"HONEY IN THE ROCK"
“There's honey in the rock
Water in the stone
Manna on the ground
No matter where I go
I don't need to worry now that I know
Everything I need You've got
There's honey in the rock.”
We recently introduced this song at FBC. Haven’t heard it before? Give it a listen here:
Honey In The Rock
Unless you’ve spent some time in the book of Exodus, you might find yourself wondering why in the world we’re singing about finding water in stones and honey in rocks. (Seems unlikely.) (And if you’re new to church, you’re definitely wondering what “manna on the ground” is all about.) Stay with us. It’s so good.
Brandon Lake, Brooke Ligertwood, and Mitch Wong wrote the song with Psalm 81:16 in mind:
Psalm 81:16
“But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” (ESV)
But, we actually see the concept of “honey from the rock” much earlier in Scripture. It’s found in Deuteronomy 32 – a song Moses wrote describing how God tenderly cared for His people during their journey through the wilderness:
Deuteronomy 32:9-13 (HCSB)
9 But the Lord’s portion is His people,
Jacob, His own inheritance.10 He found him in a desolate land,
in a barren, howling wilderness;
He surrounded him, cared for him,
and protected him as the pupil of His eye.
11 He watches over His nest like an eagle
and hovers over His young;
He spreads His wings, catches him,
and lifts him up on His pinions.
12 The Lord alone led him,
with no help from a foreign god.
13 He made him ride on the heights of the land
and eat the produce of the field.
He nourished him with honey from the rock
and oil from flint-like rock…
God’s pattern in the wilderness? Providing nourishment from the unlikeliest sources. Exodus tells us that:
He brought sweet, clean water out of a bitter water source in Marah. (Exodus 15:22-27)
He sent birds and bread from Heaven to eat (Chicken sandwich, anyone?). (Exodus 16:13-15)
He sprung water out of a rock at Horeb. (Exodus 17:5-6)
It’s no surprise, then, that He can also bring honey from a rock and olives from stony ground.
One commentary suggests the following:
"The high places" and "the fields" are specially applicable to the tablelands of Gilead as are the allusions to the herds and flocks, the honey of the wild bees which hive in the crevices of the rocks, the oil from the olive as it grew singly or in small clumps on the tops of hills where scarcely anything else would grow…”
- Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
The God we serve PROVIDES IN THE WILDERNESS.
Later on in Psalm 81, when Asaph revisits the “honey from the rock” idea, it’s from a different angle. This time, it’s mourning Israel’s rebellion against God, even though He had given the Israelites every reason to trust Him in the wilderness. Verse 16 serves as the conclusion of a really sad string of verses that could be summarized by the words, “if only”. If only Israel had listened to God’s voice instead of giving their hearts to idols, God would have been so ready to once again pour out blessing on them against all odds.
The truth is…That’s still His heart - to satisfy His people.
What does that mean for us?
Well, here’s what it doesn’t mean: “Let’s be faithful to God so He can give us the 21st-century-equivalent of “honey from the rock”.
Rather, the idea is this: we serve a God whose very character is - and always has been - to satisfy His people in the middle of our wildernesses as we continue following Him.
Even in the height of our struggles and painful seasons, sweetness can be found in the Lord’s presence. His goodness brings us joy that satisfies more deeply than favorable circumstances ever could.
A QUESTION
This leads us to a question that’s so good for each of our souls to wrestle with:
“How have I experienced God in the wilderness?”
Through it all, who has He proven to be toward me?
Jeremiah 2 records a piercing question from God toward His people in the midst of their rebellion:
“I remember how eager you were to please Me as a young bride long ago, how you loved Me and followed Me even through the barren wilderness…Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been to them like a land of darkness? Why then do My people say, ‘At least we are free from God! We don’t need Him anymore!’” (Jeremiah 2:2b, 31)
In other words, God is asking His people,
“Is there a reason you have forsaken Me?
Have I given you a reason to doubt My faithfulness to you?
Are you rebelling against Me because your experience of Me has given you reason to be disillusioned by Me?
No.
I led you THROUGH the wilderness.
I am not your wilderness.
Darkness and desert has NOT been your experience of Me.
I’ve led you THROUGH them both.
Your experience of Me has been miraculous deliverance from unbelievable and impossible situations.
Your experience of Me has been water in the stone, honey from the rock, manna on the ground.
Your experience of Me has been that I alone can satisfy you completely.”
Which brings us back to that question.
“How have I experienced God in the wilderness?”
May we be a people who resoundingly answer:
“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2).
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.” (Psalm 27:1a)
“The Lord is the stronghold of my life.” (Psalm 27:1b)
“[His] Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
“The Lord is my banner.” (Exodus 17:15)
“God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26b)
“The Lord is my Shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1a)
When we’ve reflected on who our God has been to us in the wilderness, we will be able to joyfully testify:
I keep looking, I keep finding
You keep giving, keep providing
I have all that I need
You are all that I need…
And…
Oh, how sweet, how sweet it is
To trust in You, Jesus
Oh, how sweet, how sweet it is
To trust in You, Jesus
Oh, how sweet, how sweet it is
To trust in You, Jesus.
Selah.