A Land of Milk and Honey

In the Bible, a land flowing with milk and honey was the phrase used to describe the promised land - the land promised to Israel. In our culture, it's easy to miss the true meaning of the statement. "Flowing" is the term that represents wealth, and we get that. It was a rich land. But in the Hebraic sense, the meaning of the phrase is slightly complex.

A land of milk is simply a land that is NOT good farm land. If the land was good for farming - especially in the Middle East - they farmed it! But if not, it became a land for flocks and herds, hence the milk. A land of honey was, as you've guessed, the farm land - where bees could produce and be productive. There are many places in the Middle East that are one, or the other, but few that are 'both'. Israel was to inherit a land flowing with milk AND honey - truly a blessed plot of ground.

With this broader knowledge as a foundation, lets examine a couple of very simple points. It is impossible to survive in the land of milk without the blessing of God. If God does not provide at least some shade, and at least a little water, we die. We go to the land of milk to learn faith. It is here that Jesus went to be tempted. It is here that Paul went to learn to walk with God. It is here that Israel went to prepare to be a kingdom of priests to the world.

Here is the kicker: you will not influence the world in the land of milk. You will only influence the world in the land of honey, because THAT is where the road is. The big question is this: can you continue to hold on to the hand of God even when times are good? Blessings can quickly turn to curses when they shift our awareness to our own strength rather than God's strength. If this happens, we fail to impact the world around us.

The second question might be this: have we made peace with a spirit of poverty? Have we decided that it's God's will that we have no monetary influence in our society? Remember, there is no road in the desert. If we have no means, we have no influence.