Land Of Milk And Honey/Heaven
Preaching
Life Everlasting
The Essential Book of Funeral Resources
Object:
Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O Lord, have given me." Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.
Yes, there are other passages about heaven, but this is a unique one in its imagery. It begins with a people of no consequence and ends with these people not only having become a great nation, but also having taken possession of a land flowing with milk and honey. Greatness is not a prerequisite for possessing the inheritance of eternal life. It is not our hand that allows us to take possession of the land, but the mighty hand of God. There is comfort and confidence in knowing this. This passage also engenders a sense of glad anticipation of the promised land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. Maybe that phrase doesn't elicit the same satisfying images it did 2,000 years ago, but it still has power. There is a land where our needs are provided for; a land that is overflowing with all we need. This is good news.
Yes, there are other passages about heaven, but this is a unique one in its imagery. It begins with a people of no consequence and ends with these people not only having become a great nation, but also having taken possession of a land flowing with milk and honey. Greatness is not a prerequisite for possessing the inheritance of eternal life. It is not our hand that allows us to take possession of the land, but the mighty hand of God. There is comfort and confidence in knowing this. This passage also engenders a sense of glad anticipation of the promised land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. Maybe that phrase doesn't elicit the same satisfying images it did 2,000 years ago, but it still has power. There is a land where our needs are provided for; a land that is overflowing with all we need. This is good news.
