Flowing with Milk and Honey
Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.
-- Deuteronomy 11:8-9
You have surely noticed the expression “flowing with milk and honey” in earlier chapters of Deuteronomy, close to the words “so that.” The Five Books of Moses use the phrase "flowing with milk and honey" sixteen times to describe the richness of the Holy Land, with six being in Deuteronomy.[i] Although many commentators assert that the phrase refers to date honey,[ii] at least three references to honey from rock[iii] point to the work of wild bees that nest under overhanging rock ledges. While honey does not actually flow from flinty rock in the Holy Land any more than elsewhere, there is a link between the richness of the Holy Land and its honey: soil. The soils of Palestine sustain the fertility that supports diverse plant communities where bees flourish.
In addition, the Israelites learned about beekeeping from the Egyptians and made simple beehives out of clay jars laid on their sides.[iv]
The words “so that” occur repeatedly throughout Deuteronomy, including twice with “milk and honey” and five times in Chapter 11.[v] The "so thats” add to Moses’ emphasis on the blessings awaiting Israel in their new homeland. Their husbandry of its soil and their faithfulness to God will bring his promises to reality “so that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey” (verse 9).
Moses knows Israel’s fickleness all too well, but he resists threatening the Israelites Nevertheless, he delivers every word with his implicit prayers that they will observe all God’s commands in the spirit of the Great Commandment, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and paraphrased in verse 13).
[i] In Deuteronomy, the words “milk and honey” occur in 6:3; 11:9; 26:9 and 15; 27:3; and 31:20. They also occur four times in Exodus, twice in Leviticus, and four times in Numbers. The rebellious Dathan and Abiram (Leviticus 16:12-14) falsely claim that Egypt is the land of milk and honey and Canaan is not.
[iv] Amihai Mazar and Eleazar L. Sukenik, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, reported the discovery of a 10th or 9th Century BC apiary during excavations at Tel Rehov in the Beth Shean valley. Their September 3, 2007 press release states, “Three rows of beehives were found in the apiary, containing more than 30 hives. It is estimated, however, based on excavations to date, that in all the total area would have contained some 100 beehives. Each row contained at least three tiers of hives, each of which is a cylinder composed of unbaked clay and dry straw, around 80 centimeters long and 40 centimeters in diameter. One end of the cylinder was closed and had a small hole in it, which allowed for the entry and exit of the bees. The opposite end was covered with a clay lid that could be removed when the beekeeper extracted the honeycombs. Experienced beekeepers and scholars who visited the site estimated that as much as half a ton of honey could be culled each year from these hives.” Please see http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-09/thuo-erf090307.php
[v] “So that" occurs in verses 8, 9, 14, 17, and 21 of Chapter 11 (NIV).
Parting Thought
Am I a stone that I do not need to observe God’s commands in a right spirit?
Prayer Concern
Guide us, Lord, in our thinking, discernment, and choices as we strive to grow in understanding, faith, and service.
Reflection
“However many received him, to them all he gave power to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name.” In these words [John 1:12], we can recognize the Savior’s generosity and his great goodness towards the children of humanity because—if we believe in him—he gives us power to become God’s children. As this Gospel says and as he himself said to some of his chosen ones [Psalm 82:6], Ego dixit dii estis, et filii Excelsi omnes: “ I told you the truth: you yourselves are gods, and sons of the highest who governs the heavens.” What glory and honor this is—that because of his goodness almighty God calls us humans gods, and his own children, if we earn the power from him.
--- Aelfric of Cernel (c.950-c.1040), “For the Nativity of the Lord.” In Carmen Acevedo Butcher, God of Mercy: Aelfric’s Sermons and Theology (2006), p. 36
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For more information about biblical references to stones, rocks, and other geological resources, please see http://www.BiblicalGeology.com