the words which I command you this day, that you may command them to your children, and that they may be watchful to do all the words of this law.  For it is not an empty and worthless trifle for you:  It is your very Life.  By it you shall live long in the land which you are going over Jordan to possess. . .” (De 32:44-47 AMP)

WILD HONEY FOR ISRAEL

In verse 8, “When the Most High (God) gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men; he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the Israelites.  For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob (Israel) is the lot of his inheritance.

“He found him in a desert land, in the howling void of the wilderness; he kept circling around him, he scanned them [penetratingly].  He kept him as the pupil of his eye. . .” (De 32:8-10 AMP)

Here is where the text comes in.  “The Lord alone led him . . . he made Israel ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate of the increase of the field; and he made him suck (feed on) honey out of the rock and oil out of the flinty rock . . .” (De 32: 12a,13)

There are three parts here that can apply to our message, even four.

God, described as the Rock (verse 4a), made Israel do this.

The Hebrew word for suck, yawnaq, means to give suck, give milk, or nurse.

And Hebrew for rock, cela’, means a craggy rock, (a fortress).  Also, the word for flinty rock is tsur, meaning a sharp-edged boulder (refuge within God himself).

So we see Moses is telling Israel how God was giving them what they needed in the place where they needed it. (pretty much how the mighty wild eagle provides for her young, verse 11).

What does the wild honey refer to?  Debash is Hebrew for ‘to be gummy’, from its sticky substance.

A TERM OF LAVISH PROVISION, ‘SATISFACTION’

Cross references of the text are helpful to see this more clearly. Psalm 81:16, Amplified,

“God would feed Israel now, also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy you.”

Also chapter 33 of Deuteronomy, verse 28 and 29 (concluding his prophetic blessing, just before dying)

“And Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone in a land of grain and new wine; Yes, God’s heavens drop dew.  Happy are you, O Israel, and blessing is yours!  Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the Shield of your help, the sword that exalts you!  Your enemies shall come fawning and cringing, and submit feigned obedience to you, and you shall march on their high places.”

1 Samuel 14:43b NIV, tells us, So Jonathan told him (his father), “I tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. . .”  The Hebrew word for taste here is te’am, to feed, make to eat.

And in Job, the man himself describes the life as he knew it to be before his trials, “When my steps (through rich pastures) were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of (olive) oil.” (Job 29:6 AMP)

EVER THINK WHERE HONEY COMES FROM?

I thought about bees.  Could bees have anything to do with providing wild honey for Israel?  I looked up bees in my exhaustive concordance (Strong’s) and found only one (Hebrew word) listing.  De 1:44, (you were struck down by a people attacking like bees), Jud 14:8 (behold, a swarm of bees and their honey were in the lions body), and Ps 118:12 (they swarmed about me like bees, they blaze up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns), and Isaiah 7:18 (When that time comes, the Lord will whistle, and armies will come from Egypt like flies and from Assyria like bees); each use Hebrew word Deborah as, “a sense of orderly motion, the bee, from its systematic instincts”.

The Hebrew word for bees is used only once in the name of one woman prophetess-judge.  Now we can make reference to her story, because of what she meant to Israel, her place in the Bible — can mean the same to America, even spiritually, even today.

WHO WAS DEBORAH AND WHAT DID SHE DO?

Judges 4:4, “Now Bee (Deborah), a prophetess, the wife of Torches (Lappidoth) judged Israel at the time. (When no man would do it, and Israel had been oppressed some 20-years by God-perceives (Jabin) king of Canaan, since the former Judge, Union (Ehud) died,. (Verses 1-3)

She sat under her palm tree between the cities A-height (Ramah) and House of God (Bethel), and the Israelites came up to her in the hill country for judgment. (Verse 5)

She sent for and called Lightning (Barak) son of Father-of-pleasantness (Abinoam) from Sacred-place (Kedesh) and said, “Has not the Lord commanded you to go (up against the Canaan King)?  Go! Gather your men at Mount Broken (Tabor), taking 10,000 strong, and he will draw out Meditation (Sisera) the general to meet you at the river Bending (Kishon), with his chariots and his multitude, and he (God) will deliver them into your hand.” (Verses 6 and 7)

Lightning was bright enough to think of this bold and enthusiastic prophetess telling him what to do — for their nation’s achieving the objective of claiming this promised land as completely their own – not to share it with any of the godless peoples which God wanted destroyed.  So he just had to tell her.  “If you go, then I will do it.”  He said.  (Bee was willing and her spirit was powerful enough to know she might just go with him and watch the Lord do this.)

‘THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS GIVEN MEDITATION INTO YOUR HANDS!’

Bee exclaimed.  ‘Is not the Lord gone out before you?’  So Lightning went down Mount-Broken (Mt. Tabor) with 10,000 men following him.  And the Lord confused and terrified Meditation (Sisera) and all his army fell by the sword.  And Mountain-goat (Jael), a local woman, came out to meet the general and told him to turn aside (don’t fall on your sword) because your army has perished this day; he did try to escape the battle-field by entering into the woman’s tent, so he might pass out and be hidden from Lightning and Bee’s army. (vs 20)

But Mountain-goat (Jael), Associates (Heber’s) wife, had other plans.  She even opened a skin of milk for his thirst, and covered him up.  Then took a tent peg and a mallet as soon as the enemy general, Meditation, was fast asleep, she pounded it into his head, through his brain and into the ground.  So he died.  She hailed Lightning and Bee to show them the thing she did for them – even giving-milk (literally) to a defeated enemy.

CLAIMING OUR PROMISED LAND, TRUST GOD TO DELIVER

So God destroyed He-perceives (Jabin), king of the Low-people (Canaanites) before the God-strives-people (Israelites). (Verse 21-25)  Chapter 5 is the song of Bee (Deborah) and Lightning (Barak) son of Father-of-pleasantness (Abinoam).

After their victory, the spirit of the God-strives-people (Israelites) was lifted from the oppression and they sang praises to our God.  They sang of the trembling earth and heavens and mountains wherever his presence went.  “The days of Cup-bearer (Shamgar) son of Answer (Anath), after the days of Union (Ehud), the caravans ceased to travel through byways.  The villages were unoccupied and rulers ceased in Israel, until you (Bee, Deborah) did arise – a mother in Israel.” (Judges 5:1-7)

The names here are not changed to protect the innocent.  The Hebrew reader sees the names as they have meaning.  Their meanings are no accident.  God uses them to make the story be universally applicable.  Our lives as believers (Messianic Jews or Gentiles) are still subject to attack from worldly powers in the heavenlies (cosmos).  We can spiritually place ourselves in the victory where God, as our Provider, is as was Bee (Deborah), the prophetess, provided for God-strives-people (Israel).

TRUST GOD TO PROVIDE FOR EVERY NEED – THE ROCK WILL FEED US WITH HIS HONEY

I have paraphrased the story to make it brief, and want to cover every base to help us all to apply this principle – it has a principle – to our lives.  I like honey, even raw unfiltered honey, it is a healthy sweetener.  But to have too much of it can be harmful.

This story is an “historical narrative interlaced with symbolism and poetic structure.” Hank Hannegraaff (The Bible Answer man) said.  In his handbook, on page 523, he says to  interpret a text of the Bible literally, figure out first what kind of literature it is.  Is it allegorical? Or is it metaphorical? Or is it hyperbole?  We might eliminate allegory and hyperbole here.

“To read the Bible for all it’s worth, it’s crucial that we interpret it just as we would other forms of communication – in its most obvious and natural sense.  As such, we must read it as literature, paying close attention to form, figurative language, and fantasy imagery.”

Literally, a rock is a rock in no matter what language describes it.  But if we see this rock has honey that bees have put in or on  it — which someone might draw it out and feed on, it becomes metaphorical.

“Far from minimizing biblical truth, metaphors serve as magnifying glasses that identify truth we might otherwise miss. This creates a meaning beyond woodenly literal interpretation and requires an imaginative leap to grasp what it means.”

Our story is an obscure example about a judge-prophetess called Deborah (‘Bee’ in Hebrew) the wife of Lapppidoth (‘Torches’), who lived around 1250 B.C.E. (The Reese Chronological Bible) . . . How could a Bee live with Torches?

“Biblical metaphors are never to be regarded as vacuous occasions for subjective flights of fantasy.  On the contrary, biblical metaphors are always objectively meaningful, authoritative, and true.”

HERE IS THE PRINCIPLE

To conclude our interpretation, honey from the rock is the milk of the Word of God. . And  tasting, feeding, giving suck, or nursing, is the act of receiving the Holy Spirit (Ruach ha-Kodesh) of the Word.   The Rock is the Father in the person of Jesus (Yeshua) the Anointed One (Christ-Messiah).  The first part of this post shows us all of the natural and moral attributes of God.  Certainly a prophetic principle is applicable.  Bee and Lightning are a type of Deliverer.  They ruled over Israel about 40 years.  Lightning alone was not enough, but with Bee, the army of Israel was God’s mighty arm to destroy the Canaanites.

God knows us, he values us, and he made us for a purpose.  We each stand in the place of Lightning figuratively as the head of our own family. To learn our calling, we have to go were the bees are.   Bees are a type of the Bride of Christ.  There, our purpose is found.  God desires to nurse and feed all his children on his honey-flavored milk (of the Word), to grow into Himself and his Rock, but do it through his church (Hebrews 10:25,  1 Peter 2:2).

My particular need is to occasionally review the basic keys of the Gospel; which unlock the door to the Kingdom:  They are that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, taught divine principles, and was brutally crucified for a crime he was innocent of, rose from the dead, and then ascended to his throne, living to ever make intercession for us. (That’s it!)

In this, we are become believers by accepting Jesus (Yeshua) as the Messiah and Son of God, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is therein.  This is done by the promptings we hear from our innermost being, where we ask him to dwell by praying the sinner’s prayer.  If we don’t have him within us, we don’t have life. (Please see the link below). Amen.

Discovering true beliefs along the Roman Road