MILK AND HONEY

                                 Image by Leonhard Niederwimmer from Pixabay 

I’m somewhat of a literalist when it when it comes to reading the Bible. I'm learning to dig deeper, ask more questions, connect the dots. The Bible Project is helping me!

 

As I’m thinking about the Bible Project podcast series about trees the concept of re-creating the garden of Eden at the different points where characters encounter a test that involves trees on high places I was thinking about fruitfulness. I’m listening to Joshua now and there’s a reference to the Lord bringing the Israelites into the promised land. The descriptive phrase is, “a land of milk and honey”. So I’m thinking about that as a re-creation of Eden. And it means there will be abundance. It’s code for “there’s plenty of whatever you need there.”

 

So I was thinking about milk. Which means there are cows (and possibly goats). That means meat to eat, as well as milk to drink. A lot of it.

 

You have to have a place to graze the cattle. From what I know, you need an acre of grazing land per boef. So if you have a lotta cattle then you need a lotta land.

 

The land flowing with milk and honey would be massive acreage on which to graze hundreds of livestock.

 

Then I thought about bees who make honey. Different plants from which together pollen. If there’s an abundant flow of honey, that means there must be a lot of plants. The implication is that there will be plenty of plant food to eat. Plenty of flowering trees, vines and shrubs. Trees that flower are often fruit trees. Vines that flower would be berries and grapes. Shrubs that flower would be things like figs. Possibly dates.

 

So the land flowing with milk and honey would have plenty of green blossoming plants.

 

One can imagine all kinds of good things that those seven words imply. It’s a re-creation of the garden of Eden in the promised land.

Please share your thoughts about milk and honey in the comments below.