Honey From the Rock

But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” - Ps 81:16.

The foods written about in the Bible are fascinating to study. Take, for example, honey. We are familiar with God’s promise to the Israelites to give them a land “flowing with milk and honey¹.” Honey “is frequently mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, often symbolizing abundance, delight, and the richness of God’s provision.²”

In the Middle East, honey was used to sweeten foods. This is still true for the Bedoin³. As we do in America with coffee, honey was categorized by its qualities. For the Israelites, the finest honey was that gathered from beehives built into gaps in rocky and mountainous places⁴.

The Israelites understood that when God promised honey, it was the finest honey for His chosen people⁵. When we consider the sixty times that honey is referenced in the ESV Bible, we learn some valuable lessons.

We learn that God often brings sweet things to us from surprising places. When God promised to give the Israelites the land of Canaan, a land of fierce tribes and giants, He ignored those difficulties, for He would give them victory if they were obedient. What God wanted them to grasp was that it was a land flowing with milk and honey – milk and cookies; this seemed unimaginable, but that was God’s intent.

God can bring delicious blessings from unexpected places. In the Book of Isaiah, we find this promise:

He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
– Isaiah 7:1 ESV

Just as parents warn their kids around this time of the year not to eat too much candy, God does the same. Proverbs 25:16 NLT states, “Do you like honey? Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!⁶” So, what’s that all about? Don’t we want unlimited blessings from God? Of course, we do, but with sweets, there is the law of diminishing returns. If all I ate was honey, it would change from a treat to nothing special.

Remember, John the Baptist’s “clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey⁷.” John’s clothes and belt pointed back to Elijah, who was a “hairy man with a leather belt⁸.” Also, in the Old Testament Book of Malachi, Scripture states, “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives⁹.” And Jesus indirectly pointed to John the Baptist when He said, “I tell you that Elijah has come¹⁰.” But what about the honey? Here is what BibleHub.com’s commentary states:

John’s consumption of locusts and wild honey is not a trivial detail but a multifaceted sign. It authenticates him as the promised Elijah-like forerunner, displays covenant fidelity through clean foods, dramatizes reliance on God in the wilderness, issues prophetic rebuke to societal decadence, and anticipates the Messiah who brings true sustenance and redemption.¹¹

John the Baptist lived with human discomfort, for he wore scratchy, heavy clothes in a hot climate and ate locusts, a “clean” food under the Law, but perhaps the most menial food an Israelite would eat. While in his physical discomfort, God allotted to him a food that was both a testimony and a treat: wild honey. It was one of the two foods promised to the nation of Israel concerning the Promised Land. And, it was a sweet delicacy, not something to “pig out on” but something to savor and give thanks for.

God is so amazing. To follow Jesus, we must believe in whom we do not see¹², die to the life in which we are familiar¹³, and join in suffering for Him¹⁴. Our lives may often be scratchy, heavy, and filled with menial things, yet Jesus has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us¹⁵.

He has promised us a new life. We are reborn¹⁶, thereby becoming joint heirs with Jesus of God’s kingdom¹⁷. We are promised a paradise to live in with Jesus¹⁸. And the honey? I think those are the nuggets of sudden insights we experience when we read God’s Word, when we fervently pray for the needs of others, and when we become still and ponder God¹⁹: Abba (Father), Yehoshua (Jesus), Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God). Those are honey from the Rock²⁰.

Footnotes

1. Exodus 3:8 – Moses at the Burning Bush. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/exodus/3-8.htm ↩︎
2. Topical Bible: Honey. (n.d.). Biblehub.Com. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/topical/h/honey.htm ↩︎
3. Wikipedia contributors. (2025, October 16). Bedouin. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bedouin&oldid=1317065961 ↩︎
4. Psalm 81 Barnes’ Notes. (n.d.). Biblehub.Com. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/psalms/81.htm ↩︎
5. Deuteronomy 7:6 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%207%3A6&version=ESV ↩︎
6. Proverbs 25:16 – More Proverbs of Solomon. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/proverbs/25-16.htm ↩︎
7. Matthew 3:4 – The Mission of John the Baptist. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/matthew/3-4.htm ↩︎
8. 2 Kings 1:8 – Elijah Denounces Ahaziah. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/2_kings/1-8.htm ↩︎
9. Malachi 4:5 – The Great Day of the LORD. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/malachi/4-5.htm ↩︎
10. Mark 9:11-13 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%209%3A11-13&version=ESV ↩︎
11. What is the significance of John eating locusts and wild honey in Mark 1:6? (n.d.). Biblehub.Com. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/q/Why_does_John_eat_locusts_and_honey.htm ↩︎
12. John 20:29 – Jesus Appears to Thomas. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/john/20-29.htm ↩︎
13. Matthew 16:24-26 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2016%3A24-26&version=ESV ↩︎
14. 1 Peter 4:13 – Suffering as Christians. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/1_peter/4-13.htm ↩︎
15. Hebrews 13:5 – Christ’s Unchanging Nature. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/hebrews/13-5.htm ↩︎
16. John 3:3 – Jesus and Nicodemus. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/john/3-3.htm ↩︎
17. Romans 8:17 – Heirs with Christ. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/romans/8-17.htm ↩︎
18. Luke 23:43 – The Crucifixion. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/luke/23-43.htm ↩︎
19. Psalm 46:10 – God is Our Refuge and Strength. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/psalms/46-10.htm ↩︎
20. 1 Peter 2:6 – The Living Stone. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved October 18, 2025, from https://biblehub.com/1_peter/2-6.htm ↩︎