Taste, See, Trust, Blessed

 

Over in my much ignored recipe blog, I have a page on garlic that doesn't mention honey, so this graphic caught my eye, I do like garlic and believe it is helpful (beyond keeping vampires away - you may now laugh loudly!) I do like honey, too. I have a multitude of recipes in my Pepperplate for "over night oats," and on the ones needed a touch of sweetness, honey is my choice. The KJV of our Holy Bible shows 52 verses in the Old Testament with the word honey in them. Only four in the new. Perhaps the Old remembers a promise:

And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:8 KJV)

That promise was kept.

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. (Numbers 13:26-27 KJV)

Forty years later their descendants were able to enter that land. A generation lost that opportunity due to a lack of trust, even when they saw the promise fulfilled. Descendants of those who entered, fought, and stayed on the land continued to be grateful. Even today, honey is part of Jewish remembrance. It was the verse from May's Ladies Luncheon at our church that brought this to my mind:

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalms 119:103 KJV)

The four points in our speaker's thoughts were: Taste, See, Trust, Blessed. Our speaker did a wonderful job of presenting her thoughts - and I took notes, but the same four words had a slightly different "taste" in my mind, so these thoughts are mine:

Taste is an invitation. Or a command. It is personal for each one of us, for we cannot do a taste test for another. We must taste for ourselves when it comes to food - and we must taste for ourselves the sweetness of God's word. We need to share it with an open mind that the person we are talking with does not have the same sweet experience with God. We need to share our own, not telling them what they must find. From a Haartez article:

"A custom in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions was to spread honey over a board or a paper with the Hebrew alphabet (alef-bet) written on it, and let the young scholar lick the letters, demonstrating the sweetness of learning. ... This custom is still practiced today in some Orthodox communities in Israel. This connection between sweetness and the Torah is also marked in the holidays of Simchat Torah and Shavuot."

See is obvious. We must see for ourselves, and first impressions are of utmost importance. When introducing God's word, we don't know what another person will see. There are so many examples, but one came immediately to mind. Christians believe without seeing - which actually provides a blessing. I have not seen the scars in Jesus side, nor those in His hands, as Thomas did, but I believe they exist, and how they were received. I believe Thomas saw them, too, but I am blessed without being in His presence (yet):

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29 KJV)

Trust - the first use of "trust" in the New Testament comes from the Old:

And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. (Matthew 12:21 KJV)

In verses 12:15-21, Matthew said it was a fulfillment of prophecy in Isaiah:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. (Isaiah 42:1-4 KJV)

When we taste what God has offered us, see what has been done in the deeds He has provided for us, and trusted He will take care of us as well, we most certainly are blessed.  Take a look at Matthew 5:3-11 and read what blessings are available to everyone who does trust in Jesus. 

I see these blessings as a progression as my Christian life grows. First, I was poor in spirit, so much to learn beyond believing as John 3:16-18 describes. When we reach the point we are no longer defensive when people do revile our belief in Christ, when words no longer anger us when we are accused of being in a cult, of believing a book of myths, or when we can answer with words provided by faith, we can rejoice! Everyone who will speak with us offers an opportunity to share our faith. God has described what to do when we are rejected:

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. (Matthew 10:14 KJV)