BY PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR

An Amazing Fact: To produce about one pound of honey, bees must make 25,000 trips between their hive and the flowers from which they gather the precious nectar. Furthermore, that same pound of honey contains the essence of about two million flowers!

The phrase "milk and honey" is mentioned over 20 times in the Bible, not to advocate an extravagant diet, but rather to describe the rich abundance of the land of Canaan. God used this phrase primarily to emphasize that the region of Canaan was a land lush with natural resources. To produce an abundance of milk or honey, there must be fields covered with flowers for the bees and plentiful vegetation for the goats and cattle. Describing the Promised Land as a land flowing with milk and honey was more than just a metaphor. Ancient Israel was not always the dry desert we see today. But as a result of being conquered by a parade of empires and deforested for 3,000 years, the soil and climate has been drastically altered.

When the Lord first delivered the Promised Land to the Israelites, the earth was so rich and fertile that the Bible tells us the bee hives and cattle utters were overflowing with abundance. The 12 men who first spied out the land said, "We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." Numbers 13:27. Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground. And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; 1 Samuel 14:25, 26 [NKJV]

There are many interesting things to learn from the Bible about the use of the words milk and honey, but the most important illustration we see is the symbolism of the terms "milk" and "honey" in Scripture to represent the sweet, rich truth of God's Word. Here are a few examples:

"For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." Hebrews 5:13.

"The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; ...more to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." Psalm 19:8-10.

Ezekiel 3:3, 4 “And He said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.’ So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.’”

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." 1 Peter 2:2.

"How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103.

In a prophecy speaking of Christ, Isaiah says, "Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good." Isaiah 7:15. This Scripture emphasizes that the richest of God's teaching would be in Jesus' mouth. One of the last things Jesus did before ascending to heaven was to eat honeycomb in the presence of the apostles; then he explained the scriptures to them. Luke 24:42-51

In the Song of Solomon, the bride of Christ (His church) is portrayed as having His milk and honey in her mouth, meaning that she drinks frequently from His word. "Your lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue." Song of Solomon 4:11. Notice she does not just swallow it, but holds the word in her mouth, under her tongue to enjoy and savor the flavor. This is representative of how believers should long to relish and meditate on the Word.