Nineteen passages in the Old Testament promise the Israelites a land “flowing with milk and honey,” a prophetic, pleasing phrase that expresses God faithfulness and devotion to His people.
- Exodus 3:8 – So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.
- Leviticus 20:24 – But I have promised you, ‘You will possess their land because I will give it to you as your possession—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from all other people.
- Deuteronomy 6:3 – Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
- Ezekiel 20:6 – I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them—a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere.
Did You Know?
Metaphorical Milk and Honey literally abounds in Israel. Did you know that this nation, the size of New Jersey with a population of 8 million…..
- generates 500 start-ups annually? FYI: Only the US claims more.
- boasts 22% of Nobel prize recipients, while comprising only 2% of the world’s population?
- grows most of its own food in a land that is largely arid desert?
- developed irrigation systems and super seeds that advanced agriculture world-wide?
- leads the world in water conservation, including using 90% of its wastewater for irrigation?
- has made desalinization a national and world-wide reality? (11/23/2016 As 2.4 billion people face severe water shortages in the world, desalination and water-purification technologies are in hot demand – many of them invented in Israel, considered the world leader in desalination.)
- produces copious amounts of MILK?
- harvests tons of dates to be used for date syrup or date HONEY?
- uses BEES in mind boggling ways in addition to the usual HONEY making?
Prophesy Fulfilled
It appears that God is working overtime to fulfill His promises. When the Zionists first began returning to Israel in the early 1800s, they found a barren, desert land in the south and swampy mosquito filled marshes in the north. Today that land is changed in marvelous, prophetic ways. The Israelis did the back breaking ordinary work, and God did the extraordinary. Whether in war, agriculture, archaeology or innovation, modern Israel is the stuff of super heroes.
Super Cows
Even in their dairy farms, home to super cows, are extraordinary. “Israeli dairy cows produce some of the highest amounts of milk per animal in the world, with an average of over 2,600 gallons per animal.” So, despite heat, humidity and limited land…. these super cows produce 10% more than US cows and almost 50% more than German cows! Even a Chinese conglomerate decided to shell out more than $1 billion for a controlling stake an Israeli dairy, ostensibly to learn how they “milk” such extraordinary amounts from each cow. That’s a lot of Milk and Money!
Date Honey
Scholars believe the Biblical references to honey include sweet, sticky date syrup. Date and palm trees receive considerable attention in scripture and the fruit of these trees was highly regarded throughout the ancient world. In fact, the Romans, who rarely said anything good about the Jews, coveted the dates from Palestine, including the Emperors, who insisted on having Judean dates on the table! Today, in orchards throughout the Judean desert, Israelis tend tens of thousands of date trees, harvesting and exporting 12,000 tons of dates to 20 countries annually.
Wild Bee Honey
Several Biblical passages reference the honey of wild bees. Judges 14: 8 reports Samson grabbing honey from inside a dead lion and 1 Samuel 14: 27 records Jonathan dipping his staff into a honeycomb. In addition, Psalm 19 and Song of Solomon Chapter 5, contain references to honeycombs, assuring us that bees definitely swarmed and made their sweet product in the Holy Land. Proof of this arrived 5 years ago when Hebrew University archaeologists uncovered a 3000 year old apiary in the Jordan Valley, consisting of 100 to 200 clay cylinders capable of holding a million-plus bees. Although Ancient Palestine might not have been especially conducive to domestic beekeeping, someone apparently engaged in a “start-up” bee business.
Super Bees
In 2013, busy Israeli Bees produced 3,400 tons of the sweet stuff, a significant jump over earlier years, and Hebrew scientists, while working on bee nutrition that will enhance universal bee productivity, began devising ways to use them as bio-control delivery agents for specific crops.
Super Cows, Super Bees….Super Faithful God! Experience Israel on a faith-based tour.
Tours to the Holy Land 