Oil From The Rock
Posted: March 20th, 2010, 4:12 am
A HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #135e, Written 20MAR10
From The Rock—Part Five: Oil From The Rock
by rev. dave c
De 32:13 "He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock… (NKJV).
Having written the first three parts of this series some time ago concerning water from the rock, I was moved to expand its scope by the recent reading of what I consider a fairly obscure passage to include honey and oil “from the rock”. While not as critical as water, both honey and oil have significant practical and symbolic importance throughout the Bible. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever heard, or read, commentary on Deuteronomy 32:13. As it turns out, however, this verse has not gone unnoticed. While ‘Sweet Honey In The Rock’ is an African American female a cappella ensemble, ‘Honey In The Rock’ is variously a Civil War era musical-drama, a hymn from 1895 with words and music by Frederick A. Graves, and a Christian greeting card company. Furthermore, Honey From The Rock is a Catholic Bible study and it is a recent book by Roy H. Schoeman recounting the conversion of 16 Jews to Christianity.
Likewise, ‘oil from the rock’ carries contemporary cultural potency, as well as ancient Judeo-Christian significance, as the nature of that oil is being debated. In the New Bible Dictionary, Second Edition (J.D. Douglass, Organizing Editor; Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England and Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, USA; 1982) we read on page 854, “The presence of oil symbolized gladness (Is. 61:3) while its absence indicated sorrow or humiliation (Joel 1:10). Similarly oil was used as an image of comfort, spiritual nourishment, or prosperity (Dt. 33:24; Jb. 29:6; Ps. 45:7).” In its article abut ‘oil’, The New Bible Dictionary tells us that olive oil was used extensively in the Palestine of the Old and New Testaments as an important food staple, offering to God, element of sacramental ritual, medicine, source of light, and major economic export.
Tellingly, this same dictionary begins its subject entry by stating emphatically, “Unless cosmetic ointments (Ru. 3:3; 2 Sa. 14:2; Ps. 104:15) or oil of myrrh (Est. 2:12) are indicated, all other biblical references to oil are to the expressed product of the olive fruit.” In line with this teaching, the KJV, ESV, and ASV (among others) translate Deuteronomy 32:13 as something similar to the NAS, “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And He made him stink honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock…”. The implication being that both the honey and the oil mentioned are highly desirable food substances.
On the other hand, we find a very different interpretation in an interview with John Brown, Chairman of the Board and Founder of Zion Oil and Gas, and Richard Rinberg, the company´s CEO: “[Interviewer] You say that there are sentences in the Bible that tell about the existence of oil in Israel. Which ones? Brown: At his death, Jacob promises Joseph “the blessings of the deep that lieth under” (Genesis 49:22-26). Moses, on his deathbed, gives his blessing to the tribes of Joseph for “the chief things of the ancient mountains” and “the precious things of lasting hills” (Deuteronomy 33:13-17). Moses then blesses Asher that he will “dip his foot in oil” (Deuteronomy 33:24). Also, in Moses’ final testament to Israel, he says that God promises that the nation will “stink honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” [Interviewer] Some people argue that these quotes refer to olive oil. Brown: When Moses mentioned oil in his repeat of Jacob´s blessing in Deuteronomy, he used the Hebrew word “Shemen”. “Shemen” is a general term; it can in its noun form be used to describe olive oil, but it can also describe any substance that is oily or greasy or fatty. Remember, the Hebrews had no word for petroleum oil in the days of Moses and the mechanized pumps hadn´t been conceptualized. If Moses wanted to express the notion of “pumping petroleum” (two concepts of which he hadn´t the faintest idea), it´s conceivable that the only words available to describe the picture he had been given by God to convey was “stink honey out of the rock, and oil of the flinty rock”. If somebody is predisposed to see the Bible as an historical document, written and inspired solely by men who penned its words, it would be difficult to find any interpretation outside of the context of the time in which it was written. However, we believe that the Bible is the Word of God; that God directed the minds and pens of the men who wrote it, and that its message communicates God´s plan to us today with as much or more relevance as it communicated in the day the original text was written.” [http://www.stefan-frank-texte.de/zion.htm]
Olive oil or petroleum? Interesting question. Either way, verse 13 of Deuteronomy 33 promises the Children of God life, and life miraculously abundant from the Rock of the Old Testament. And we know that Rock is revealed to be Jesus the Christ of the New Testament, in this the Age of the Church, and for all eternity. As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame" (Ro 9:33; NIV).
From The Rock—Part Five: Oil From The Rock
by rev. dave c
De 32:13 "He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock… (NKJV).
Having written the first three parts of this series some time ago concerning water from the rock, I was moved to expand its scope by the recent reading of what I consider a fairly obscure passage to include honey and oil “from the rock”. While not as critical as water, both honey and oil have significant practical and symbolic importance throughout the Bible. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever heard, or read, commentary on Deuteronomy 32:13. As it turns out, however, this verse has not gone unnoticed. While ‘Sweet Honey In The Rock’ is an African American female a cappella ensemble, ‘Honey In The Rock’ is variously a Civil War era musical-drama, a hymn from 1895 with words and music by Frederick A. Graves, and a Christian greeting card company. Furthermore, Honey From The Rock is a Catholic Bible study and it is a recent book by Roy H. Schoeman recounting the conversion of 16 Jews to Christianity.
Likewise, ‘oil from the rock’ carries contemporary cultural potency, as well as ancient Judeo-Christian significance, as the nature of that oil is being debated. In the New Bible Dictionary, Second Edition (J.D. Douglass, Organizing Editor; Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England and Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, USA; 1982) we read on page 854, “The presence of oil symbolized gladness (Is. 61:3) while its absence indicated sorrow or humiliation (Joel 1:10). Similarly oil was used as an image of comfort, spiritual nourishment, or prosperity (Dt. 33:24; Jb. 29:6; Ps. 45:7).” In its article abut ‘oil’, The New Bible Dictionary tells us that olive oil was used extensively in the Palestine of the Old and New Testaments as an important food staple, offering to God, element of sacramental ritual, medicine, source of light, and major economic export.
Tellingly, this same dictionary begins its subject entry by stating emphatically, “Unless cosmetic ointments (Ru. 3:3; 2 Sa. 14:2; Ps. 104:15) or oil of myrrh (Est. 2:12) are indicated, all other biblical references to oil are to the expressed product of the olive fruit.” In line with this teaching, the KJV, ESV, and ASV (among others) translate Deuteronomy 32:13 as something similar to the NAS, “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And He made him stink honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock…”. The implication being that both the honey and the oil mentioned are highly desirable food substances.
On the other hand, we find a very different interpretation in an interview with John Brown, Chairman of the Board and Founder of Zion Oil and Gas, and Richard Rinberg, the company´s CEO: “[Interviewer] You say that there are sentences in the Bible that tell about the existence of oil in Israel. Which ones? Brown: At his death, Jacob promises Joseph “the blessings of the deep that lieth under” (Genesis 49:22-26). Moses, on his deathbed, gives his blessing to the tribes of Joseph for “the chief things of the ancient mountains” and “the precious things of lasting hills” (Deuteronomy 33:13-17). Moses then blesses Asher that he will “dip his foot in oil” (Deuteronomy 33:24). Also, in Moses’ final testament to Israel, he says that God promises that the nation will “stink honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” [Interviewer] Some people argue that these quotes refer to olive oil. Brown: When Moses mentioned oil in his repeat of Jacob´s blessing in Deuteronomy, he used the Hebrew word “Shemen”. “Shemen” is a general term; it can in its noun form be used to describe olive oil, but it can also describe any substance that is oily or greasy or fatty. Remember, the Hebrews had no word for petroleum oil in the days of Moses and the mechanized pumps hadn´t been conceptualized. If Moses wanted to express the notion of “pumping petroleum” (two concepts of which he hadn´t the faintest idea), it´s conceivable that the only words available to describe the picture he had been given by God to convey was “stink honey out of the rock, and oil of the flinty rock”. If somebody is predisposed to see the Bible as an historical document, written and inspired solely by men who penned its words, it would be difficult to find any interpretation outside of the context of the time in which it was written. However, we believe that the Bible is the Word of God; that God directed the minds and pens of the men who wrote it, and that its message communicates God´s plan to us today with as much or more relevance as it communicated in the day the original text was written.” [http://www.stefan-frank-texte.de/zion.htm]
Olive oil or petroleum? Interesting question. Either way, verse 13 of Deuteronomy 33 promises the Children of God life, and life miraculously abundant from the Rock of the Old Testament. And we know that Rock is revealed to be Jesus the Christ of the New Testament, in this the Age of the Church, and for all eternity. As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame" (Ro 9:33; NIV).