August 2025

Do you have a favorite animal? Not everyone has a favorite animal, but mine is penguins. Penguins are not mentioned by name or general description in Scripture and cannot be included in birds of the air. Thankfully, penguins aren’t the only animal that I like and collect. I also collect bees in various forms almost exclusively because of my name. This month I found myself asking the question… are there bees in the Bible? Did apiary arts exist in Jesus’ world? Would there have been beehives dotting the landscape of first century Judea?

Then I kicked myself for asking. You can’t have a land flowing with milk and honey if there are no bees! Bees are found throughout Scripture, but especially in the Old Testament. Honey is more frequent than bees and usually represents God’s abundant blessings. It’s mentioned all throughout the book of Proverbs and in several psalms as being sweet. But as Scripture goes on, the metaphor seems to disappear. During the incarnation, honey gets a few minor mentions in relation to John the Baptist’s wild ways and eating habits. Honeycomb is mentioned, once. It’s like the people stop seeing the abundant blessings of God in the world around them and only focus on the gifts associated with the incarnate Christ. I get the feeling we do the same thing as life gets and stays busy.

Are you spiritually in the wilderness, wandering, feeling lost and alone? Or are you in the promised land, a place flowing with milk and honey? What are some of God’s blessings in your life?

-Rev. Beate