Word of Encouragement (01/11/2023)
“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, 12 the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. 14 Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat-- and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.” (Deut. 32:10-14)
Vv. 13-14 show the second part of Moses’ description of God’s provision for Israel. The first part described the blessing of having the one and only true God as his God (“the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him”). The second part describes various blessings He bestowed upon him.
What an array of rich blessings! God blessed him with a high position: “He made him ride on the high places of the land.” He blessed him with the produce of the field: “and he ate the produce of the field.” He added to it honey and oil: “and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” He provided them through extraordinary providence: “and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” He blessed him to enjoy the whole of his flock and herd—“curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs....” He blessed him with the best of the produce of the land—“rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat” and “foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.”
What a wonderful picture of God’s rich and thorough provision for His people! This list mentions grains and vegetables—“the produce of the field,” “the finest of the wheat,” “the grape” and “foaming wine.” It mentions honey and oil. It mentions the meat—fat of lambs and rams and goats. It mentions curds and milk. It mentions the best—rams of Bashan and the very finest of the wheat. It also mentions the blessing of a high position (or triumph). God supplies these things through both ordinary and extraordinary providence.
Israel did not receive all these blessings during his wilderness journey. It seems that Moses included Israel’s earlier days in Egypt when he was favored by Pharaoh and given the land of Goshen for their flocks and herds. There, he must have enjoyed the rich produce of the land. Moses also included Israel’s victory over Og king of Bashan and Sihon king of the Amorites. It may go as far as the time when the Patriarchs sojourned in the land of Canaan, which was a land flowing with milk and honey. If so, it may serve as a preview of the blessings Israel would enjoy in the promised land.
As we conclude, we must remind ourselves that these things testify to the blessing of having God as our God. He is the God of creation, who is able to supply all things for our needs and enjoyment out of the rich stores of His creation. He is also the God of the supernatural realm, who is able to employ supernatural means, if necessary (not because He is unorganized and has to make things right at the last minute but, at times, to show His almighty power for a special purpose), to demonstrate His all-sufficient care for His people. How secure and rich we are if God is our God! Let us renew our gratitude to Him for choosing us and making us His people.