Land Flowing with Milk and Honey …

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 11:8 -17

As we completed our tour of Israel and Jordan in Sep 2014, one question was ringing in my heart continually:  Why did God give the Israelites this kind of terrain, which is 80% wilderness?  After all, the Lord created the whole earth (Gen.1:1) and filled it with lush green pastures, rivers, and trees.  As human parents, we want to give our children good things.  Then, why did God give His children a land filled with rocky mountains and wild bushes?

God did not set up Adam and Eve in a wilderness when He created them.  He set them in Eden, which was watered by not one but four rivers!  But  Adam and Eve lost their focus quickly and fell into the devil's trap.  I believe God gave the Israelites the Land of Canaan because of that experience!

Former and latter rains fed the Land of Israel.  Deuteronomy 11:10-12 beautifully describes it.  "It was a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven, a land our Lord God cared for.  The eyes of the Lord were continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." Egypt was fed by the river Nile, but Canaan was not like that.  It depended on the rains, and if the rains failed, their crops failed!  The people of Israel just had to depend on God to send them the rain at the right time for their crops.

Many times, we find our lives like a wilderness, filled with a lack of finances, troubled with health issues or problems with children.  We try to point a finger at God and accuse Him of making our walk challenging.  Our journey may be rough, but God has planned it especially for us.  Our promise is in His Word.  God actually made the land of Israel flow with milk and honey.  They never lacked anything!  What more can we ever need in our life?

Looking back upon the way God has led me, I cannot but thank God.  If God had placed me in the ‘Garden of Eden,’ I might have fallen away.  So God, in His wisdom, put me in the 'land of Israel.'  That is my Father's love, His amazing love!  All I have to do is 'depend' on Him for everything, for His eyes are upon me from the beginning of the year to its end!

So, my friend, be encouraged!  When I think of God's love, I cannot but join with the Hymn writer (Isaac Watts) and sing,

Love so amazing so divine

Demands my soul, my life, my all!

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, Thank You for the path You have ordained for me.  Help me depend on You alone for provision, protection, and guidance.  Amen.

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