Home > Lenten Blog 2025

The Honey Drink

March 9, 2025

Deutoronomy 26:1-11 |Romans 10:8b-13 | Luke 4:1-13 |Psalm 91:1-2,9-16

The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  – Deuteronomy 26:8-9

I always wondered about this phrase, – God’s promise to bring the wandering Israelites out of exile and settle them into the Promised Land, – a ‘land flowing with milk and honey’.  It’s not your typical real estate pitch.  Milk and honey?  In our contemporary context, how about a couple of full baths, a lovely yard, good schools, great restaurants, a vital economy and other sought-after perks?

But we see such desirable attributes for settling into a new place through our 21st century filters.  In these challenging Biblical times, farming the land and feeding the family, in addition to a peaceful and safe place, were tantamount in this agrarian society.  And having those fertile soils, and an abundance of harvest, was truly a divine sign of God’s blessing upon His chosen people.  Because more than half of Israel’s land was desert, any green spaces for agriculture were a sign of literal and spiritual nourishment, and an assurance that God would provide for His people. 

A search of ‘milk and honey’ in the Scriptures pulls up no fewer than 21 references in the Old Testament, so this was clearly a big deal.  The promise of milk indicates that there will be verdant pastures for livestock to graze, feed and provide for the family.  Mostly, that would be goat’s milk, – so healthful and part of our diets today.  Because of its chemical makeup, goat’s milk does not have to be homogenized (unlike cow’s milk), and contains less cholesterol.  No wonder this ‘milk’ was a plus for God’s faithful.  Can we say Mediterranean diet?

Honey, as we may know, is regarded as the only food substance that never spoils.  Indeed, it has been found in the tombs of the Egyptian rulers in the Pyramids, still sweet and good.  For the Israelites, the presence of honey is another indicator of a thriving ecosystem, where bees find plantings (including dates) to offer pollination, and the production of honey.  In His amazing divine Creation, God provides perfectly, and abundantly, for all of His Creatures.

As a little girl, my sister and I had a chidren’s cookbook, containing simple recipes.  Among the many, including “Pixie Delights,” which we know as “S’Mores,” there was a recipe for a “Honey Drink.”  To a tall glass of milk, a couple of generous teaspoonfuls of honey was added, to be stirred in to blend.  To finish off, a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg garnished the top.  Bottoms up!  It was a sweet and nutritious combination of the cold milk, sweet honey and the offset of the spices.  Yum.

My takeaway from this Scripture is the continuing assurance of God’s provenance, and His desire for our completeness, harmony, satisfaction and nourishment, in all its forms.  He wants us to have, so to speak, the ‘best stuff’, – sweeter than honey in the comb.  “All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided,” goes the old hymn.  Great is Thy Faithfulness.

In this time of changes and challenges, our current Prayer of Transition asks our Lord to “Grant us patience as we trust in your perfect provision.”  And surely, He will provide.  Abundantly.

Laura Sullivan