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Specific Bible Studies - Bible Foods - Honey

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SUBJECT: Bible Foods - Honey



(from Fausset's Bible Dictionary)

 cheme'ah, from an Arabic root meaning "coagulated." Curdled milk, curds, butter, and cheese (Judg 5:25; 2 Sam 17:29). But the butter in the East is more fluid and less solid than ours. The milk is put in a whole goatskin bag, sewed up, and hung on a frame so as to swing to and fro. The fluidity explains Job 20:17, "brooks of honey and butter"; Job 29:6, "I washed my steps with butter." Isa 7:15,22, "butter and honey shall he eat": besides these being the usual food for children, and so in the case of the prophetess' child typifying the reality of Christ's humanity, which stooped to the ordinary food of infants, a state of distress over the land is implied, when through the invaders milk and honey, things produced spontaneously, should be the only abundant food. In Ps 55:21 the present reading is properly "smooth are the butter-masses (i.e. sweetness) of his mouth." The Chaldee version trans. as KJV Gesenius explains Prov 30:33, "the pressure (not 'churning') of milk bringeth forth cheese."

HONEY

And he put forth the end of the rod, and dipped it in the honeycomb. And he carried his hand to his mouth and his eyes were enlightened. (1 Sam 14: 27)

Of all of the creatures created by God, the little honeybee is one of the most amazing and useful. While of course it is generally best known for the honey that it produces, the honeybee is a vital part of nature. While gathering nectar from flowers, the honeybee also helps to transfer pollen from plant to plant, which enables their flowers to ripen into many kinds of fruit that we eat. Still more proof that "nature" didn't just happen after a "big bang" creation event - it was all planned and designed by our Creator. Honey was common in Bible History. It was the primary source of sugar for the ancient Israelites. It was also used in baking, to make mead (a fermented beverage), and was sometimes mixed with wine. The Ancient Egyptians also used honey as an embalming substance. Honey is mentioned widely through The Bible: probably the honey of wild bees.

For many reasons - mostly because it tasted so good - honey was one of the most popular foods among the people of the bible. It became a symbol for abundance and God's blessings- thus "a land of milk and honey." Tradition says that when Kind David made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem with the Ark, the treat he brought with him were honey cakes. And he distributed to all multitude of Israel, both men and women, to everyone a ring-shaped cake of bread and a date cake and a raisin cake. (2 Samuel 6:19)

Hippocrates himself recommended a mixture if honey, water and certain herbs to bring down the fever. Honey is indeed, is not only very good eating. It is one of the most powerful healing foods we have at our disposal. A single serving of honey, about one tablespoon, contains 64 calories and 17grams of carbohydrates.

And even that small amount packs all the wallop of a small pharmacy Honey we now know, can kill bacteria and disinfect wounds and sores. Countless travelers have found that honey works when nothing else does to end the distress of traveler's diarrhea. The study involved two groups of children being treated for acute gastroenteritis. All suffered terribly from diarrhea brought by intestinal infection.

Endomorphins have a powerful influence on our mood, memory, learning ability and perception of pain. Endomorphism affect the brain much the way morphine does-and these natural painkillers are non addictive. So honey taken for a sore throat apparently works by dulling the pain. "Honey has the power to make us feel better by improving our mood and think well by stimulating the part of the brain responsible for learning."

Honey: The commands of the LORD ... gives wisdom and understanding to the mind. ...those who obey them are happy. They are sweeter than the purest honey. They give knowledge to me, I'm rewarded for obeying them." Proverbs 24:13,14

My son, eat honey; it is good. and just as honey from the comb is sweet on your tongue, you may be sure that wisdom is good for the soul. Get wisdom and have a bright future. "

Have we reviewed our spiritual diet lately? Is butter and honey our nutritional mainstay, or is it basic milk and sugar? Milk is associated with our infancy in the Truth (Heb. 5:12-13). We are exhorted to mature in the knowledge of Deity (2 Pet. 3:18). Have we made an honest effort to do so? Sugar is good, but honey is far more beneficial to our physical health. It should come as no surprise, then, that honey is associated with the acquisition of wisdom (Prov. 24:13-14). Are we learning to correctly apply what we have gleaned from the Word? Are we learning to refuse the evil and choose the good?