Biblical Imagery
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
As Theology 101 continues to seek truths about the Bible in various images by which the Bible refers to itself, our attention is drawn to that of food. This imagery has roots in the Old Testament in God’s call to prophets to become His spokespersons.
For example Ezekiel heard the voice of God speaking to him, saying, “Open your mouth and eat what I give you,” and when he looked, the prophet reported, “There was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it” (Ezek. 2:8–9).
God continued His instructions to Ezekiel, saying, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll and go, speak to the house of Israel.” In response the prophet reported, “So I ate and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness” (Ezek. 3:3).
‘Sweeter than honey’
Psalm 19:10 draws upon this same imagery in declaring God’s truth is “sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” and Psalm 119:103 exclaims, “How sweet are Your words to my mouth, sweeter than honey to my mouth.”
The imagery of God’s word as food appears again in two New Testament passages of special emphasis. The first of these passages refers to this food as milk. With words addressed to believers 1 Peter 2:2–3 instructs, “As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” The Bible is necessary nourishment from the time of a person’s spiritual rebirth just as milk is to a newborn infant.
The second New Testament passage refers to the food of God’s word as solid food. In a reprimand to some no longer making progress in spiritual growth, Hebrews 5:12–14 declares, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the Word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age.”
Biblical nourishment
From this dual imagery of milk versus solid food we discern that God’s word speaks meaningfully to those who are new to the Christian faith. It also nourishes those who are quite advanced in Christian experience and spiritual understanding. No one is too young in the faith to profit from Bible reading. Neither is anyone so advanced as to no longer need the nourishment of biblical truth.
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