Honey from A Rock, Part 2

Psalm 81:10-16

Who expects to get honey from a rock? 

I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it. But my people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices.  

Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries…But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat and with honey from the rock I would satisfy. 

 

Honey From A Rock

Honey from a rock is an interesting phrase. There are two aspects to understanding this phrase: 

1. There is food that is functional. Food that is nutritional and good for us to eat. Then there is food that adds flavor and enjoyment to the meal. There is food that brings sweetness and pleasure. Honey is such a food; sweet and enjoyable. God does just bless us practically and functionally. He blesses with the sweetest and most wonderful blessings we can imagine. 
2. This metaphor of honey from a rock describes rare and valuable products as coming from the most unproductive places. God can and will bless us in the most unusual and unpredictable ways imaginable. He can produce honey from a rock. 

When we are suffering the consequences of self-sufficiency, none of our efforts, not matter how sure and sound they seem to be, truly produce good results. But when we are close to God, listening and following Him, the sweetness of honey comes our way out of nowhere. Who expects to get honey from a rock? But when we are following God, His blessings and favor come over us in the most beautiful and unexpected ways. He will even turn a rock into the honey of blessings and favor toward us! This is amazing! 

 

The Heart of God 

The passion of God’s heart is to bless us, not discipline us. However, when we run away, do our own thing, when we rebel and disobey, God disciplines those He loves. 

However, let’s renew our view of God and His passion for us. I found a parallel passage to this Psalm in Isaiah 30. Read this carefully and allow this reality of God’s nature to fully sink in. What does God long for? 

 

Therefore, the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. Isaiah 30.18. 

 

He longs to be gracious and He’s waiting. Waiting for what? 

 

Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! Psalms 81.13. 

 

Again, He longs to be gracious and He’s waiting. Waiting for what? 

 

He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Isaiah 30.19 

 

To cry out to God, then to listen and obey is the very heart of the phrase, Living Scripture Daily. Listen to Him speak to you daily from the Bible and allow this daily time to transform your life day-by-day. Start small and build on it.  

The promise of God is that He will unleash His blessings upon you in the most amazing ways. Doesn’t mean life will be easy. It means the joy, the grace and blessings He will pour over you will come in good times and bad times. And even out of the bad times, His blessings will be like the sweetness of honey from a rock. 

 

Ashes to Joy 

Let’s face it, our primary means of listening to God is to read His Word, reflect on its meaning and listen to God as he teaches you how to live accordingly. Then walk in it by faith. The righteous live by their faith.  Over time, God will turn your ashes into joy. He promises it so! And today’s passage says He’ll do it quickly. 

 

Lord, it’s so simple but we’ve made it so hard. The compounding results of living our own lives and following our own paths, creates hardship after hardship. Sometimes we feel like we’re in a hole and can’t get out. Help us to take just one step at a time toward the path of following You. Just one step at a time. The hole seems deep but You have promised to respond QUICKLY! What a great and loving God You are!!! Amen!