He brew 4:1 2 tells us “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”
In the book of Hebrew, we are given insight into why Israel spent 40 yrs. in the wilderness even though it was Gods will for them to enter the promised land.
Unbelief. God through Moses had delivered them from bondage (Egypt) and brought them to a new land, a land of rest (type of Christ).
Hebrews 3:15, “And delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” They had been slaves to Egypt for over 500 years and now God is leading them to a land that was the promise He had made to their fathers, To Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. Yet, they struggled in unbelief. They lacked the relationship with God and His care for them because of the bondages of a world system they had been living from for
all their generations instead of living from a relationship and provision from God. They lacked the word. (Bible) They were given the promise land and told it was a land that flowed with milk and honey. What did that mean? Honey is symbolic of fertility, community, prosperity, diligence and work ethic. This was not familiar; they had been slaves to a system.
Milk is symbolic of Mother, a mothers care, deeply connected with life itself, it’s the fluid of life. And abundance. Gods provision! They were accustomed to a never enough mentality, lack.
Together Milk and Honey represent completeness and harmony. Gods description of the
Promise Land as a “land flowing with milk and honey” is a beautifully graphic way of highlighting His provision and care for His people. God was delivering His people out of slavery and ignorance of His love and care for them and leading them to a life of freedom, blessing and the knowledge of Him.
A place according to Deuteronomy 6:10-11, of goodly cities which thou buildest not. And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not. Where thou shall eat and be full.
A land flowing with “milk and honey.” But they knew not this, lacked understanding, knowledge of the Lord. They had to believe the promise and through that belief (faith) (acting on the promise), they would come to know God.
Our Promise Land. God has also given us, the New Testament Church, a promi¡se land. It’s not a physical land but contains the same promises, the promise of the New Testament, a new covenant, a life lived in Christ, a life lived through Christ, The Word. We have the Word that the Israelites did not have. The Word of God or the knowledge of God, is what will fulfil all the needs of this life.
But we must believe this, its what was preached or told to them as well as to us. Hebrew 4:1-2.
Mix Faith with The Word.
