Paulette and I toured Israel in 2011. We’ll never forget the joy of seeing so many Biblical sites. Our Israeli guide explained the religious significance of the places we visited. At each site, she had a member of the group read a relevant passage from the Bible. All were moving, but the reading at what is believed to be the site of the Sermon on the Mount made a strong, lasting, faith-building impression on me.

To us as visitors much of Israel seemed to be desert, the hills seemed barren. The Israelis, and the Palestinians in the West Bank, grow wonderful fruits and vegetables using a very efficient drip irrigation which leaves the Jordan River with little flow.  But, it was hard to see any natural evidence of the “Land of Milk and Honey,” promised in Exodus 3:8.

Was God using a little exaggeration in his promise? No. Israel was a lusher place in Biblical times. The hills were forested, the land was fertile, and there was good grazing. The Historian Josephus (37–100 AD) speaks of its beauty and its fruitful soil that grew all sorts of crops such as figs, grapes, walnuts, olives and dates. Other parts of the land grew good grain. What happened?

The land was destroyed by 2500 years of unwise human occupation. The trees were cut, first for building and then for fuel, leaving none for regeneration. Other areas were overgrazed, especially by goats, leaving little soil cover. Finally wind and water erosion took away much of the best soil. It is hard to fault the groups that struggled to exist on this land, but the damage was done. The area was often ruled by distant powers: the Romans, the Ottomans, and the British. It’s possible some of the damage could have been prevented with better administration.

I think that there is a message here for us as Christians. In America we have truly been blessed with a “Land of Milk and Honey.” We have a responsibility to preserve it for future generations. As we look over the fertile farmlands of the Midwest or the majestic wonders of the American west, we can’t help but see God’s love, an unconditional love for all of us: you, me, and the generations yet to be born.

Jim