LOOKING FOR THE HONEY
“Sweetness in Bitter Times”
Psalm 81:16 “He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.”
Most travelers who have visited Palestine in summer have had their attention directed to the abundance of honey, which the bees of the land have stored up in the hollows of trees and in crevices of the rock. In localities where the bare rocks of the desert alone break the sameness of the scene, and all around is suggestive of desolation and death, the traveler has God's care of his chosen people vividly brought to mind, as he sees the honey which the bees had treasured up beyond his reach, trickling in shining drops down the face of the rock. John Duns.
You and I know that honey is perhaps the sweetest thing that nature can produce; and a rock is one of the hardest things in nature. So, here we have sweetness coming out of hardness. This is one of God’s promises, and you should claim it for yourself. Warren W. Wiersbe pg 50 “The Bumps Are What You Climb On”
The psalm is of special importance to the church now, as reminding it of its obligation from the past mercies of God, and as showing what would be the consequences if it should be wholly devoted to the service of God. Barnes’ Notes
I. HONEY
A. Palestine abounded with bees, and honey was a favorite article of food. Much of that which was obtained was wild honey, deposited by the bees in the hollows of trees, and as it would seem in the caverns of the rocks. Much of it was gathered also from rocky regions, and this was regarded as the most delicate and valuable. The meaning here is plain, that, if Israel had been obedient to God, he would have blessed them with abundance — with the richest and most coveted productions of the field. Pure religion — obedience to God — morality — temperance, purity, honesty, and industry, such as religion requires — are always eminently favorable to individual and national prosperity; and if a man or a nation desired to be most prospered, most successful in the lawful and proper objects of individual or national existence, and most happy, nothing would tend more to conduce to it than those virtues which piety enjoins and cultivates. Individuals and nations, even in respect to temporal prosperity, are most unwise, as well as most wicked, when they disregard the laws of God, and turn away from the precepts and the spirit of religion. Barnes’ Notes
B. Out Of The Rock.
06697 tsuwr {tsoor} or tsur {tsoor} from 06696; TWOT - 1901a; n m AV - rock 64, strength 5, sharp 2, God 2, beauty 1, edge 1, stones 1, mighty One 1, strong 1; 78
1) rock, cliff
1a) rocky wall, cliff
1b) rock (with flat surface)
1c) block of stone, boulder
1d) rock (specific)
1e) rock (of God)
1f) rock (of heathen gods) n pr dei
1g) Rock
C. Found In Difficult Places
1. In the days when the Bible was written, bees made their homes in rocky places, and sometimes the honey would ooze out when the rocks got hot. Out of the hard places in life, God gives us sweetness. www.honeygardens.com/redsea.html
2. God extracts honey out of the rock—the sweetest springs and pleasures from the hardness of afflictions; from mount Calvary and the cross, the blessings that give greatest delight; whereas the world makes from the fountains of pleasure stones and rocks of torment. Thomas Le Blanc.
D. Satisfies
07646 saba` {saw-bah'} or sabea` {saw-bay'-ah} a primitive root; TWOT - 2231; v AV - satisfy 47, fill 25, full 15, plenty 2, enough 2, satiate 1, sufficed 1, unsatiable 1, weary 1; 95
1) to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be sated (with food)
1a2) to be sated, be satisfied with, be fulfilled, be filled, have one's fill of (have desire satisfied)
1a3) to have in excess, be surfeited, be surfeited with
1a3a) to be weary of (fig)
1b) (Piel) to satisfy
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to satisfy
1c2) to enrich
1c3) to sate, glut (with the undesired)
E. A Promise
Famine would have been an unknown word, they would have been fed on the best of the best food, and have had abundance of it as their every day diet.
II. FINDING THE HONEY
A. Naturally:
Place something sweet in an area that you suspect the bees might be.
Watch diligently until the bees arrive.
Follow the bees as far as possible.
Put out something sweet again.
Follow the bees again.
Repeat until the bee hive is located.
B. Spiritually
When you find yourself in a difficult situation, quit thinking about yourself and do an act of sweetness.
Pray, worship and continue to work for God.
Watch for God to work for you.
Continue doing acts of sweetness until God directs you to the honey in the rock.
C. A Daily Challenge
1. Honey was forbidden in meat offerings, for it soon turns sour and was used for making vinegar (Pliny, 21:48). It produces fermentation, which is a symbol of the working of corruption in the heart. Fausset’s Bible Dictionary
Leviticus 2:11 “No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.”
2. Honey must be gather frequently and used quickly.
a. Manna READ Exodus 16: 15 - 20
b. Daily Bread Matthew 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”
c. You and I must have a daily experience with God.
Remembering yesterday may be an encouragement, but we are living in today. We must daily seek the honey out of the rock.
D. Requires Obedience
God's people forfeited many blessings because of their refusal to listen to His voice and obey Him. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of God apart from obedience. Only heaven will reveal to us the countless blessings we have forfeited because of our disobedience. Omar C. Garcia @ www.BibleTeachingNotes.com
III. SOME WHO FOUND THE HONEY
A. Joseph
1. Despised by his brothers for his dreams, yet he dreamed again.
Gen. 37:5 “And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they
hated him yet the more.”
Gen. 37:9 “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren,”
2. Sold into slavery by his brothers, yet made a ruling servant by God.
Gen. 37:28 “Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and
lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
Gen. 39:5 “And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.”
3. Lied on and thrown into prison, yet God made him the keeper of the jail.
Gen. 39:12 “And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he
left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.”
Gen. 39:20 “And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place
where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.”
Gen. 39:22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the
prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.”
4. Meant to be destroyed by his brothers, yet God meant it for their good.
Gen. 41:40 “Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all
my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 41:41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 41:42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;”
Gen. 45:3 “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet
live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.”
Gen. 45:7 “And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
B. David
Several of the Psalms that encourage our hearts today were born out of David’s difficult
experiences in life. Many of the Psalms are divided into three sections: tears, trust,
and triumph. W. W. W.
C. Paul and Silas
Acts 16:23 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:”
Acts 16:25 “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God:
and the prisoners heard them.”
Acts 16:30 “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
The Devil intended it for their harm, but God wanted to save a jailor and his family.
D. Frances (Fanny) Jane Crosby (1820 - 1915)
Although blinded by an illness at the age of 6 weeks, she never became bitter. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you." She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised clergyman. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"
Fanny Crosby was probably the most prolific hymnist in history. Though blinded by an incompetent doctor at six weeks of age, she wrote over 8,000 hymns (One source says over 9,000.). About her blindness, she said:
“It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”
In her lifetime, Fanny Crosby was one of the best known women in the United States. To this day, the vast majority of American hymnals contain her work.
At the age of 95 Fanny Crosby passed on and on grave in Bridgeport, Conn., there is a simple little headstone with the name "Aunt Fanny," and these words:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.
E. Corrie ten Boom
1. Lived in Holland with family of watchmakers.
2. Holland was invaded by the Germans.
3. Jews suffered severe persecution and death.
4. Corrie and family worked to hide (underground workers) as many Jews as possible in a secret room. “The Hiding Place” --- Book & Movie
5. Family arrested by Germans
a. Father was separated from Corrie and her sister Betsie.
b. Never saw their father again.
6. Corrie and Betsie were sent to a German concentration (Ravensbruck) camp and put to slave labor. 96,000 women did not survive the camp.
7. Corrie and Betsie secretly held devotions with the women.
8. Betsie dies.
9. Corrie maintains her integrity to God.
10. Corrie tells her story and witnesses for Christ across the world.
If you will maintain your integrity with God, God can use your struggles as a great testimony to His love and workings.
F. John Bunyan
Started preaching in 1657 which later caused him to be put into prison.
“Pilgrims Progress” was first published in 1678. It portrays, in an allegory format, the many things faced by a Christian on his journey through this world into the next. It has been translated into hundreds of languages.
G. Joni Erickson Tada
Injured in a swimming accident and left paralyzed from the neck down.
Speaks frequently on national radio. Known nationally for her faith and perseverance.
Learned to paint holding a paint brush in her teeth.
CONCLUSION:
A. Everybody has to have a system for handling the hard places in life. W. W. W. pg 52
1. Some people try to ignore them and pretend that they don’t exist, and, of course, this only makes the hard places harder.
2. Other people just give up and expect their friends to see them through.
3. Christians should look for the honey in every difficult situation.
B. Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
This is an address to others, founded on the experience of the psalmist. He had found protection from the Lord; he had had evidence of His goodness; and he asks now of others that they would make the same trial which he had made. Barnes’ Notes
