What The Bible Says About Beekeeping And Farming

Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about bee keeping and farming? In this blog post, we will explore this a little and look at how it applies to our lives.

Photo: A peak inside of one of our bee hives.

The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,500 years 1 and is used as an important religious text in many of the world’s religions - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, and probably more.

What’s interesting to note related to this post is that it was written to a largely agrarian audience. The people who the Bible was originally written to understood all of the farming references, probably more than most of us today, because they lived in farming societies, and many of them practiced farming to some degree.

In fact, references to agriculture can be found throughout the whole Bible, beginning with Genesis when Adam and Eve tended to the Garden of Eden 2, all the way to Revelation where there are references of the Tree of Life bearing fruit every month. 3 Even direct references to bee keeping can be found in passages about God delivering the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt to “a land flowing with milk and honey.” 4 The promised land must have had lots of wild bees to be flowing with honey!

Photo: A swarm of bees on the outside of one of our hives!

Some of my favorite references to farming in the Bible are in the teachings of Jesus in the gospel books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) of the New Testament. For example, Jesus compares those who follow him to be like sheep (not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing haha). He is the good shepherd who loves his sheep and knows them each by name. Stop for a minute there, and just reflect on that. The God of the universe knows you by name. And Jesus goes on to say that his sheep (those who follow him) know his voice. 5 How about you, do you know God’s voice? Can you tell the difference between God’s voice and other voices?

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." (John 10:14)

Another one of my favorites in the Bible is the analogy of the vine and the branches. Jesus says that he is the vine and we are the branches. He says, that like a branch to the vine, we are to abide in him. The word abide means a deep, lasting connection. A complete dependence on him. It is way more than simply listening to his teachings as if Jesus was just another good moral teacher or prophet. What Jesus is saying in this passage is that he is our life giving source! A modern day picture would be like someone who is on full life support. Without that life support they would literally die. In the same way, without Jesus we are spiritually dead in our sins. We cannot know God without abiding in Jesus, and without him we cannot truly live, in this life or the next. 6 Do you completely depend on and abide in Jesus like a branch does to the vine?

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain (abide) in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

Photo: Some sheep grazing grass near our bee hives.

Well what about bee keeping, you might be asking… what does the Bible say about that? The clearest and I think most impactful reference to bee keeping in the Bible is it’s reference to what the bees produce… that is, to honey!

"Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." (Proverbs 24:14)

Here honey is compared to wisdom. 7 Let's explore that a little deeper, as I think there is a lot about honey that can teach us about wisdom. First of all, like honey, wisdom is sweet to those who taste it. As it says in the Bible, wisdom is "pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." 8 Those who obtain it and live their life out of wisdom reap a harvest of righteousness. Another thing we can learn about wisdom from honey is that wisdom takes effort to obtain. Honey, for instance, doesn't just fall out of a bee hive into a jar. Ask any bee keeper and they will tell that harvesting honey is hard work! It requires intentional care toward a bee hive, and even at times forceful effort to remove it from the honeycomb. Bees don't just voluntarily give up their honey! In the same way, wisdom is hard-earned. It takes effort to obtain, and often it is learned through very challenging circumstances or mis-steps in our lives. The Bible teaches us that wisdom is a highly precious commodity in our lives, even more valuable than any kind of money or treasure. 9

Lastly, just like honey, we cannot produce honey. As a bee keeper, though I may "harvest" honey I am not the one who produces it. The bees make the honey. Similarly, we can harvest wisdom, but we aren't the ones who produce it. God does. Only by earnestly seeking God and asking him for wisdom can we obtain the kind of wisdom that leads to righteousness, peace and joy in our lives. When was the last time you asked God to give you wisdom about something specific going on in your life?

"Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:3-6)

Photo: One of our jars of delicious, raw Orange Blossom Honey.

And of course, the Bible has much more to say about these kinds of topics! Please comment below to share any of your thoughts, questions or a related passage in the Bible that has been impactful for you.

Blessings,

Jeff

1 - When the Bible was written https://www.gotquestions.org/write-the-Bible.html

2 - Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 2-3 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%202-3&version=NIV

3 - Tree of Life in Revelation, Revelation 22:1-5 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2022%3A1-5&version=NIV

4 - God's promise to Moses of a land of milk and honey, Exodus 3:1-10 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%203%3A1-10&version=NIV

5 - Passage about Jesus as the good shepherd, John 10 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2010&version=NIV

6 - Passage about Jesus as the vine, John 15 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2015&version=NIV

7 - Wisdom compared to honey, Proverbs 24:14 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%2024%3A14&version=NIV

8 - Wisdom's qualities, James 3:13-18 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%203%3A13-18&version=NIV

9 - Wisdom as precious and being from God, Proverbs 2:3-6 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs%202%3A3-6&version=NIV