You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey. Lev. 20:24, NIV.

I wonder how many children rushed into Canaan hoping to see rivers of milk and honey. Could you imagine it? Just above Jericho, someone might say, there’s a stream of milk flowing from a flower-filled meadow. And by the city gates it merges with a river of golden honey that comes from the forest at the edge of town. Then the two, now a mighty torrent of pearl and gold, rush . . .

Actually, the picture is not that attractive. So what was God promising?

Milk? Happy cows produce sweet milk that tastes great on Special K. And happy cows are most content when delectable grasses and small, clear streams carpet their pastures. That happy picture is also one that farmers conjure up in their fondest dreams. A picture of Paradise—a land flowing with milk.

And honey? Zillions of honeybees hum around the cows, reveling in the feast offered by multiflavored flowers in the pastures, in the orchards, in the gardens, and on the cliffs. Bees that take the pollen home and transform it into golden goodness with the taste of apples, lilies, and wildflowers. Sweet, distinctive nectars that bring a special flavor to Grandma’s bread.

But milk and honey together? My wife, Brenda, has taught me that the two actually do go together well—in healing. Whenever my voice starts sounding like a lawn mower motor, she brings out the milk and honey. One mug of “almost hot” milk with a giant tablespoon of honey mixed in brings relief and healing to my singed vocal cords. It’s a concoction I’m sure Joshua used every morning before addressing his troops.

Milk and honey together? We know that the much later Egyptian queen Cleopatra used a milk-and-honey mix for her special royal baths. “Take at least one milk and honey bath each week and your skin will always stay lovely and soft and clear, and you’ll always have a complexion like a queen.” No, I do not know if it works, but I do know God used an illustration that would bring smiles of understanding from former Egyptian slaves. Milk and honey. The promise of Paradise!
 
Are you looking forward to a land flowing with milk and honey? What should you do to get ready for that wonderful day when Paradise is no longer a promise but a reality?
 

Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.