This year we are learning to “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
One of God’s names in the Old Testament is Jehovah Jireh, which means, God, Our Provider.
God knows what we need to get through tough times. God knows what we need to endure the days of our lives. God knows what we need to keep us growing spiritually. God knows what our minds and bodies need. God knows what we need to experience and pursue in order to stay close to Him. He knows what we need when our hearts are burdened. He doesn’t withhold what we need. Look at Psalm 84:11, For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
We have just begun singing a song about God’s provision, and it presents a great opportunity to talk about this Matthew 6:33 principle. I love the line in the chorus that says:
Everything I need You’ve gotThere’s honey in the rock
Deuteronomy 32 describes how God provided for the Israelites during the time that He was leading them through the wilderness in order to take them to the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 32:10-14 10In a desert land He found him, (the people of Israel) in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; He guarded him as the apple of his eye, 11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. 12 The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him. 13 He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, 14 with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape.
One more verse about honey from the rock…“But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.” -Psalm 81:16
These verses are a metaphor for the way God cares for us. Honey is sweet. Deuteronomy 32:13 called it nourishing. Psalm 81:16 says it is satisfying. I love the image of something sweet being nourishing. I know sweets bring satisfaction to my soul! There is nothing more satisfying than a big bowl of Private Selection Chocolate Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream! What the writers of these verses are testifying to is the real way God sustains and keeps and refreshes and helps and encourages His people even in the tough moments. Honey coming out of a rock would be a miracle, right? Here, is a picture of the miracle-working power of God. He can do that which is impossible. Honey doesn’t come from a rock, but if He decides to bring it forth, it will be done.
To really capture the full scope of what the writer of Deuteronomy means when he declares that God nourished them with honey from the rock, we need to back up a few verses. Look at Deuteronomy 32:3-4 3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! 4 HE is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. WHO is the Rock? The Lord is the Rock! He is the faithful God who does no wrong. He is the One who won’t withhold any good thing from His children.
Y’all, it isn’t just that Christ ensures He will give us what we need. The reality is He gives us Himself, and He is all we need! He feeds us with honey from the rock, but He is the Rock. That means He gives us Himself to sustain us and help us through life. He is the sweet, nourishing and satisfying presence of God. He is the solid rock upon which we can build our eternal hope and our earthly existence. He is the wonder-working God who is still doing miracles among His people today!
Can I tell you something else? Honey doesn’t spoil. I read that there are three “foods” that never really expire. One is salt, one is honey, and the third is Worcestershire Sauce! Now you know. Don’t throw out that two-year-old bottle in the back of your fridge! It’s still good, just like your honey will last forever, just like the Word of the Lord lasts forever, just like Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! There’s honey in the Rock, and it is the rock that will not crumble or fall. It won’t spoil or fade!
God knows where He is taking me. He knows what I need to eat and drink. He knows what I need to thrive where I am. He knows what it will take to sustain me in the wilderness, in-between times. As I seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, ALL these things will be added unto me because I serve the God who provides honey in the rock!
